Theon Cross - Intra​-​I (October 29, 2021 New Soil)

Theon Cross' new album, Intra-I, finds the gifted tuba player and composer creating a sound system powered by breath. This unique record is an uplifting celebration of Black music that, thanks to Cross' pioneering approach, helps to redefine the sonic possibilities of the tuba. Reflecting his own heritage, the young virtuoso melds jazz with dub, hip-hop, soca, grime and other sounds connected to the Afro-Caribbean diaspora. Additionally, the record - which features Remi Graves, Shumba Maasai, Afronaut Zu, Ahnansé, Consensus and Oren Marshall - is Cross' first music to include collaborations with guest vocalists, adding a further new dimension.

Theon Cross is at the forefront of the thriving London jazz scene. In 2015 he released solo EP Aspirationsand in 2019 followed it with his acclaimed debut solo album, Fyah. In addition to his solo endeavours, Cross is a core member of Mercury nominated group Sons Of Kemet and has collaborated with Little Simz, Stormzy, Moses Boyd, Nubya Garcia, Kano and others. An incredible live performer who's constantly looking to push boundaries, Cross participated in SXSW Online earlier this year by playing a live set from Abbey Road Studios and, using motion capture technology, as a 3D digital avatar in a VR showcase.

1. Intro feat. Remi Graves

2. We Go Again

3. Roots feat Shumba Maasai

4. The Spiral feat. Afronaut Zu & Ahnansé

5. Trust The Journey

6. 40Tude

7. Watching Over (Bless Up Dad)

8. Forward Progression II

9. Play To Win feat. Consensus

10. Universal Alignment feat. Oren Marshall

PREORDER

Makaya McCraven - Where We Come From (CHICAGOxLONDON Mixtape) INTERNATIONAL ANTHEM RECORDING 2018

1. Makaya McCraven, Joe Armon-Jones, Theon Cross, Nubya Garcia - Halls 03:49

2. LeFtO (feat. Soweto Kinch) - McCraven On The Mic 03:09

3. Makaya McCraven, Joe Armon-Jones, Theon Cross, Nubya Garcia - Ox Tales 06:22

4. Don Leisure (Darkhouse Family) - Suite For Artis Gilmore 03:02

5. Earl Jeffers (Darkhouse Family) - Jupiter Jawn 03:15

6. Makaya McCraven, Joe Armon-Jones, Theon Cross, Nubya Garcia, Kamaal Williams - The Oracle 03:18

7. Makaya McCraven, Joe Armon-Jones, Theon Cross, Nubya Garcia - The Bounce! 02:53

8. Ben LaMar Gay - King Drive, '86 Cutlass, No Plates 03:38

9. Makaya McCraven, Joe Armon-Jones, Theon Cross, Nubya Garcia - Run 'Dem 07:27

10. Emma-Jean Thackray - Too Shy 03:02

11. Quiet Dawn - Drums&Bruk&FeelTheVibe 03:03

12. Makaya McCraven, Joe Armon-Jones, Theon Cross, Nubya Garcia - Birthday Solo 01:21

13. Lexus Blondin - TRC Thank You Outro 00:43

14. Makaya McCraven, Soweto Kinch, Kamaal Williams - Where We Come From 01:11

Recorded live at Total Refreshment Centre 18 & 19 October 2017 (CHICAGOxLONDON).

Live recordings mixed at Total Refreshment Studios 20 & 21 October 2017.

Remixed live at Total Refreshment Centre 22 October 2017 (FRESH ROASTED: Live Beat-Making & Battle).

Performed by Makaya McCraven - drums; Soweto Kinch - saxophone, voice; Theon Cross - tuba; Joe Armon-Jones - Rhodes piano; Nubya Garcia - saxophone; Kamaal Williams - keys.

Remix Production & Additional Overdubs by LeFtO; Don Leisure & Earl Jeffers (Darkhouse Family); Ben LaMar Gay; Emma-Jean Thackray; Quiet Dawn; Lexus Blondin.

