Jazz musicians improvise live to poetry at Laxey evening

An evening pairing poetry with improvised jazz took place at Laxey Working Men’s Institute on Friday 13 November, according to Isle of Man Today.

The ‘Jazz x Poetry’ event was organised by Saoirse Coyle-Carroll through the group X Poetry. As each poet read, a band made up its accompaniment on the spot, and many of the performers were meeting each other’s work for the first time.

Ms Coyle-Carroll said the night “went better than I could have imagined”. She told the outlet that the format depends on trust, with poets reading to musicians they had never met and the musicians hearing the poems for the first time.

The band came together with the help of poet and musician Matthew. It included Jackie, a trombonist who also writes poetry, along with Ed, John and Martyn, the outlet reported.

According to Isle of Man Today, the crowd included both regulars and first-time visitors. Ms Coyle-Carroll said X Poetry events, which grew out of open mic nights, welcome anyone with an interest who treats others with respect. She also thanked the institute for backing community events.

She told the outlet she hopes to hold another Jazz x Poetry night next year. She would also like to pair poetry with other kinds of music, such as folk or acoustic sets, or even DJs playing electronic music.