Music
10 UK jazz acts pushing the genre to dizzying new heights
From Bristol's Ishmael Ensemble to Gogo Penguin from Manchester, here are the jazz musicians and collectives representing the best of British.
The UK is in the middle of a jazz explosion (as if you hadn’t noticed, right?) with young artists, groups and collectives taking the form to another level, folding in a very British mix of drum'n'bass, grimey trip-hop and even jungle, as well as influences from further afield – reaching to the Afrobeat of Fela and rhythms of West Africa, mystical Afrofuturism, or classic US hip-hop.
Much of the coverage of this buzzy scene focuses on London, but, of course, in places like Manchester, Cardiff and Bristol, too, there are a glut of artists making their own unique, innovative strains of jazz.
Read on for some of the key jazz artists and hubs from across the UK.
1. Emma Jean-Thackray
This trumpeter, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist is influenced by everything fromJ Dilla beats and Madlib’s characters to the sounds of Afrobeat, as well as having a fascination with the likes of Gil Evans and Miles Davis. Her Ley Lines EP evokes Madlib’s jazz adventures with Yesterday’s New Quintets, and she recorded the whole thing single-handedly in her South London home, instrument by instrument, sometimes even taking on different characters to play different parts. That’s dedication.
Emma-Jean’s also dedicated to nurturing the UK music scene, working with the the London Symphony Orchestra as part of their out of their programme for emerging composers – the Jerwood Composer+ Scheme, which supports composers in programming, planning and delivering chamber-scale concerts – including work of their own. She also hosts her own bi-monthly show on Worldwide FM, exploring the latest and best in jazz (and beyond). She recently supported Soweto Kinch on stage and linked with Skinny Pelembe – another northerner melding beats and bass culture with jazzier tendencies – on his ‘Sleep More, Make More Friends’ EP.
2. Ishmael Ensemble
Ishmael Ensemble's unashamedly Bristolian vibe brings something unique to the UK's jazz landscape, and they pay serious homage to their city’s rich musical roots. Their latest LP A State Of Flow channels the trip-hop that’s inextricably linked to their hometown via acts like Portishead and Massive Attack, while showcasing bandleader Pete Cunningham’s expertise in deep house and techno – genres he spins under his DJ moniker Ishmael. His knack for understanding the space where electronic music and jazz coexist – as well as collabs with other young UK jazzers like trumpeter Yazz Ahmed – reflects the ethos of the whole UK scene: being bold enough to fuse unexpected strands of music, and working with a collective attitude.
3. Darkhouse Family
Starting out with more bass-led sounds – like the dubwise hip-hop of 2010’s Family Trees EP – or the beat-driven vibes of 2014’s Brockwild, Darkhouse Family went on to link with artists making an even wider range of sounds, progressing ever closer to their own form of jazz. Sessions with the likes of Kamaal Williams (aka Henry Wu, formerly of Yussef Kamaal), drummer Daf Davies –– who plays with Cardiff-based hip-hop/funk outfit Afro Cluster – and string arranger/player Jonathan Powell, resulted in 2017 LP The Offering, embracing jazz and soul. Incorporating live instrumentation alongside crate-lifted samples makes for an infectious organic yet futuristic listen – take the Kamaal Williams collab Heart Of Medina, with its glowing instrumentation winding around sharp synths.
4. Yakul
Influenced by the likes of J Dilla, future soul quartet Hiatus Kaiyote, D'Angelo and the Soulquarians – a late-90s neo soul and alternative hip hop crew, whose members included Dilla, Erykah Badu, Common andQuestlove – as well as London’s Rhythm Section, Yakul channel soulful lyrics through deep grooves and jazz-infused progressions. This collage of inspirations can be felt all over their material: see the warm mellow neo-soul of Realigned, or the Granddaddy-esque fluttering synths blended with wonky, noodling bass on Bad Karma. Working with the likes of Charlie Stacey and playing this summer’s Love Supreme festival just adds to their growing jazz chops.
