london calling - jane cornwell...london, a new wave of british culture is going off. at its vanguard...

8 JAZZ June 2-3, 2018 theaustralian.com.au/review AUSE01Z50AR - V1 LONDON CALLING Nubya Garcia is beating a path towards the new frontier of jazz, writes Jane Cornwell B een living under a rock? Then you probably won’t have heard about London’s thrilling young jazz scene, with its dancefloor energy and anti-establishment vibe, its new creations, collaborations and genre-leaping crossovers. You’d be unaware of the legion of talented musicians gigging in the capital, some of them conservatoire trained, many of them black British, many of them — particularly the band leaders and instrumentalists — women. The press has been all over it: “Jazz has its cool back,” announced The Times. “London’s vibrant jazz scene, now reaching a zenith after years of growing in global audience,” Rolling Stone observed. “A cool underground scene weaving itself back into the cultural tapestry,” reckoned i-D Magazine. Not that the musicians care for the hype; this is a community that has grown up independently of main- stream media, major labels and obvious venues. Call it what you will — and there are jazz purists who won’t even call it jazz — there’s no denying that right now, in London, a new wave of British culture is going off. At its vanguard is Nubya Garcia, a tenor saxophonist whose lyrical style owes much to jazz figures such as John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins but whose aesthetic, with its nods to funk, hip-hop, garage and the rhythmi- cal power of broken beat, is pure inner-city London. Garcia’s knack for balancing slow-building improvisa- tions with catchy hooks and space-hurtling dynamism is only part of her appeal; there’s also the ease with which she throws herself into a wealth of different projects, underscoring the community spirit that is an- other hallmark of the scene. “It feels great to be part of whatever this is,” says Tenor saxophonist Nubya Garcia: ‘I’m thankful that people are interested’ LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO SYDNEY 9 JULY • CITY RECITAL HALL MELBOURNE 10 JULY • MELBOURNE RECITAL CENTRE HOBART 12 JULY • FEDERATION CONCERT HALL BRISBANE 14 JULY • THE TIVOLI PERTH 16 JULY • ASTOR THEATRE BOOK AT ABPRESENTS.COM.AU M A M B A Z O . C O M MAMBAZO.COM GRAMMY AWARD WINNING

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Page 1: LONDON CALLING - Jane Cornwell...London, a new wave of British culture is going off. At its vanguard is Nubya Garcia, a tenor saxophonist whose lyrical style owes much to jazz figures

8 JAZZ

June 2-3, 2018 theaustralian.com.au/reviewAUSE01Z50AR - V1

LONDON CALLING

Nubya Garcia is beating a path towards the new frontier of jazz, writes Jane Cornwell

Been living under a rock? Then you probablywon’t have heard about London’s thrillingyoung jazz scene, with its dancefloor energyand anti-establishment vibe, its new creations,collaborations and genre-leaping crossovers.

You’d be unaware of the legion of talented musiciansgigging in the capital, some of them conservatoire trained,many of them black British, many of them — particularlythe band leaders and instrumentalists — women.

The press has been all over it: “Jazz has its cool back,”announced The Times. “London’s vibrant jazz scene,now reaching a zenith after years of growing in globalaudience,” Rolling Stone observed. “A cool undergroundscene weaving itself back into the cultural tapestry,”reckoned i-D Magazine.

Not that the musicians care for the hype; this is acommunity that has grown up independently of main-stream media, major labels and obvious venues. Call itwhat you will — and there are jazz purists who won’teven call it jazz — there’s no denying that right now, inLondon, a new wave of British culture is going off.

At its vanguard is Nubya Garcia, a tenor saxophonistwhose lyrical style owes much to jazz figures such asJohn Coltrane and Sonny Rollins but whose aesthetic,with its nods to funk, hip-hop, garage and the rhythmi-cal power of broken beat, is pure inner-city London.Garcia’s knack for balancing slow-building improvisa-tions with catchy hooks and space-hurtling dynamismis only part of her appeal; there’s also the ease withwhich she throws herself into a wealth of differentprojects, underscoring the community spirit that is an-other hallmark of the scene.

“It feels great to be part of whatever this is,” says

Tenor saxophonist Nubya Garcia: ‘I’m thankful that people are interested’

LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO

SYDNEY 9 JULY • CITY RECITAL HALLMELBOURNE 10 JULY • MELBOURNE RECITAL CENTRE

HOBART 12 JULY • FEDERATION CONCERT HALL BRISBANE 14 JULY • THE TIVOLI

PERTH 16 JULY • ASTOR THEATRE

BOOK AT ABPRESENTS.COM.AU

MAMBAZO.COM MAMBAZO.COM

GRAMMY AWARD WINNING

Wellness & Health: More Than Chiropractics at Cornwell Clinic

David A. Cornwell Cornwell Engineering Group Thanks to

Dawson Cornwell Solicitors 15 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4QT +44 (0)20 7242 2556 Website: Email: [email protected]@dawsoncornwell.com