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| Binker Golden conductiing Roella Oloro (piano) and Donovan Haffner (alto) Photo credit: © MSpictures.Mochles |
(Jazz Cafe, 12 January 2019. Review by Leah Williams.)
It is no exaggeration to say that Tomorrow’s Warriors has almost single-handedly changed the face of contemporary jazz across London and beyond. Founders Janine Irons and Gary Crosby set up the music charity in 1991 with a mission to improve diversity and equality in jazz by offering tuition, support and opportunity to musicians of all ethnicities, genders and backgrounds. The pioneering artist development programme has since seen a plethora of extraordinary talent take the jazz world by storm.
The likes of Shabaka Hutchings, Nubya Garcia and Femi Koleoso are all making waves in the music world – and that’s just the beginning of the list. As Soweto Kinch said while introducing the evening: “I could spend all night telling you about the incredible musicians who’ve passed through Tomorrow’s Warriors and the impact they’ve gone on to have.”
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| Soweto Kinch Photo credit: © MSpictures.Mochles |
The pieces played were specially written for the concert and #IAmWarrior fundraising campaign by seven of the Warriors’ well-known ex-students: singer Zara McFarlane, guitarist Shirley Tetteh, pianist Peter Edwards, saxophonists Soweto Kinch, Binker Golding and Cassie Kinoshi, and trumpeter Mark Crown.
The result was a fantastic breadth of creativity and dynamism showcasing both the different musical voices of these Warriors alumni and the exciting talent emerging from its current cohort. Pieces ranged in complexity, focus and style but the young musicians rose to the challenge of both the music and the setting, showing how effective this development programme is and why it is so important for the future jazz scene.
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| Joe Bristow Photo credit: © MSpictures.Mochles |
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| Zara McFarlane Photo credit: © MSpictures.Mochles |
Imagining a London jazz scene without the many incredible talents that have been nurtured by Tomorrow’s Warriors is almost inconceivable and the next generations of young artists are relying on the programme for their development and future careers.
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| Binker Golding Photo credit: © MSpictures.Mochles |
Ife Ogunjobi – trumpet
Joe Bristow – trombone
Donovan Haffner – alto saxophone
Maddy Coombs – tenor saxophone
Cara Crosby-Irons – vocals
Loucin Moskofian – vocals
Roella Oloro – piano
Tommy Remon – guitar
Isobella Burnham – bass guitar
Hamish Moore – double bass
Zoe Pascal – drums
Leah Williams is a freelance journalist and editor working across many different sectors and has been a regular reviewer and feature writer for LJN since 2016.
LINK: Donations to Tomorrow’s Warriors I Am A Warrior campaign
Categories: Live reviews
Nice piece and laudable sentiment but sorry what you say at the beginning is an exaggeration.
No one has ''single-handedly changed the face of contemporary jazz across London and beyond''.
Many people instead have contributed, the whole upsurge is arrived at via a collective endeavour: chief among them the individual artists who often adhere to no overall 'school' and have to plough on when funding dries up or promoters lose interest; and then there are the small labels run by driven individuals; promoters big and small in clubs and concert halls famous and not so famous are also vital and do not often get known beyond their grassroots work; and not to forget the many educators in a range of music colleges; plus the advocates in the media and behind the scenes in the arts community who make a difference.