Maggie Nicols: The Gathering XVII

is a monthly residency series from vocalist, dancer and performer. The Gathering Maggie Nicols Poster: Andrew Ciccone Doors 7pm Free entry/donations OTD is a space, place and time where we can build up confidence in our creativity; where we can sit in silence, sing, play an instrument, draw, be poetic; prophetic; we could talk in tongues, talk to each other, to ourselves, talk to voices. We can listen, make sounds; melodies and noise, soft and loud; leave space, fill it up; explore rhythm and time, chaos and rhyme; lullabies and laments; shyly and boldly be in our different rhythms together. The Gathering In 1989, at a meeting of the London Musicians’ Collective, a few of us felt that it would be good to come together in a way that was less stressful than some of our meetings – a Gathering. It started with improvising musicans but quickly expanded to include anyone who wanted to explore and experiment in a welcoming environment. It’s a place where experienced musicians use their skills to encourage rather than exclude others. It’s possible to participate at any level that feels comfortable. Everyone is musical in some way; a sigh, sounding the breath, one simple strong repeating beat, blowing across a bottle, tapping a glass, singing one note … All these sounds can be just as powerful as knowing an instrument well. Many experienced musicians have come to respect the challenge of simplicity. Whatever the level of musicianship for me, it’s about trusting our ability to communicate and be expressive through sound and silence. At our Gatherings, things happen at different levels. We can be in the middle of a gentle, intense moment and someone will walk in and be greeted with enthusiasm. Some people chat, while other people play. It’s the nearest thing to freedom of being that I’ve ever experienced. It’s hard for people to let go of what we’ve been socialised to believe is ‘proper’ music, but in letting go of preconceptions we discover the joy of music as a liberating and healing force. Maggie Nichols is a vocalist, dancer and performer. Since the late 1960’s she has been at the forefront of the international free music scene. Her work has involved collaborations with many artists and groups including the,, and. in 1977, with musician/composer, she formed the remarkable. She continues performing and recording challenging and beautiful work in music and theatre, either in collaborations with a wide range of artists as well as solo. Maggie Nicols Spontaneous Music Ensemble Irene Schweizer Centipede Julie Tippetts Lindsay Cooper Feminist Improvising Group RELATED EVENTS Posted in,,, Upcoming Music Performance Improvisation