Mixtape Production by Makaya McCraven

Recorded & Mixed by Dave Vettraino & David Allen

Recording Assisted by Matteo Musetti

Edited by Makaya McCraven

Mastered by David Allen

Photography by Fabrice Bourgelle

Design by Raimund Wong

Associate Production by Alejandro Ayala, Tina Edwards & Lexus Blondin

Executive Production by Scott McNiece

Special Thanks: Will Savery, Steven King, Garrett Shelton, Lauren Kasper, Mark Pallman, David Burkhart, Lori Mendoza, Angel Bat Dawid, Ken Okuda, Simbad, Stella Kun, Emma Warren, Lexy Morvaridi, Oran Maneti, Will Shanahan, Kim Alpert, Junius Paul, Jaimie Branch, Tomeka Reid, Alexander Hawkins, Tina Richard, Aly Gillani, Kristian 'Capitol K' Robinson, and Gus.

We Out Here - We Out Here (BROWNSWOOD RECORDINGS 2018)

A primer on London’s bright-burning young jazz scene, this new compilation brings together a collection of some of its sharpest talents. A set of nine newly-recorded tracks, We Out Here captures a moment where genre markers matter less than raw, focused energy. Surveying the album’s running order, it could easily serve as a name-checking exercise for some of London’s most-tipped and hardworking bands of the past couple of years. Recorded across three long, fruitful days in a North West London studio, the results speak for themselves: they’re a window into the wide-eyed future of London’s musical underground. 

The album bottles up some of the vital ideas emanating from that burgeoning movement. A reflection of how London’s jazz-influenced music has reached outward into new spaces, the sound of the record draws from a wide pool. There’s plenty of crossover between each of the groups, too, speaking to the close-knit circles which make up the scene; shared line-ups reflect the mutual cooperation and DIY spirit which are second-nature. 

Ubiquitous, much-lauded saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings is the project’s musical director. His own recent projects span from South Africa-connected, spiritually-minded jazz players Shabaka and the Ancestors to Sons of Kemet, who match diasporically-connected compositions with viscerally-direct live shows. His input ties together a deft, genre-agnostic sensibility that’s shared through all the players on the record. 

Nodding to spiritual jazz influences, Maisha’s ‘Inside The Acorn’ is a wandering, explorative rumination, balancing delicate washes of piano and percussion with sharp interplay between flute and bass clarinet. Ezra Collective – whose drummer and bandleader Femi Koleoso has toured with Pharaohe Monch – run a tight, Afrobeat-tipped rhythm on ‘Pure Shade’, with the final third changing gear into a melodic, momentous closing stretch. 

On Moses Boyd’s ‘The Balance’, the drummer – who co-produced Zara McFarlane’s recent, critically-lauded album, as well as touring with the likes of Sampha – builds a steadily-paced, atmospheric creation, loosening up the rhythm and intensity as it progresses. Theon Cross – who’s part of Hutchings’ Sons of Kemet – starts his track, ‘Brockley’, with the solo, distinctive low rumble of his tuba. Winding and mesmeric, it sees tuba and sax lines winding together in rhythmic and melodic parallels. 

Showing a similarly controlled approach, Nubya Garcia’s ‘Once’ is taut and carefully-poised, her tenor sax guiding a carefully-built energy to an explosive conclusion. Shabaka Hutchings’ ‘Black Skin, Black Masks’ is typically difficult-to-define: with an off-kilter, shifting rhythmic backbone, repeated phrases – mirrored between clarinet and bass clarinet – shape the track with an alluring hue. 

Triforce’s ‘Walls’ is a performance in two parts: starting with Mansur Brown’s languorous, lyrical guitar, the second half switches up to a low-slung, g-funk-tipped groove. Joe Armon-Jones, whose ludicrous chops on the piano have seen him touring with the likes of Ata Kak, showcases earworm-like, insistent motifs on ‘Go See’, balanced with a playful, improvisatory approach with room for ad-libbing and solos a-plenty. Finally, taking a softer tact than many of the other entries, Kokoroko – whose guitarist Oscar Jerome has been making waves with his solo material – spin a lyrical, steady-paced meditation on ‘Abusey Junction’, matching chanted vocals with gently-played guitar.

1. Maisha - Inside The Acorn

2. Ezra Collective - Pure Shade

3. Moses Boyd - The Balance

4. Theon Cross - Brockley

5. Nubya Garcia - Once

6. Shabaka Hutchings - Black Skin, Black Masks

7. Triforce - Walls

8. Joe Armon-Jones - Go See

9. Kokoroko - Abusey Junction