About
Freedom! The Art Of Improvisation…. it’s all about being in the moment!
The first session of Freedom! was held almost a decade ago. In the pre-Covid times we found the perfect home at The Vortex in Dalston. The monthly club night is hosted by two elders from the original Jazz Warriors – Orphy Robinson and Cleveland Watkiss – along with harpist Tori Handsley and vinyl selector Paul Bradshaw (Straight No Chaser). We have survived and thrived during the pandemic by going on-line with an eclectic and brilliant array of contributions from the community of improvisers that we’ve built.
Those who perform at Freedom! will be drawn from the musicians, singers, poets, dancers and visual artists in the house. They are chosen by the hosts and may perform solo or as duets or whatever is felt right at the session. This is not a “jazz jam” – there are no standards… a note is played and we go from there. As we’ve said, everything is in the moment….
Freedom! will be live streamed and will feature special pre-recorded segments from musicians from around the world?
If you want to step up and play – contact our Freedom: The Art Of Improvisation Facebook group
Come along to The Vortex. Dive in and experience Freedom! Expect the unexpected.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUDIENCE MEMBERS – PLEASE READ
Welcome to the Vortex. Although the government is relaxing its Covid restrictions on July 19th 2021 the Vortex will continue to operate measures to protect users of the premises.
Please note the following:
- We ask you not to attend gigs if you have or think you may have any Covid-19 symptoms. If you can’t make a gig because you have to self-isolate then just get in touch by filling out this form and we’ll give you a voucher for another gig.
- We will ask you on entry to sign in for NHS Test and Trace either using the NHS Covid app or manually
- There will be no standing at gigs. Everyone who books a ticket will be allocated a seat, but we cannot guarantee that you will have a table.
- Orders for drinks and snacks will be taken and paid for using the Butlr app which you can download on arrival. (If you do not have a smartphone then your order will be taken at the table and you can make a contactless payment. We do not accept cash.)
- We ask that everyone wears a mask when moving around inside the building.
- Automatic hand sanitiser stations are provided at various places within the building and we encourage regular use of hand sanitiser.
- Full details of the measures that we are taking to prevent transmission of Covid are set out in our risk assessment and management plan which can be found on our website.