Venue:Ronnie Scotts,Frith Street,London
Date:Monday 4th June Ticket Prices: £20.00 - £32.50 Doors open time
First House 18:00
“It’s a clever and entertaining juxtaposition of idioms that kicks pure Jazz and authentic rap into a brave new world.” The Guardian
“Mr Kinch demonstrates what England has to teach [the USA] about narrative Hip-Hop. Don’t sleep on Mr Kinch” The New York Times
Award winning alto-saxophonist and MC Soweto Kinch
is one of the most exciting and versatile young musicians in both the
British jazz and hip hop scenes. Undoubtedly, one of the few artists in
either genre with a degree in Modern History from Oxford University
he has amassed an impressive list of accolades and awards on both sides
of the Atlantic. In October 2007, he won his second MOBO Award, at the O2 Arena, London where he was announced as the winner in the Best Jazz Act category- fending off stiff competition from the likes of Wynton Marsalis.
His skills as a hip hop MC and producer have also garnered him recognition in the urban music world: having supported the likes of KRS ONE, Dwele and TY, and being championed by the likes of Rodney P and BBC 1-Xtra’s Twin B.
His last album release, A Life in the Day of B19 is
a ground-breaking concept album that effortlessly melds the worlds of
Jazz and Hip Hop to tell a story of inner city trials and triumphs in
Kinch’s native Birmingham. Concentrating on the stories of three
fictitious characters and featuring narration from veteran BBC
newscaster Moira Stuart it was released to much critical acclaim. It has
earned him 4 stars in the Guardian and Times, his second MOBO Award and
the British Jazz Award for best Alto Saxophonist, and an Urban Music Award nomination in 2007.
Kinch continues to broaden his musical lexicon and has composed
scores for a number of high profile theatre productions, including ‘Absolute Beginners’ at the Hammersmith Lyric, and Kwame Kwei-Armah’s ‘Statement of Regret’ at The National Theatre.
2007 also saw the development of Soweto’s first major work as a
scriptwriter following more directly in his father Don Kinch’s
footsteps. The Midnight Hop is an epic piece of musical-theatre, retelling the stories of black musician’s in 18thCentury
England, with a completely unique meeting of classical music,
folktales, popular doggerels from the period and modern jazz.
NEW ALBUM
The New Emancipation (Released 27/09/10)
The New Emancipation draws its inspiration from 19th
century work songs and early blues, exploring the modern resonances of
the emancipation story. From debt/wage slavery, to creative oppression
in the music industry and ideas of race in a post-Obama age it combines
this rich musical inheritance and revisits it with stellar jazz ensemble
and modern hip hop production.
The album features an prestigious international lineup, including Byron Wallen, Justin Brown (US), Eska Mtungwazi, Femi Temowo, Shabaka Hutchings and Harry Brown amongst others.
Citing influences as divergent as Duke Ellington, Madlib and
Frederick Delius, it plants the power and significance of the blues
firmly with modern realities. The piece is both an ode and polemic in
Kinch's words it sets out to 'challenge the comfort and complacency of
our modern world, when the same conditions that enslaved and emmiserated
people 150 years ago are still powerfully in effect today. Yet above
all its about celebrating the endurance and resilience of the human
spirit.'
RECENT & CURRENT PROJECTS
The Flyover Show
Since 2008 Soweto has been developing his very own music festival in
his hometown of Hockley, Birmingham. Once an area of thriving cultural
activity, producing renowned acts such as Steel Pulse, UB40, Musical
Youth and jazz musician Andy Hamilton. Now the area is renowned for
rundown buildings and unemployment. Still a resident of the area,
living in a block close to said Hockley Flyover,
Kinch’s neighbours include many talented musicians, poets, play writes,
actors and dancers. The Flyover Show set out to celebrate the
creativity of this community. Since its origin in 2008 the free event
has also played host to Andy Hamilton, Bashy, Ty, Jonzi D, Ms. Dynamite, Speech Debelle, Janet Kay and Eska Mtungwazi to name but a few.
Over the past three years The Flyover Show has gone from strength to
strength and Soweto has already begun making plans for 2011 which looks
set to include the talents of another well known local, Goldie.
Markus The Sadist
Written and directed by Jonzi D, this 2009 production, a satirical
fable about a young Londoner (played by British rapper Bashy) who drops
out of university after winning and MC battle.
This critically acclaimed theatre production saw Soweto take his
compositions to the stage and stretching his legs as a Musical Director.
In The Further Soil (A Sampad & British Council Collaboration)
In January 2010 Soweto Kinch, along with several other UK based
dancers and musicians travelled to India to work with local artists on a
project inspired by the Bengali poet and Nobel Peace Prize winner
(1913), Rabindranath Tagore.
Tagore once commented on the Indian diaspora “To study a Bunyan tree,
you not only must know its main stem in its own soil, but also must
trace the growth of its greatness in the further soil for then you know
the true nature of its vitality”.
The creative outcome of that first week of collaborations in January 2010 was a 10 minute sharing, presented at the Jaipur Literature Festival.
In September 2010, Soweto will return to India to further develop the
piece into a full theatre performance to tour both Indian and selected
UK dates in October 2010.
Soweto is also heavily involved in a forthcoming BBC 2 Series – Title TBC
“Goldie, the drum and bass DJ who proved his classical music
credentials as the runner-up of Maestro in 2008, is to star in a new
nationwide search for young and talented musicians. The as-yet-unnamed
series for BBC Two will follow Goldie as he explores the transformative
power of music in young lives today. Convinced that there are others
like him out there, Goldie is on a mission with some of the best names
in the music business (Soweto Kinch!)
to discover young people whose musical talents have helped them to
transcend their challenging circumstances. The series climaxes in a
thrilling concert for an audience of special guests at an iconic London
venue.”
AWARDS
MOBO AWARD Best Jazz Act 2007
BRITISH JAZZ AWARDS, Alto Saxophone 2007
URBAN MUSIC AWARDS, Best Jazz Act, 2006
BBC JAZZ AWARD, Best Instrumentalist 2004
BBC JAZZ AWARD, Best Band, 2004
PETER WHITTINGHAM AWARD, Jazz Innovation, 2004
URBAN MUSIC AWARDS, Best Jazz Act 2004
URBAN MUSIC AWARDS, Best Jazz Act 2004
MERCURY MUSIC PRIZE, Album of the Year, 2003
MOBO AWARD Best Jazz Act 2003
BBC JAZZ AWARD, Rising Star 2002
MONTREUX JAZZ SAXOPHONE COMPETITION, Winner 2002
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