Rising stars of the British jazz scene perform quarantine concert on River Thames

NPR Music’s Tiny Desk (home) concerts are a series of stripped-down livestream performances in intimate settings from some of the biggest names in music.

Since 2008 the series has been recorded live at the desk of ‘All Songs Considered’ host Bob Boilen in Washington D.C. But, like the rest of us, Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future, inviting virtual audiences into the homes and living spaces of some of the world’s major musical talents.

This week TL alumni Nubya Garcia, Cassie Kinoshi, Joe Armon-Jones and Daniel Casimir join the roster of artists to grace NPR’s Tiny Desk, presenting three tracks from saxophonist Nubya’s debut album SOURCE.

Poetically, the concert was performed at the Lightship 95, a decommissioned floating lighthouse moored on the Thames where the album was originally recorded. Since its release in August, SOURCE has been met with rave reviews from Pitchfork, the Rolling Stone and NME.

According to NPR, Nubya “skilfully uses the entire range of her tenor saxophone… [and] projects rich and full melodic lines with refined solos that leave just enough space to take in the expressive sincerity of the music. There are no lyrics but her music conveys a message of staying grounded, being present in the moment and appreciating the comforts and feelings of what it means to be home.”

Watch the full set:

The London jazz group bring their Afrobeat sound to Royal Albert Hall

On Monday 7 Sept KOKOROKO made their Proms debut live at the iconic Kensington venue.

The 8-piece group, led by TL alum Sheila Maurice-Grey and featuring fellow alum Cassie Kinoshi, have performed at Glastonbury, 6 Music Festival, and jazz festivals around the globe.

For the final live Prom of the 2020 season, the band performed some of their most widely known works, including Carry Me Home, Uman, and Abusey Junction.

The concert, played to an empty auditorium, was one of the first times they’d performed together since the beginning of lockdown.

On the unique performance circumstances, trumpeter Sheila said –

“We’re really happy to have had the opportunity to play at such a special musical event. It was great to be back together playing. We chose our set specifically for the Proms, to create a delicate and chilled energy. For such an impressive space, it felt intimate and like we were performing just for ourselves. But we could feel the spirit of an audience, knowing people were watching and listening to us live on the BBC.”

The concert is available on demand now on BBC iPlayer.

Sheila completed her Postgraduate Advanced Diploma in 2016 as part of our Jazz Department, while Cassie graduated with BMus in Performance and Composition in 2015.

Keep an eye on KOKOROKO’s website for news of upcoming releases.

Image credit: Nina Manandhar