BleepJam
BleepJam is our programme of electronic and improvised music events. We have a series of Jams at our arts space starting up again in 2023, on the last Saturday of the month.
Want to find out more? Click here to contact us
BLEEP: Music Festival
Made possible by Penrith BID
February 26th 2022
This was a fantastic event that we hope to repeat in the next year.
PROGRAMME:
SOUNDPAINTING WORKSHOP WITH CHRIS BARTHOLOMEW (10am-12pm)
For choirs and anyone who likes to sing (even if they think they can’t)
Chris Bartholomew is an experienced Soundpainting practitioner and will lead a fun workshop that will give you a great experience and new skills and awareness to take back to your choir or individual singing. While your instant choir makes amazing sounds, our guest electronic composers will be taking them and creating wonderful effects to fill the theatre.
Jilly Jarman will lead an introductory warm-up session.
All ages welcome including accompanied children.
Chris says: “Soundpainting is a physical language of gestures which can create instant group improvisations. Instead of notes or chord symbols on the page, the Soundpainter makes physical gestures to guide the performers. It was invented in the 1970s by Walter Thompson and to date has around 1200 gestures! In this session, we’ll be covering the basics and then offering volunteers a go at being a Soundpainter. Expect the theatre to rebound with amazing sound that you all create out of nothing!”
“An amazing experience – I nearly didn’t come because I didn’t know what to expect – but so glad I did.” Anna – participant.
LUNCHTIME CONCERT (12.30-1.30pm)
Jemma Freese will combine her soulful compositions for voice, keyboard and effects with material created during our HER JAZZ workshop session on 6th February.
Chris Bartholomew will present his latest electronic works and incorporate a new piece using the sounds created by the morning’s choirs.
INSTANT FILM SOUNDTRACK WORKSHOP (2-4pm)
Come and soundtrack a film LIVE! Josh Jackson and Jilly Jarman will direct the playing audience while Late Girl and friends will weave in their own sounds in real time.
We’ll be featuring muted, moody drums from our BJamba groups, plus any instruments you want to bring along to play, or sound-making things we hand out. You will be able to watch the film while playing!
This workshop should be magical – we will monitor sound levels and work with a range of dynamics from whispering paper to deep surdo beats – expect a hair-raising experience!
All welcome – to play or just sit back and enjoy the experience.
HOW TO…MAKE BEATS WITH DAVE SHOOTER (3-6pm)
Lancaster-based electronic artist Dave Shooter will be hosting a drop-in demonstration point in the Rehearsal Room for people interested in finding out how to create beats using Ableton.
POP UP TV WITH JAZZ NORTH (Throughout the Day)
Come and watch our featured musicians being interviewed by Jazz North.
EVENING PERFORMANCE (7-10pm)
Internationally acclaimed Eden musician, Werkha, will perform with NYJO musicians and BJYJE ambassadors.
Laura Stutter will perform tracks from her Newcastle project – LateGirl.
There will be an interlude of excerpts from the afternoon film soundtrack session.
Dave Shooter will perform his Guerrilla Biscuits project
CAFE
This will be open all day with an interactive installation and showcases of primary school electronic composition projects. Hot drinks available. You can bring your own food to eat.
Stephen Burke will also have a sound installation in the foyer.
One Off Gigs that we put on in 2021/2
- Bleep 1: LateGirl – Friday 4th December (7pm)
- Bleep 2: Guerrilla Biscuits – Saturday 4th December (7pm)
- Bleep 3: (Jam) BlueJam Composers – Saturday 22nd January
- Bleep 4: Jemma Freese – Saturday 5th February – email bluejamarts@gmail.com to book
ALSO! Special combined Women & Girls in Jazz workshop on Sunday 6th Feb 11am-2pm with Jemma Freese! Contact us to book.
Jemma Freese is an experimental jazz vocalist/keyboardist/composer based in the north and is currently working on her ethereal-math debut album as a solo artist, ‘Shadow Boxing’. Other projects include avant-garde punk-jazz-electronica trio J Frisco and Maximo Park, using keyboards and vocals in both projects.
Jemma has taken part in a number of prestigious artist development schemes: Serious’ Take Five, Jazz North Introduces, Jazz North northern line, Manchester jazz festival’s Hothouse, Brighter Sound’s Both Sides Now & Music:Leeds’ Launchpad. Jemma recently received an Arts Council Developing Your Creative Practice grant to further enable her creative development.