BXLxLDN Interplay, a new international collaboration between Tomorrow’s Warriors (UK) and Brosella Jazz Festival (Belgium), launched in Brussels at the start of March.
This new project brings together three of Warriors emerging jazz artists and teams them up with three of their European counterparts to deliver a set of original compositions and inspirational musical alliances.
London is represented by some of Tomorrow’s Warriors finest young emerging artists who have already performed at a host of venues and festivals (We Out Here, Love Supreme, London Jazz Festival, Brick Lane Jazz Festival and more), and features saxophonist Maddy Coombs (Judi Jackson, Soweto Kinch, and Mark Kavuma), pianist Luke Bacchus (BBC Young Musician 2022 finalist) and the always in demand Menelik Claffey on bass.
From Brussels, Diogo Alexandre on drums, flautist Lucia Pires, and guitarist Eliott Knuets (Aaron Parks, Jorge Rossy) complete the line-up of this exciting sextet.
The six young musicians will be mentored by Tomorrow’s Warriors Music Leader and acclaimed saxophonist Binker Golding, alongside Belgian award-winning pianist Bram De Looze and fellow countryman Stéphane Galland who was selected by the French Batterie Magazine as one of the world’s top 10 drummers of 2018.
The musicians and their mentors met up in Brussels for three days of development sessions beginning on Monday 4 March, and this first episode of the collaboration culminated in their debut at the Brosella Spring Festival on Thursday 7 March.
Further appearances include Brick Lane Jazz Festival (London) in April and Brosella Festival (Brussels) in July, before performing at Gilles Peterson’s We Out Here Festival (Dorset,UK) in August.
Tomorrow’s Warriors Co-Found and bassist, Gary Crosby OBE, explains “Collaboration has always been at the heart of what makes jazz exciting – new groups of people from different backgrounds coming together to make new music. Similarly, live performances are crucial for young musicians to develop. This exciting new initiative between Tomorrow’s Warriors and Brosella Jazz Festival brings these essential elements together and offers the young musicians involved a fantastic creative adventure. I can’t wait to hear them live!”
Photo credits Shamrockraver Photography
