KOKOROKO (meaning 'be strong' in Urhobo), are a collective of young musicians brought together by a love for Afrobeat led by trumpeter Sheila Maurice-Grey. They specialise in a soul shaking, horn fuelled sound with West African roots and inner London hues. Abusey Junction is a ballad written by guitarist Oscar Jerome (fast making a name as an artist in his own right). It was written on the roof of a compound in Gambia where the band spent time last year immersing themselves in the soundscapes of the region. We Out Here is released on Brownswood Recordings on the 9th February 2018. A primer on London’s bright-burning young jazz scene, this new compilation brings together a collection of some of its sharpest talents. A set of nine newly-recorded tracks, We Out Here captures a moment where genre markers matter less than raw, focused energy. Surveying the album’s running order, it could easily serve as a name-checking exercise for some of London’s most-tipped and hardworking bands of the past couple of years. Recorded across three long, fruitful days in a North West London studio, the results speak for themselves: they’re a window into the wide-eyed future of London’s musical underground. The album bottles up some of the vital ideas emanating from that burgeoning movement. A reflection of how London’s jazz-influenced music has reached outward into new spaces, the sound of the record draws from a wide pool. There’s plenty of crossover between each of the groups, too, speaking to the close-knit circles which make up the scene; shared line-ups reflect the mutual cooperation and DIY spirit which are second-nature.
RIP Donald Byrd 1932-2013 1. I’ve Longed & Searched For My Mother 2. Here I Am 3. Fuego 4. Ghana 5. Janine 6. You’re Next 7. French Spice 8. Christo Redentor 9. Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child 10. Slow Drag 11. Blackjack 12. Mustang 13. Kofi Check out the video of Gilles introducing the mix // http://bit.ly/VSXWec
who doesn't love this song? Not just because it was in the movie "The Notebook". This generation needs a flashback to the artists that influenced many of the artists that are influencing us today.