Polar Bear are a British experimental jazz band led by drummer Seb Rochford with Pete Wareham and Mark Lockheart on tenor saxophone, Tom Herbert on double bass and Leafcutter John on electronics and occasionally guitar or mandolin.
Zoe Rahman is an English jazz composer and pianist.
Mark Lockheart is a British jazz tenor saxophonist who was a member of the Loose Tubes big band during the 1980s.
Denys Baptiste is an English jazz musician. A graduate of Tomorrow's Warriors, Baptiste plays tenor and soprano saxophone in addition to composing.
Partisan Records is an independent record label with offices in London, Berlin, and Los Angeles, as well as in New York City, where the company was co-founded in 2007 by Tim Putnam and Ian Wheeler. The label, initially run out of Putnam's South Brooklyn apartment, relocated in 2009 to Williamsburg.
Michael Samuel Kiwanuka is a British singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is currently signed to Polydor Records. His debut album Home Again (2012) went gold in the United Kingdom, while his second album Love & Hate (2016) debuted at the top of the charts. He has been nominated for numerous honours, including Brit Awards, MTV Europe Music Awards, BBC Music Awards, and Grammy Awards. He won the BBC's Sound of... in 2012 and the Mercury Prize in 2020.
Roller Trio are a British jazz-rock trio, who formed whilst studying at Leeds College of Music in 2011. In 2012, their eponymous debut studio album was nominated for the Mercury Prize alongside a nomination for the band as "Best Jazz Act" at the MOBO Awards that year. In performance, John Fordham of The Guardian described their preview gig for the Mercury prize [as having] "the same wild insouciance that has made their sound a howl of fresh air." DJ and broadcaster Gilles Peterson described their music as "Dark, menacing, bass heavy – the new sound of UK jazzzzzzz!" They are known for their "epic memorably singalong melody hooks and blistering riffs".
Simbiatu "Simbi" Abisola Abiola Ajikawo, better known by her stage name Little Simz, is an English-Nigerian rapper. She rose to prominence with the independent release of her first three albums: A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons (2015), Stillness in Wonderland (2016) and Grey Area (2019), the last of which was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and won the awards for Best Album at both the Ivor Novello Awards and the NME Awards.
Laura Mvula is a British singer. A native of Birmingham, England, Mvula gained experience as a member or leader of a cappella, jazz/neo-soul and gospel groups and choirs. She was classically trained. In 2012, she signed with RCA Records and released an extended play, She, to critical acclaim.
Sons of Kemet were a British jazz band formed by Shabaka Hutchings, Oren Marshall, Seb Rochford, and Tom Skinner. Theon Cross replaced Marshall on tuba after the first album, and Eddie Hick replaced Rochford on drums after the third. They disbanded in 2022.
Tomorrow's Warriors (TW) is a jazz music education and artist development organisation that was co-founded in 1991 by Janine Irons and Gary Crosby, committed to championing diversity, inclusion and equality across the arts through jazz, with a special focus on "Black musicians, female musicians and those whose financial or other circumstances might lock them out of opportunities to pursue a career in the music industry". Crosby drew inspiration from having been a member of the Jazz Warriors, a London-based group of musicians that in the 1980s showcased many young Black British musicians who went on to achieve international success.
Kwadwo Adu Genfi Amponsah, known professionally as Kojey Radical, is a British musician, creative director and mixed media visual artist. His style has been described as a mix of grime hip hop, alternative rap, and spoken word. Since 2018, he has received six nominations at the MOBO Awards, including Best Newcomer. He also performed at the 2020 and 2022 MOBO ceremonies.
SEED Ensemble are a 10-piece British jazz ensemble led by Cassie Kinoshi. In 2019, they were nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.
Sault are a British music collective that make a mixture of R&B, urban contemporary gospel, house and disco. The project is helmed by songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Inflo, and includes vocalists Cleo Sol, Kid Sister, and Chronixx. Jack Peñate has also collaborated with the collective. The group frequently puts Black-centric issues at the foreground.
Joseph Armon-Jones is a British musician, keyboardist, composer, producer and bandleader.
Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is the fourth studio album by English rapper Little Simz, released on 3 September 2021 by Age 101 Music and AWAL. The album succeeds the Mercury Prize-nominated album Grey Area, released in 2019, and the five-track EP, Drop 6 (2020). It is supported by five singles: "Introvert", "Woman", "Rollin Stone", "I Love You, I Hate You" and "Point and Kill". The album is produced by frequent collaborator Inflo, and includes guest appearances from Cleo Sol and Obongjayar.
This is a timeline documenting events of jazz in the year 2022.
Reason to Smile is the debut studio album by British rapper Kojey Radical, released 4 March 2022 by Asylum Records and Atlantic Records. It was shortlisted for the 2022 Mercury Prize and nominated for Album of the Year at the 2022 MOBO Awards.
Where I'm Meant to Be is the second studio album by the London jazz quintet Ezra Collective, released on 4 November 2022 by Partisan Records. The album was produced by the band and Riccardo Damian, and features musicians including Sampa the Great, Kojey Radical, Emeli Sandé, and Nao, as well as the filmmaker Steve McQueen.
Dance, No One's Watching is the third studio album by London jazz quintet Ezra Collective, released on 27 September 2024 by Partisan Records. It was preceded by two singles.
