I Think We're All Writing Very Politically Charged Music

JAZZ 9 Garcia, 26, sitting in her local cafe in New horn-fuelled West African sound. There’s the American art form. (For his sold-out gig at Cross, southeast London, a vibrant creative I THINK WE’RE hip-hop and Afrobeat influenced Ezra Collec- London’s Roundhouse, Washington brought hub that includes Peckham and Deptford and tive, which picked up the British jazz act of the Hutchings onstage to improvise fierce sax happening DIY club/jam nights with names ALL WRITING year award at the recent Jazz FM Awards. And squalls alongside him). such as Steez and Steam Down, at which the Maisha ensemble, with Garcia on sax and London is one of the world’s most culturally acclaimed Californian saxophonist and band VERY POLITICALLY flute alongside guitarist Shirley Tetteh, blending integrated cities; little wonder, then, that sounds leader Kamasi Washington was spotted during free jazz over West African rhythms and serving from Britain’s former colonies are being his recent visit to the capital. CHARGED MUSIC, it up with raw spiritual intensity. This isn’t jazz as embraced — reclaimed — by the scene. “The press are calling it new but we’ve been we know it, if jazz as we know it is doo-wop and Perhaps inevitably, with the spectre of Brexit, doing this for a while,” she continues, her head- WHETHER WE LIKE black tie and the Great American Songbook, but wildly unpopular among British youth, looming phones around her neck, her laptop on the then the album’s musical director, Shabaka large, and the effects of the Windrush immi- table in front of her. “A lot of us grew up play- TO TALK ABOUT IT Hutchings, a reed player who works across gration scandal rippling on, this young London ing music together. But I’m thankful that electronica and grime and is certainly no jazz pu- jazz scene is also highly politicised, creating people are interested, and also that people who OR NOT rist, doesn’t call it jazz either. music intended to provoke and galvanise: don’t normally come to jazz are seeing musi- Crucially, this is music made by a post-rave Sons of Kemet’s acclaimed new album, Your cians smashing it out and doing incredible NUBYA GARCIA generation that understands dance culture, Queen is a Reptile, fires a shot at the British mon- things. It’s great for us, for the generation appealing to a younger audience on the basis of archy as it celebrates a series of “queens” from above us, and for those who are coming up.” jazz as a new energetic form, one that retains the the African diaspora. By the time that up-and-coming generation elements of rebellion and freedom inherent in “I think we’re all writing very politically arrives, it’s hoped female band leaders and jazz’s American origins but has an urban sound charged music, whether we like to talk about it instrumentalists no longer will be mistaken for — an urban London sound — of its own. or not,” says Garcia. “Shabaka also has lyricists singers. This assumption is made of Garcia and “As young adults a lot of us [musicians] would and rappers that come onstage, but when you her female peers — among them trumpet play- go to clubs together,” says Garcia. “So that world don’t have lyrics people have to work it out or er Yazz Ahmed, saxophonist Camilla George mixing with our world had an effect, as did mix- not, you know? With all this craziness we live in, and pianist Sarah Tandy — with monotonous ing with friends who were putting on nights that when you’re in the room with us it’s a chance to regularity. A graduate of the Trinity Laban The youngest of four children born to a combined both, not for money but to get people immerse yourself in feelings shared by everyone Conservatoire of Music and Dance, Garcia has British Trinidadian father, a documentary coming together. there, and also to be present. To be in the now.” plans for a project that “will get people to look filmmaker, and a mother who arrived in “So now it’s like combining that attitude you Hence the title of her EP When We Are: “I at themselves and check their patriarchal Britain as a teen from Guyana, the most have in a club where the beat drops and you lose love to be present in the knowledge of what it bullshit”, but she isn’t elaborating just yet. “Caribbean” country in South America, Garcia your shit. That attitude, with live music.” means to be present. Each improvisation I do is “I wanted to stop moaning and take some grew up in Camden, northwest London, in a That attitude, combined with a mystical, about that. So When We Are is about being fully action to positively change the future,” says creative household where