Aidan Jolly - 1,000 Places

What is it that makes a community?

What is it that makes a place ‘home’?

For 25 years, Aidan Jolly has been creating songs that investigate and celebrate the idea of a sense of place. For the first time he has collected these songs together. Some are commissioned pieces, others are music originally written for site-specific plays, and some are responses to places personally significant to Aidan. Inspired by locations across the UK, from Dorset to Herefordshire, the Borders, Cheshire, Lancashire and the Peak District, each song tells a specific story - here Aidan and Gigi talk about developing the music; scroll down for examples of songs; click here for gig dates

‘1,000 Places’ looks at how the local becomes the universal. It’s performed as a set piece, with Aidan singing and performing on a variety of instruments including guitar, melodeon and other instruments, supported by long-term collaborators Gigi Serafina (singing, piano, accordion, flute, and violin) and Jaydev Mistry (percussion, guitar and electronic soundscapes). We bring with us all necessary equipment, PA and lighting and can perform anywhere from a large living room to a church or village hall. We also provide suitable publicity flyers and posters.

We are also able to offer songwriting workshops, for schools, community groups and local emerging musicians, to enable people to create their own narrative ‘place songs’. This can include the opportunity to perform in the evening, supported by Aidan, Jo and Jaydev.

Aidan can also undertake longer term commissions creating site specific music, song and documentary pieces.