For many in the nineties, jazz was viewed as an obsolete, uncool music, a genre loved by out of touch white men with deeply questionable taste. And yet, by 2019, a new generation of UK jazz musicians were selling out major venues and appearing on festivals line ups around the world. How has UK jazz regenerated its image so totally in twenty-five years? And how did it ever become uncool in the first place?
Reaching back to the roots of jazz as the ‘unapologetic expression’ of oppressed peoples, shaped by the forces of slavery, imperialism and globalisation, André Marmot – author of the brand new book on Faber and Faber – is joined by Shambala favourite, multi-talented lyricist K.O.G. Together they will place this new wave within the wider context of a divided, postcolonial Britain navigating its identity in a new world order. As well as being the author of Unapologetic Expression, André is a long-time friend and member of the Shambala community: agent for many much-loved Shambala artists including K.O.G, BCUC, HENGE and Nubiyan Twist, and percussionist/DJ in Afriquoi.