Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
Sat 27 Oct
London’s Sons Of Kemet offer textured compositions rife with buoyant jazz and African-derived percussion. Earlier this year, the quartet announced they had been signed to legendary jazz label Impulse!, subsequently releasing their third album Your Queen Is A Reptile in March.
A musically ambitious album, Your Queen… is no less politically challenging: de facto SoK bandleader Shabaka Hutchings puts forward his own concept of monarchy, dedicating each track to inspirational black women. Some are historically famous (My Queen Is Harriet Tubman), while some are personal to him: Hutchings’ great-grandmother is referenced in My Queen Is Ada Eastman.
The group’s relatively unorthodox lineup of saxophone, tuba, and two drummers comes together naturally. Saxophonist Hutchings – a central figure in the London jazz scene; Sons Of Kemet is only one of several of his projects – and tuba player Theon Cross are joined by twin drummers, Tom Skinner and Eddie Hick, providing stylistic shifts as they converse with each other through music. The components can be complex, yet on Your Queen… they merge together to create a hypnotic and unique sound. If jazz can sometimes be accused of lionising the past, Sons Of Kemet’s music feels contemporary both in its sonics and its political bite; nodding to Brit-jazz’s legacy while, ultimately, looking to the future.
Tickets: £15. Info: 029 2023 2199 / www.clwb.net (SS)