Farah X NTS UK New British Jazz Project

This autumn, we’re partnering with the independent radio station, NTS to celebrate  the emerging New British Jazz movement. We kicked off our partnership with an evening of some of the most exciting names in UK jazz at  the brilliant venue The House of St Barnabas in central London on the 12^th of September.

Hosted by NTS Radio’s Tej Adeleye, the live intimate gig was headlined by Kamaal Williams and supported by the South-London based producer and bass player Wu-Lu and experimental tuba player Theon Cross. The up and coming artists performed on the altar of the atmospheric, stained glass clad 19th century chapel in the courtyard of The House of St Barnabas to a crowd of jazz enthusiasts  as well as fashion influencers and media guests.

KAMAAL WILLIAMS 

Headliner Kamaal William is the spiritual ancestor to Henry Wu’s previous crossover jazz project Yussef Kamaal. His most recent record, ‘The Return’, was released earlier this summer to glowing critical acclaim as he toed the lines between jazz, funk and broken beat through masterful musicianship.

WU-LU

South London producer Wu-Lu is a force to be reckoned with.  A member of the city’s Touching Bass collective, Wu-Lu is part of the new generation of musicians connecting club culture to jazz, soul, funk, breaks, and more. He does regular sets on NTS Radio.  His output merrily criss-crosses genre lines, reinforcing the notion that music should stand on its own terms, in its own impact.

THEON CROSS

Brockley-born Tuba player and composer, Theon Cross crafts a unique blend of classic New Orleans Jazz and contemporary sound bringing funk to the live jazz scene with his distinctive style of playing.  Part of the award-winning Sons of Kemet, Theon Cross was featured on Gilles Peterson’s recent Brownswood Recordings showcase album ‘We Out Here’.This is a renaissance moment for UK jazz with a multitude of young kids who grew up on Grime and Hip Hop embracing the scene and performing live.  Jazz is no longer perceived as an anorak genre, but rather a progressive style of music that is rich with opportunities and change.  Experimentation and cross-pollination of sounds and style is at the heart of this new type of jazz coming out of the UK and this has mitigated cliché jazz confines; tracksuits and electronics  have replaced suits and sax.

Fashion and music are intrinsically entwined and we will document the underground explosion of contemporary jazz happening across the UK in a follow up documentary to last year’s short film ‘Nice Up The Dance’ which celebrated the history of UK Sound System Culture.

Join us on our journey through the new wave of UK Jazz on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.