Kokoroko deliver an exceptional show at the BBC Proms
London Afrobeat eight-piece group Kokoroko led by trumpet player Sheila Maurice-Grey delivers an exceptional show to the Royal Albert Hall stage for their BBC Proms debut broadcast, live-streamed on BBC Radio 3 and BBC iPlayer. From our Blog: KOKOROKO came back with “Carry Me Home” and also From our Blog: Nubya Garcia announces her debut album “Source” with two powerful new singles “Pace” and “Source” including KOKOROKO horn players Cassie Kinoshi (alto sax), Richie Seivwright (trombone), and Sheila Maurice-Grey (trumpet) Watch below a video to Kokoroko performing the song “Carry Me Home” at BBC Proms: The band’s name is an Orobo – a Nigerian tribe and language –…
Nubya Garcia announces her debut album “Source” with two powerful new singles “Pace” and “Source”.
Nubya Garcia announces her debut album “Source” with two powerful new singles “Pace” and “Source”. Her debut album “Source” on Concorde Jazz is a deeply personal collection of sonic mantras to live by offering in which Garcia maps cartographies around the coordinate points of her identity, her family histories, grief, afro-diasporic connections and collectivism. It's about a realization of personal and collective power: the evolution of the saxophonist’s values as she re-connects with herself, her roots and her community. Garcia digs deep to present an album with a global outlook: from London to Bogota, Caura to Georgetown, it's a record drawing inspiration from the many places Garcia calls home. The…
KOKOROKO came back with “Carry Me Home”
London’s afrobeat sensation KOKOROKO shared a new song called “Carry Me Home”. This beautiful song reminds us of every positive thing from the band’s debut EP. It’s rhythmic, peaceful, harmonic, uplifting, soulful and melodic. This slow-rolling track has some brass-heavy accents which brings to mind Manu Dibango’s “Soul Makossa”. “Carry Me Home” is inspired by the wonderful Dele Sosimi, a Nigerian-British musician, keyboard player, and member of both Fela Anikulapo-Kuti's Egypt 80 and Femi Kuti’s Positive Force band. The track was inspired by conversations with the Dele Sosimi, whose technical ability in bridging the gap between the West African afrobeat sound of his roots, and the London energy of his…
Nérija – London’s jazz all-star collective – release debut album ‘Blume’
Nerija features some of the top players in London’s rising jazz scene. Every member of the band has its own side project: Nubya Garcia (Nubiya’s 5ive, Maisha), Sheila Maurice-Grey (Kokoroko), Cassie Kinoshi (SEED Ensemble, Kokoroko), Rosie Turton (Rosie’s 5ive), Shirley Tetteh (Maisha), Lizy Exell (drums) and Rio Kai (SEED Ensemble). Nerija is based on friendship and there is enough room within the band for each musician to demonstrate their skills and musical ideas Some of the tracks have been written collectively, but each member of Nerija brings one own song showing different influences from afrobeat, hip hop to even gospel. Nérija is a collective whose breakneck shifts in tempo and style…
Seed Ensemble’s debut album ‘Driftglass’ shortlisted for the Mercury Prize Album Of The Year 2019
SEED Ensemble’s critically acclaimed debut album ‘Driftglass’ was few days ago shortlisted for the prestigious 2019 Hyundai Mercury Prize Albums of the Year. Released earlier this year via contemporary music/arts movement and record label jazz re:freshed, the ten-piece collective is led by composer, arranger and alto saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi. On her nomination Kinoshi proudly added, “I am extremely honoured to have been shortlisted for a Mercury Prize. Thank you for your belief in both mine and my bands’ work. It means a lot to have our first release celebrated and share our message with you.” Across ‘Driftglass’, Kinoshi embraces styles both past and present to create something that we can…
