Sound by Sound

Sound by Sound is a father-and-son collaboration blending music and poetry. The event features Aidan Scrimgeour and his father, J.D., Salem’s inaugural poet laureate and longtime Salem State Professor, performing poems by J.D. alongside music composed by Aidan and improvised collectively by participating musicians. The pair collaborated previously on the musical, Only Human, which premiered in Salem in 2014. Aidan Scrimgeour is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and teacher. Based in Brooklyn, NY since 2019, he is active in various folk, jazz and improvised music scenes, performing on piano, organ and accordion. He is the co-founder of the Brooklyn Porch Music Multigenerational Big Band and works as a music teaching artist with the National Dance Institute in the NYC public schools. J.D. Scrimgeour is the author of six books of poetry and three of nonfiction. He also is the editor of Pieces of Salem: An Anthology of Salem Voices, a collection of writing about Salem by over 130 of its citizens to help commemorate the city’s 400th anniversary. This event is J.D.’s final performance in his role as Poet Laureate.