Comfort in Chaos; new music and spoken word for jazz ensemble and poets celebrating the work of 1625 Independent People, composed by Harriet Riley and Pete Judge
'Comfort in Chaos’ is a suite of new compositions inspired by, and aiming to raise awareness of the charity 1625 Independent People, which supports young people who are homeless, leaving care or at risk of homelessness. The suite will be premiered in Bristol on Saturday 18th September 2021 at the 1532 Arts Centre. It brings together two contrasting musicians/composers for their first collaborative project, working with two young poets, Jj and Danni Willey, who have been supported by 1625 Independent People (1625ip). ...
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Comfort in Chaos; new music and spoken word for jazz ensemble and poets celebrating the work of 1625 Independent People, composed by Harriet Riley and Pete Judge
'Comfort in Chaos’ is a suite of new compositions inspired by, and aiming to raise awareness of the charity 1625 Independent People, which supports young people who are homeless, leaving care or at risk of homelessness. The suite will be premiered in Bristol on Saturday 18th September 2021 at the 1532 Arts Centre. It brings together two contrasting musicians/composers for their first collaborative project, working with two young poets, Jj and Danni Willey, who have been supported by 1625 Independent People (1625ip).
Harriet Riley is a virtuoso percussionist, a highly acclaimed and much-sought after musician. After studying at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, she has amassed a wealth of experience in high-profile places. Harriet is a member of Spindle Ensemble and Ethiopian-inspired jazz band, Tezeta. She has composed extensively for dance and theatre projects, and "Comfort in Chaos" will be her first large-scale jazz composition.
Pete Judge has been described as "a Bristol music phenomenon" by BBC Radio 3. He is a trumpeter with the internationally-acclaimed post-jazz quartet, Get The Blessing, a multi-instrumentalist with the acoustic trio, Three Cane Whale, and has composed music for film, theatre, dance, spoken word, and multi-media installation.
In addition to the music, the suite will include poetry written by Jj and Danni, who have worked with award-winning local poets and workshop leaders Robert Walton and Shagufta Iqbal, to transform their ideas and experiences into text and spoken word. This poetry is woven into the fabric of the composition.
Daniella Willey is a talented young poet who started her poetry journey through 1625ip.
Jess Haines, performing as Jj, started writing as a therapeutic tool to process her trauma, and found relief and validation by performing her work.
The music of this project, to be performed by a 7-piece ensemble of Bristol’s best jazz and contemporary musicians, will respond to the issues, stories and journeys at the heart of the charity, tracing a possible route from isolation to confident independence.
At the same time, the music takes more abstract inspiration from the charity's name, using the digits 1 + 6 and 2 + 5 as a kind of numerological spell: the magic number seven and its fractions, are applied to rhythms, melodies, harmonic progressions, structures, and instrumental combinations. From these unexpected starting points, Harriet Riley and Pete Judge have produced music of depth and atmosphere, struggle and resolution, lyricism and power, in tribute to 1625ip's vital and undersung work.
Editors Notes
The Performers:
Harriet Riley
In addition to the above, Harriet has worked with BBC NOW, the Paraorchestra, and a specially commissioned percussion concerto, "Heartbeat" by William Goodchild, which she performed with Bristol Symphony Orchestra to a sell-out audience at St George’s Bristol. She is also a key member of the Bristol-based Bloom Collective, from which have sprung Tezeta and Spindle.
Pete Judge
A graduate of Keith Tippett's Seedbed Orchestra in the early 1990’s, he has since followed an eclectic path encompassing a vast range of musical styles and situations. In addition to the above bands he is part Orfic, The Invisible Apples and Eyebrow. He has worked in contexts ranging from solo piano to poetry collective and brass band to full orchestra. He has collaborated with Super Furry Animals, High Flying Birds, Kneehigh Theatre and Massive Attack, amongst many others.
Jj
Jess has been supported by 1625ip. She grew up with the stage in her blood. From a young age, she had a passion for theatre and creative writing. Studying performing arts at college, she worked hard despite the problems created by undiagnosed disabilities. Jj shares her experiences through poetry to connect with an audience.
Danni Willey
Daniella has spoken in schools, colleges and homeless events. Daniella wants to use her experience of homelessness to bring a shocking, heartbreaking reality of what it's like to be young and homeless. Daniella has spread her homeless journey through Bristol radio interviews as well as featuring in a documentary mini-series with Channel 4.
The other musicians are Bass - Stevie Toddler, Drums – Matt Brown,, Cello – Caelia Luniss Violin – Jo Silverston, Piano, keys and synth – Georgie Ward
The music and words have been recorded and will be available at the premiere, as CD and download.
In addition, the young poets have worked with local poetry publisher Small Press, and all their material and more will be released as a stand-alone book, also available at the premiere.
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