5. Snazzback
Leading figures in Bristol’s jazz, soul, hip-hop and funk scenes, this eight-piece band thread their intricate arrangements together with their keen knack for improvisation – one of the factors setting jazz apart from other art forms. Citing Dilla as much as Portico Quartet in their influences, they have a feather-light touch and an elegance that’s hard to beat – not to mention the crystalline vocals of singer China Bowls. From the breezy Ellsdon In Hedge Pt 1 to the twinkling Mr Frimp and the Latin-led percussion of Park Ark, the crew approach Afro-funk and psych-jazz with their own collaborative spirit, creating groove-driven flows that are all their own.
6. Mammal Hands
Starting out in Norwich then signed by Manchester based trumpeter, composer and label owner Matthew Halsall to his Gondwana imprint, this trio tell stories and paint pictures through their music. 2017 LP Shadow Work, for example, is full of textural soundscapes, showcasing their knack for innovative production and unexpected instrumentation and their interests in electronic, modern classical and world music. A Solitary Bee – originally written on wooden flute – features folk-like sax melodies, echoing Irish traditional music, while Boreal Forest slowly spirals up into a cinematic crescendo. Going back to 2016 LP Floa, they folded in Sufi and African trance music with folk, and a few years before that their melancholic, yearning, driving Kandaiki felt like jazz telling a story, unfurling a narrative. Mammal Hands push the boundaries of what jazz can achieve.
7. Kokoroko
The Afrobeat eight-piece – led by the inimitable Sheila Maurice-Grey on trumpet – artfully traverse the intersections between jazz, Afrobeat, high life, and the sounds of London, which is as vital in their music as Lagos. Their debut EP dropped via Brownswood in March, along with a series of blistering shows. The record’s final track Abusey Junction is the project’s beating heart: a masterpiece in meditative, mellow mood, both warm and melancholic. It immediately struck a chord, winning track of the year at the Worldwide Awards and garnering over 20 million plays on YouTube. They do what new UK jazz artists do best – channeling unexpected sounds that they love into something totally new.
8. Gogo Penguin
The music of this Manchester piano trio – taking in jazz, electronica, modern classical and trip hop – has been likened to everyone from Aphex TwinandBrian Eno, to Shostakovich, Debussy and Philip Glass. It’s impossible to resist the deliciously off-kilter broken beat and warm, glowing keys of Hopopono, the rave-like euphoria of Bardo, and Garden Dog Barbecue's junglist beat melded with rich piano (it’s like nothing you’ve ever heard). With their 2014 album v2.0 shortlisted for the Mercury Award (on Godwanda records), they’ve since signed to the legendary Blue Note, sealing their status and bringing experimental UK wave to a global stage.
9. Soweto Kinch
Arguably someone who sowed the seeds for the genre-bending new UK jazz (his debut album Conversations With the Unseen was nominated for the Mercury 15 years ago), Soweto Kinch and his trio continue to push the genre – exploring the border between jazz and hip-hop, a saxophonist and freestyle MC, making music that swerves and bends, taking in everything from Latin funk to swing. Waved – from 2016’s Nonagram LP – flexes more sonic dexterity, with extra-terrestrial sounding synths and moody trip-hop beats, while Run Dem from Conversations blends urgent, nimble instrumentation with woozy hip-hop interludes and bars. Maybe it’s no surprise that he came up through music education programme Tomorrow’s Warriors, paving the way for the organisation’s later alumni like Theon Cross and Moses Boyd.
10. Paper Tiger
Paper Tiger make music that sounds digital, but is in fact something deeper and more complex. Apparently the six-piece grew up listening to African funk compilations, apocalyptic space rap and Miles Davis’ collaboration with Sting, and were as obsessed with sound system culture as they were Japanese manga. Maybe this explains their knack for melding the analogue with the digital. Yeah Yea from this year’s Rogue Planet LP features elements of UK hip-hop – think Jehst, Skinnyman and Task Force's bars, delivered over glitchy synths. Bioluminescent, meanwhile, featuring the clear-cut vocals of Olivia Bhattacharjee, is all broken beats melded with jerking bleeps – not your average jazz cut. Earlier records showcase their collage of influences too, fusing psychedelic hip-hop and junglist drumbeats.