Ubuntu Music Signs OK Aurora for Album Release in Summer 2021

By Juliette Kay on 13 April 2021 • ( Leave a comment )

OK Aurora, described as “an eight-piece jazz-meets-pop ensemble” are releasing their album ‘Only in Autumn’ in July 2021 on Ubuntu. The album was recorded in the Giant Wafer Studio in Wales, writes Juliette Kay

L-R: Alexandra Ridout, Ronan Perrett, Billy Marrows, Rod Oughton, Alina Miroshnichenko,
Pete Komor, Dan Smith, Jacky Naylor (Photo: Andrew Lawson)

The London-based ensemble is led by drummer Rod Oughton. Their debut EP ‘Baby Zeza’ was released in 2019. The group have performed all over the UK, including venues in London, Bristol and the South West. In 2020, the Arts Council put funding towards their UK tour and the recording of the album ‘Only in Autumn’.

Rod Oughton graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music in 2015 and has performed across the UK and Europe, including Havana, Cuba and the Dubai Opera House. He has also appeared on the main stages of the Latitude and Citadel Festivals with Hudson Taylor, in Cadogan Hall with the James Taylor Quartet and Hannah Grace at the BTS Festival in Hyde Park (supporting Barbara Streisand). The rest of the ensemble includes, Alina Miroshnichenko (vocals), Ronan Perrett (alto sax), Alexandra Ridout (trumpet), Dan Smith (tenor sax), Jacky Naylor (piano), Billy Marrows (guitar) and Pete Komor (bass).

Rod explains the concept behind the group, ‘OK Aurora was formed to make a big sound. It’s an eight-piece band, including three horns and a singer, so it’s a lot of fun when we all get going. I take a lot of influence from artists such as Steely Dan and Becca Stevens, who blur the lines between pop and jazz, and I’ve always tried to write in a way that allows the musicians to stretch out but is also accessible to an audience that might not be too familiar with jazz‘. In regards to their new partnership with Ubuntu Music, Rod commented saying, ‘I’m super happy to sign to Ubuntu, as I feel honoured to be part of their community. So many artists on their roster are not only incredible musicians, but also my friends and peers. I feel as though this label is a great representation of some of the amazing stuff that’s going on in the UK right now, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it‘.