News

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