extra-curricular Afro-futuristic dimension that harks back to engaged with what is going on, not texting or this poised, likeable talent, a hipster vision with activities were the norm. Her two elder sisters famed spiritual jazz musicians such as Roland filming on your phone, but looking after the long plaits and edgy gold jewellery, her knuck- painted, made clothes and studied classical Kirk, Alice and John Coltrane, and the redoubt- now. It is also a celebration of ‘we’. The ‘we’ of les inked with minimalist shapes. “A friend of music; her brother played trumpet in the able, astral-travelling Sun Ra (whose Sun Ra community. Musicians don’t give a shit about mine asked me which female sax player I Camden Youth Jazz Band and was heavily into Arkestra, led by saxophonist Marshall Allen, is scenes. But being among people I’ve known a looked up to when I was a kid, and I didn’t have drum ’n’ bass. Her mother, a big jazz fan, took playing the Melbourne Jazz Festival). This new long time, who support and nurture you, have anyone! That’s crazy! Gender-wise, ethnicity- her along to gigs; she remembers sitting in a crop of British-based jazz players has benefited the same sort of background as you,” Garcia wise, there’s still so much to do.” corner of a second tier at the Barbican, agog at from the spiritual jazz renaissance taking place says, flashing a smile: “Now, that is everything.” There’s also so much to talk about, from her Herbie Hancock. in the US, with big-selling 2015 albums To Pimp a solo EP Nubya’s 5ive (pronounced Noob-I-ah, “I used to listen to him so much,” she says of Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar and The Epic by Nubya Garcia performs at Jazzlab on Thursday for by the way) and its follow-up this year, When the jazz-funk pioneer. “I had these two Herbie Kamasi Washington reclaiming jazz as a black Melbourne International Jazz Festival. We Are, to guest performances on celebrated Hancock CDs that I’d taken from the com- solo projects by band mates including pianist munal CD pile in the lounge and kept upstairs Joe Armon-Jones and drummer Moses Boyd; in my room. I played them over and over.” from her work with all-female Afrobeat collec- She was already learning violin, piano and tive Nerija to playing at clubs as DJ Nyasha recorder when, aged 10, she was given her first (Nyasha is her middle name, and the name of saxophone. “My mum and I were driving her forthcoming range of hoodies and T-shirts) somewhere when she said: ‘There’s a present to gigs at festivals including South by South- for you in the boot.’ It was this shiny alto sax, west in Austin, Texas, where post-show which blew my mind! I started learning class- Queensland Theatre, debase productions and Written by Robert Kronk and demand for When We Are way outstripped ical saxophone, which is often transposed flute JUTE Theatre Company co-production Nadine McDonald-Dowd supply: “This huge queue of people followed and oboe music, and it was too much hard Directed by Bridget Boyle me outside to buy my vinyl,” she has said, “and work for me. I switched to jazz, and that was it.” I thought ‘F. k, I’ve only got 11.” Garcia joined a series of weekend bands, One club, One family During the past few weeks, Garcia has been studying under teachers including award- all over London. Scooping the breakthrough winning jazz pianist Nikki Yeoh, who taught One NRL grand ﬁnal Production sponsor act of the year gong at Jazz FM awards. her how to improvise. (“I’d be so nervous; Performing with Sons of Kemet, the tuba-sax- improvising is like public speaking! But now twin kit drums quartet led by saxophonist I’m comfortable being uncomfortable.”) Shabaka Hutchings, another of the scene’s At 17, attending junior music academy, she prodigious multi-taskers, at east London saw a notice for a free workshop run by stomping ground Total Refreshment Centre. Tomorrow’s Warriors, a jazz music and artist Featuring in the orchestra accompanying development organisation founded by bass Breakin’ Convention, a hip-hop dance festival player Gary Crosby (formerly of influential held at Sadler’s Wells Theatre. At the Queen black British collective the Jazz Warriors) and Elizabeth Hall, Garcia was part of a female committed to nurturing new talent, especially – Artshub quartet exploring the power of the protest girls and musicians from the African diaspora. song; her interpretation of Coltrane’s prayer- “It was packed!” Garcia flashes a grin. “And it like Alabama was delivered with grace, soul was more diverse than anything I’d experi- and technical rigour.

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