Soweto Kinch | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Soweto Omar Kinch |
| Born | 10 January 1978 London, England, UK |
| Genres | Jazz [1] |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, vocals |
| Website | soweto-kinch |
| Alma mater | Hertford College, Oxford University |
| Parent(s) | Don Kinch; Yvette Harris |
Soweto Kinch (born 10 January 1978) is a British jazz saxophonist and rapper.
Born in 1978 in London, England, to a Barbadian father, playwright Don Kinch, and British-Jamaican actress Yvette Harris, [2] Soweto Kinch began playing saxophone at the age of nine after learning clarinet at Allfarthing Primary School, Wandsworth, SW London. He then moved to Birmingham, where he attended West House Primary School in Edgbaston, beginning a long association with Britain's second city.
After meeting Wynton Marsalis four years later, he discovered and became passionate about jazz, first concentrating on piano and later in his teens switching to alto saxophone as his main instrument. He attended Bromsgrove School, Worcestershire, from the age of 13, completing his A-levels when he was 18. Early musical influences include the vocalist and percussionist Frank Holder. Kinch went on to study Modern History at Hertford College, Oxford University. [3] He also benefited from participation in the programmes of Tomorrow's Warriors, [4] [5] [6] the music education and artist development organisation co-founded in 1991 by Janine Irons and Gary Crosby, and played with Crosby's Jazz Jamaica All Stars collective. [7]
In 2001, Kinch established the Soweto Kinch Trio with bassist Michael Olatuja and drummer Troy Miller and supported Courtney Pine at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club [8] and performed at the Royal Festival Hall and the Cheltenham International Jazz Festival.
In 2006, Kinch released his second album, A Life in the Day of B19: Tales of the Tower Block , [9] the first instalment of a two-part concept album documenting the lives of three Birmingham men. The album includes narration by BBC newsreader Moira Stuart. [10]
Kinch is also a member of the Pop Idol backing band the Big Blue.
Kinch has performed for Don't Flop Entertainment, where he has competed in rap battles and faced opponents Dotz, [11] Shuffle T [12] and Charron. [13]
In an interview at Abbey Road Studios, Amy Winehouse mentioned that she would like to record a "more purist" jazz album, citing Kinch as a notable jazz musician with whom she would like to work. [14]
In 2013, Kinch presented a staged performance of his concept album The Legend of Mike Smith at Birmingham Repertory Theatre in England. The performance was influenced by Divine Comedy and the seven deadly sins, telling the tale of Mike Smith, a young MC faced with a range of contemporary temptations. Kinch performed the work with Karl Rasheed Abel on bass and Shaney Forbes on drums. The subject allowed Kinch to explore a wide range of emotions in hip-hop and jazz form. He has stated that the trio format "allows [for] more harmonic freedom and space to deliver lyrics". [15] The music was augmented by dance.[ citation needed ]
In April 2016, Kinch became a presenter of the BBC Radio 3 programme Jazz Now [16] and, in April 2024, 'Round Midnight. [17]
Kinch curated the 2019 Koestler Arts exhibition, which showcases artworks created by prisoners and detainees in institutions, and is held at the Southbank Centre in London. [18]
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Jazz Jamaica is a British jazz/reggae music group founded by musician Gary Crosby in London in 1991.
Gary Crosby is a British jazz double bassist, composer, music arranger, and educator. He was a founding member of the celebrated group the Jazz Warriors in the 1980s and has worked with many top international artists.
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Don't Flop Entertainment is one of the largest rap battle leagues based in the United Kingdom. It was founded by longtime friends Eurgh and Cruger in 2008. Since then, notable performers include Oshea, Sensa, Lunar C, Rizzle, Tony D, Blizzard, Mercury Music Prize nominee Soweto Kinch, Harry Baker and Mark Grist. Several rappers from Don't Flop have also made appearances in the Canadian rap battle league King of the Dot, as well as youth and music broadcaster SB.TV. American rappers Illmaculate and Soul Khan have also made appearances on Don't Flop, both as rappers and judges.
A Life in the Day of B19: Tales of the Tower Block is a 2006 album by Soweto Kinch.
Zara McFarlane is a British jazz/soul singer and songwriter, based in East London, England. In October 2014, McFarlane was awarded the title of "Best Jazz Act" at the MOBO Awards. She has had four albums released by Brownswood Recordings.
Si Hayden is an English musician-composer and long time guitarist of 70's electric violin veteran Joe O'Donnell of East Of Eden, Headstone and Rory Gallagher fame. He has released over 50 albums of largely original material, featured on multiple guitar compilations with the likes of Alex De Grassi, Guns N' Roses guitarist Bumblefoot and Will Ackerman. He has recorded as a guest musician on over 100 releases. On the release of his 2011 solo guitar album Supercharger, Guitarist Magazine described him as 'an acoustic virtuoso'.
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.
Janine Mireille Irons is a British music educator, artist manager and producer, who in 1991 co-founded with her partner Gary Crosby the music education and professional development organisation Tomorrow's Warriors, of which she is Chief Executive. In 1997 she and Crosby also initiated the Dune Records label, which has a focus on Black British jazz musicians and musicians from Tomorrow's Warriors. She has also worked as a photographer and musician.
Byron Wallen is a British jazz trumpeter, composer and educator. He was described by Jazzwise as "one of the most innovative, exciting and original trumpet players alive". As characterised by All About Jazz, "He does not fit into any pigeonhole, however, and is also something of a renaissance man: he has long been involved in cognitive psychology and also travels widely, spending extended periods in South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Morocco, Indonesia and Belize ."
Fergus McCreadie is a Scottish jazz pianist and composer based in Glasgow. His style revolves around a fusion of contemporary jazz with Scottish folk music. He has released four albums as leader of a piano trio and one solo EP to date. His third album, Forest Floor, was shortlisted for the 2022 Mercury Prize, and won the Scottish Album of the Year Award and the Scottish Jazz Award for Best Album.
Julie Dexter is a British singer, songwriter and producer, whose music spans the categories of jazz, soul and reggae. She was born and raised in Birmingham, England, and has been based in the United States since 1999. Notable musicians with whom she has worked include Courtney Pine, Soweto Kinch, Jason Yarde, and others.
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