A band featuring two drummers, a tuba player and a saxophone/clarinet player isn’t made straight from central casting. And in Sons of Kemet, that's Shabaka Hutchings, Seb Rochford, Tom Skinner and Oren Marshall, you'll discover no ordinary band. It's one that has built up strong word of mouth over the last few years, but unlike many other bands on the new London underground jazz scene has not put out a record. That is until now with Burn to be released by Naim records the Monday after this 3 September Vortex launch gig. No stranger to the Dalston club they have been championed by BBC Radio 3 programme Jazz on 3 over the last few years with some of their live repertoire, whose sets typically include title track ‘Burn’, ‘Going Home’, ‘Book of Disquiet’ and ‘The Junglist’, making it on to the airwaves. Powered by the twin attack of Tom Skinner’s Afrobeat-driven sound and Polar Bear’s Seb Rochford as Shabaka Hutchings in the lead soloing role invokes the inspiration of Count Ossie, Yusuf Lateef and Steve Lacy via saxophone and clarinet, Oren Marshall provides the unusual bass part with his huge customised tuba a raucous presence capable of going off message as the improvisation takes hold and the spirit demands. It's a band that has to be experienced live and in an intimate setting.
Tickets http://www.vortexjazz.co.uk
Seb Rochford above left, Shabaka Hutchings, Tom Skinner, and Oren Marshall. Photo: Matt Crossick
Watch live performance of Sons of Kemet in the Vortex recording 'Intro/Burn' for arts site the Space here: http://thespace.org/items/e0000vmq?t=cp28v