The five-piece band settled into a mysterious groove, somewhat like the beginning of The Doors’ dark epic “The End.” As the cymbals infused an ambient effect on the upper floor of The Press Room, 18-year-old Ian Perry sidled up to the microphone.
“The stars became strange eyes from the satin dress of night,” Perry softly read. “We drove down the crackling back-road borders of radio connection.”

With the music setting an auditory canvas, Perry continued through a short poem about a seemingly aimless drive around the country—“drifting through the contemporary night,” while listening to “twisted jazz” and “psychedelic radio.”

Perry was one of about a dozen teenagers to participate in Teen Beat Night at the Portsmouth bar and restaurant on the evening of Thursday, Nov. 15. Organized by guitarist Larry Simon, the event served two main purposes: It offered young, aspiring poets a rare chance to read in public with musical accompaniment, while also collecting donations for Jazzmouth 2008.

Simon, who is already busy preparing for next year’s Jazzmouth agenda, hosts Beat Night at The Press Room on the third Thursday of every month. Like Jazzmouth, Beat Night upholds the beatnik-jazz tradition of combining poetry with improvised music. But, Simon stresses that Beat Night is open to people of all musical tastes and poetic styles.

“Stylistically, it’s totally inclusive,” Simon said, extending an invitation to “crazy people” and “conservatives,” alike.

The concept is fairly simple. The poet tells Simon what type of tone he or she would like in the background, and Simon relays some general directions to the other band members. The band, which on Thursday consisted of Simon on guitar, Scip Gallant on keyboard, Mike Barron on drums, Chris Stambaugh on bass, and Don Davis on saxophone and flute, then begins improvising a tune while the poet reads along. Simon encourages poets to keep their instructions simple—just enough to get the instrumentalists on the right track.

“I tell the grownups, as well as kids, even if they know a lot about music, to not speak in technical terms,” he said. 
Not surprisingly, the resulting sound was varied on Thursday night, which, from 7-8 p.m., was devoted specifically to teenagers. Some of the poets requested upbeat, jazzy licks, while others requested dark, morose sounds, and still others asked for chaotic, free jazz intervals. The young poets, most of whom were female, addressed a variety of subjects, some criticizing shallow classmates and self-indulgent consumers, others illustrating the confusion and muddled emotions that come with being a teenager.

“I like writing down the strange things that I see, the weird moments,” Perry said after reading two original poems. “That kind of thing inspires me, strangeness, I guess.”

It was only the second time that Perry, a senior at Portsmouth High School, had read his work in public. He admitted that stepping to the microphone in front of a packed room was intimidating.

“I get real shaky when I get up there, but it was cool having music this time. Last time, it was just kind of dry, but it was nice having music to go along with, trying to build off what they’re playing,” he said.

The featured poets on Thursday demonstrated a variety of techniques. Rebecca Jordan gave two a capella singing performances, while Monica Mays read a poem in her native Spanish tongue. But, all the poets courageously laid their souls on the table.

Simon knows that it is difficult for poets of all ages to find public outlets for their work. Part of his mission with Beat Night and Jazzmouth is to give amateur poets an opportunity to read—and give guests an opportunity to listen.

“Poetry, whether you’re a kid or an adult, is not a mainstream thing,” he said. “It’s certainly a more niche thing in our culture, spoken word.”

Entering its fourth year, Jazzmouth 2008—to be held April 24-27—is shaping up to be another riveting four days of music and words. Simon has booked former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins as the headlining act, and eclectic jazz musician David Amram will return to participate in numerous events.

As in last year’s festival, Amram’s ubiquitous presence will include participation in the Young Writers Beat Night at RiverRun Bookstore on Saturday, April 26, which is identical to the concept of Teen Beat Night.

“A very important part of (Jazzmouth) is that kids get to be part of what’s becoming kind of a significant festival,” Simon said.
A music teacher in Newmarket’s public school system, Simon contacts poets, teachers and organizations to seek teen poets who are interested in sharing their work. He collected suggested donations of $2.50 during Thursday’s Beat Night, which will go toward Jazzmouth events. Teen Beat Night is held every November, and everyone is welcome to attend. Contributions at all Beat Night events between now and April will go toward Jazzmouth 2008.

“No one should be afraid to come if they don’t have the $2.50. It really is just a suggestion. We don’t want to turn anyone away because of money issues,” Simon said.

For more information about Jazzmouth 2008, visit www.jazzmouth.org. Poets interested in participating in future Beat Night events should contact Larry Simon at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it