Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah @ EFG London Jazz Festival

by | Nov 24, 2019

On the opening weekend of this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival, EartH (Evolutionary Arts Hackney) hosted award-winning American jazz trumpeter, composer, producer, and sonic architect Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah.

EFG London Jazz Festival (nosa malcolm)

Christian Scott (nosa malcolm)

Entering the venue tucked away in east London and walking down the busy narrow staircase gave you an immediate, nostalgic jazz club feeling, with sounds coming from the main space courtesy of DJ Anja Ngozi.

EFG London Jazz Festival (nosa malcolm)

Madison McFerrin (nosa malcolm)

Madison McFerrin opened the evening’s live music as the venue steadily filled with people seemingly eager to hear the Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter.Performing alone on stage, Madison had the crowd fully engaged as she showcased her music and genre-defying ‘a cappella’ style.

EFG London Jazz Festival (nosa malcolm)

Madison McFerrin (nosa malcolm)

Looping and layering her vocals to create melodies, vocal percussions, and then adding hand-clapping rhythms, Madison performed her 2016 single No Time To Lose, ending the song by having the audience clap along. With offerings of yet-to-be-released album material, Madison’s set was received with great enthusiasm and she’s definitely an artist to look out for with a sound similar to singer-songwriter (and a personal favourite) Amel Larrieux.

EFG London Jazz Festival (nosa malcolm)

Christian Scott (nosa malcolm)

After what seemed like the quickest 30-minute interval, a single blast from his trumpet was heard from backstage and Christian Scott and band entered to applause. Drawing on sounds and inspirations from around the world, Scott focuses on creating pieces of music that tell stories while reaffirming the roots of what we know to be jazz.

EFG London Jazz Festival (nosa malcolm)

Christian Scott (nosa malcolm)

He’s also constantly pushing the genre into current times and into the future, a trend that’s arguably most prominent on his 2019 album Ancestral Recall. He talks about his passion for this, and not only through his instrumental compositions: he explains his intentions through innocent reflections of equally innocent childhood memories growing up in post-segregated New Orleans. From Afro Native American heritage, Scott spoke of now being a tribe chief and remembering lessons taught to him by his grandfather, who held the title to a number of tribes, serving communities and supporting them through the trials of poverty.

EFG London Jazz Festival (nosa malcolm)

EFG London Jazz Festival (nosa malcolm)

EFG London Jazz Festival (nosa malcolm)

A thoughtful visionary, Scott took time to provoke the audience in questioning inequality from its nearest and furthest corners. His conviction whilst raising topics of gender bias, stereotyping, and others, were inspirational and you could feel the impact throughout the audience with each reference he made.

EFG London Jazz Festival (nosa malcolm)

Logan Richardson (nosa malcolm)

With a melting pot of musicians, the band consisted of Logan Richardson on saxophone, Lawrence Fields on keys, Corey Fornville on drums, Max Mucha on bass and Weedie Braihah on percussion. Each had a seamless understanding of Scott’s vision, creating a multi-cultural soundscape, blending and enhancing musical elements from around the world, with a heavy West African holding.

EFG London Jazz Festival (nosa malcolm)

Max Mucha (nosa malcolm)

Even without that movie score-type guitar riff from the studio recording, bluesy funk-rock influenced track West Of The West stood out for me, as each musician really went in.

EFG London Jazz Festival (nosa malcolm)

Weedie Braihah (nosa malcolm)

More of a gentle offering, Songs She Never Heard was another track to be noted, invoking a percussive, nurturing feeling alongside a sense of both Richardson and Scott engaging in an emotional sit down conversation through their instruments.

EFG London Jazz Festival (nosa malcolm)

Logan Richardson (nosa malcolm)

Jazz and its complexities can be intimidating to those who favour popular structures, prefer to be led by the lyrics in a song, or feel more comfortable listening to ‘smooth jazz’. But Christian Scott has a way of breaking barriers and widening audiences through his diverse catalogue and live performances, even though he’s very deep and complex as a person and in his compositions.

EFG London Jazz Festival (nosa malcolm)

EFG London Jazz Festival (nosa malcolm)

Christian Scott (nosa malcolm)

Though it wasn’t the headline opening show, or festival finale, the rich diversity of Scott’s compositions and the band’s craftsmanship made for an evening of excellence that felt like it encompassed the ideals and themes of EFG London Jazz festival for 2019.

EFG London Jazz Festival (nosa malcolm)

Christian Scott (nosa malcolm)

Review and photos by Nosa Malcolm of Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah at EartH as part of EFG London Jazz Festival on Saturday 16th November 2019.

Billy Idol @ Wembley Arena (Kalpesh Patel)

Billy Proves He Is No False Idol, But A Truly Authentic One At Wembley Arena

Fresh from being well received at the inaugural Forever Now festival as well as a surprise appearance alongside...
Wide angle photo of Opus Stage and Arena at DownloadXXII

From Chaos To Catharsis: Sleep Token Silence The Doubters As Day Two Of Download Festival XXII Delivers Big Moments And Bigger Emotion

We’re back for Day 2 of Download Festival XXII. Would today live up to the great start we had yesterday? Let’s see…

Bludfest 2025 @ Milton Keynes Bowl (Ruby Boland)

Hello Heaven, Hello! Bludfest Returns Bigger Than Ever!

The elfin Elin Hall makes for the perfect entrance music, America swirling like the threat of rain overhead, as...
Nine Inch Nails @ Scala (Kalpesh Patel)

Trent And Atticus Nine Inch Nail It At The O2 Arena

Every act craves that strong connection with their audience – but how do you achieve this in a cavernous space like The O2 Arena, filled to the brim with around 20,000 fans (all, naturally, dressed in black)? Well, in typical belligerent style, Nine Inch Nails meet this challenge head on – treating us to a set by turns poetic and punishing, and despite the odd technical hiccup, really delivering that all important connection.

L-R: Roger Taylor, John Taylor, Simon Le Bon & Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran @ The O2 (Kalpesh Patel)

Duran Duran To Bring Their Spectacular Danse Macabre Halloween Party To Manchester’s Co-Op Live

British music legends Duran Duran have announced their first-ever UK Halloween extravaganza, set to take over Manchester’s Co-Op Live on Friday, 31st October 2025. Promising a night of haunting glamour, sonic mischief and spine-tingling surprises, the one-off show will mark the UK debut of the band’s acclaimed Danse Macabre Halloween Party.

Jane Remover @ Outbreak London 2025

Outbreak Festival Storms London: A Genre-Bending Baptism Of Hardcore, Chaos & Community

Outbreak has been the beating heart of the UK’s hardcore scene since 2011 at its home in Manchester, finally the...
Santana @ The O2 Arena (Kalpesh Patel)

A Higher Frequency: Santana’s Timeless Spirit Lights Up The O2 Arena

As London sweltered under a 32-degree summer solstice sun, a different kind of illumination awaited inside The O2 Arena. Carlos Santana—guitar deity, Woodstock survivor, and spiritual messenger—brought his legendary band and transcendental energy to the capital with his Oneness Tour, proving once again that music, when played with heart and soul, can truly heal.

Matt Bellamy of Muse @ The O2 (Kalpesh Patel)

Muse Return With Electrifying New Single ‘Unravelling’ — A Thunderous Taste Of What’s To Come

Muse have unleashed their blistering new single Unravelling, igniting excitement among fans as they return to the world stage with their trademark flair for drama and dystopian grandeur. The track marks their first new music since 2022’s Will Of The People and signals the beginning of a bold new chapter for the stadium-filling trio.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing