Black British Jazz in Protest
Some of the most significant political narratives in living memory have been set to the sound of Jazz music
A genre immersed in protest
Historically, the Jazz music is immersed in protest. Jazz has had its part to play in the personal accounts of so many musicians involved in the political dynamics of their own countries and causes or those showing solidarity with the causes of their fellow colleagues.
Soweto Kinch - The Black Peril
Award winning Kinch's 'Black Peril' album commemorates the civil unrest and race riots that broke out across the United Kingdom and overseas shortly after the end of the first world war.
Zara McFarlaneBlack Lives in Music
Zara McFarlane
British Jazz singer Zara McFarlane’s album, Arise, was “a response to the systemic causes of Black Lives Matter and the unwholesome treatment of the Windrush generation". Her recent album, Songs of an Unknown Tongue, focuses on national identity, colonialism and Black heritage.
Shabaka Hutchings by Udoma JanssenBlack Lives in Music
Shabaka Hutchings
UK Jazz Saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings is a regular visitor to the narrative of race, identity, belonging and national identity through his compositions. He feels a responsibility to create music that can inspire & energise those protesting in the Black Lives Matter movement
Dark Matter - Album by Moses Boyd
Dark Matter is the creative product and musical statement of award-winning drummer Moses Boyd. Thematic material that moved and inspired Boyd to write this album including the awful events of the Grenfell tragedy as well as inhumane treatment of the Windrush generation
Cassie Kinoshi and SEED EnsembleBlack Lives in Music
SEED Ensemble
The album Driftglass from Mercury nominated SEED Ensemble was both a “celebration of what it means to be a young black British person” and a critique of Britain and its nationalistic hangups.
The album’s inspiration comes from the politically infused jazz of the US Jazz titans Jackie McLean and Charles Mingus.
Byron Wallen
Black Flag is a seminal album from British Jazz sensation Byron Wallen. His album looks at a narrative of global imperialism and colonialism with resultant widespread socio-economic poverty.
With thanks to Serious, etc. for images
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