The Shaolin Afronauts are an

Afrobeat Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles (such as traditional Yoruba music and highlife) and American funk, jazz, and soul influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersectin ...

band based in

Adelaide, Australia Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The demo ...

. Their music is heavily influenced by West African Afrobeat artists such as Fela Kuti, but also incorporates elements of

avant-garde jazz Avant-garde jazz (also known as avant-jazz and experimental jazz) is a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. It originated in the early 1950s and developed through to the late 1960s. Orig ...

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

and other traditional

African African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

and

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

percussive rhythms. They describe their music as "interstellar futurist afro-soul".

Career

2008–2010: Origins and style

Founded in 2008 out of a fascination with Afrobeat and creative improvised music, seven out of the ten band members were also members of

The Transatlantics The Transatlantics were a funk and soul band from Adelaide, South Australia, formed in 2007. Biography The band was formed in 2007 by Adelaide-born musicians Ross McHenry, Lachlan Ridge, Kevin Van Der Zwaag and singer Tara Lynch, after they ...

, who met at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

. The Transatlantics favoured many different styles of music, especially that of West and East Africa, but the breakaway group wanted to create something a bit looser and more interpretative, less arranged. The group started out as a side project, but found it worked well together from the start. Bassist Ross McHenry says that he was inspired by the Afrobeat music he heard at

WOMADelaide WOMADelaide is an annual four-day festival of Music, Arts and Dance, which was first held in 1992 in Botanic Park, Adelaide, South Australia. One of many WOMAD festivals held around the world, it is a four-day event that presents a diverse select ...

as a child, and he likes to write and play music infused with soul and guided by intuition. The musicians particularly styled their music after the Afrobeat style of Fela Kuti and his Africa '70 band and other West African music. A lesser but important influence was the 1970s avant-garde jazz movement, especially artists like

Sun Ra Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific out ...

and

Pharoah Sanders Pharoah Sanders (born Ferrell Lee Sanders; October 13, 1940 – September 24, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. Known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of "sheets of sound", San ...

. Their sound also incorporates soul and traditional African and Cuban percussive rhythms. , the Shaolin Afronauts' Facebook page describes their music as "interstellar futurist afro-soul".

2011–present: album releases

In 2011, they played at

. The song "Kilimanjaro" was the first release by the band. Later in 2011, they were signed to Freestyle records and saw the release of their debut album, ''Flight of the Ancients''. The album was featured on

Radio National Breakfast ''RN Breakfast'', previously ''Radio National Breakfast'' and sometimes shortened to ''Breakfast'', is a national early morning news program in Australia, broadcast since 2005. The program is broadcast live in the eastern states, and on delay ...

and garnered considerable attention on

community radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popular ...

, streetpress and

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

. In January 2012 the band recorded their second album, ''Quest under Capricorn'', with an expanded ensemble of 18 musicians. In September 2014, the band released their third album, ''Follow the Path''. Also in 2014, the band played at

Glastonbury Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury ...

. They continued to play regular gigs around Adelaide and occasional gigs and festivals elsewhere, including the two-day

Blenheim Music and Camping Festival The Clare Valley is a valley located in South Australia about north of Adelaide in the Clare and Gilbert Valleys council area. It is the river valley formed by the Hutt River but is also strongly associated with the roughly parallel Hill Riv ...

in the

Clare Valley The Clare Valley is a valley located in South Australia about north of Adelaide in the Clare and Gilbert Valleys council area. It is the river valley formed by the Hutt River but is also strongly associated with the roughly parallel Hill Riv ...

, north of Adelaide, in 2015. In October 2016, Shaolin Afronauts played the Kennedys Creek Music Festival in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. In July 2017 the group reprised their ''Quest under Capricorn'' performance at

The Gov Hindmarsh is an inner suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Charles Sturt. The suburb is located between South Road to the west and North Adelaide. The River Torrens forms its southern boundary and the Grange and ...

as part of the Umbrella: Winter City Sounds festival and played with their usual complement at

Here's to Now Coriole Vineyards is a winery located in the McLaren Vale wine region of South Australia. Coriole was established by the Lloyd family in 1968, and now exports wine to the US, Canada and various countries in Europe and Asia. They produce red w ...

Coriole Vineyards Coriole Vineyards is a winery located in the McLaren Vale wine region of South Australia. Coriole was established by the Lloyd family in 1968, and now exports wine to the US, Canada and various countries in Europe and Asia. They produce red wi ...

in December of the same year. As part of the

Adelaide Festival The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...

in March 2020, the Afronauts performed a show called "Mad Max Meets The Shaolin Afronauts", where the classic dystopian thriller, the first ''

Mad Max ''Mad Max'' is an Australian post-apocalyptic Action film, action film series and media franchise created by George Miller (filmmaker), George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It began in 1979 with ''Mad Max (film), Mad Max'', and was followed by thre ...

'' film, was played with subtitles, with accompanying score played live by the band. They played 10 songs, starting with "Kilimanjaro" and finishing with "Baie de Sangareya".

Discography

Albums

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...

. They commenced in 1987. ! , - ,

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, ''Flight of the Ancients'' ,

ARIA Award for Best World Music Album The ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Music Award for Best World Music Album, is an award presented within the Fine Arts Awards at the annual ARIA Music Awards. It was inaugurated in ARIA Music Awards of 1995, 1995 as Best Folk/World/Traditional Release. ...

, , ARIA Award previous winners. , -

Fowler's Live Music Awards

The Fowler's Live Music Awards took place from 2012 to 2014 to "recognise success and achievement over the past 12 months ndcelebrate the great diversity of original live music" in South Australia. Since 2015 they're known as the

South Australian Music Awards The South Australian Music Awards, also known as SA Music Awards, commonly SAM Awards, formerly Fowler's Live Music Awards (FLMA), are annual awards that exist to recognise, promote and celebrate excellence in the South Australian contemporary mu ...

. , - , 2012 , Shaolin Afronauts , Best New World Artist , , - , 2014 , Shaolin Afronauts , Best New World Artist , , -

National Live Music Awards

The

National Live Music Awards The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse and successful live industry, celebrating the diversity and success of the Australian live scene – recognising the best vocal talents and musicians alongside ...

(NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016. , - ,

National Live Music Awards of 2016 The National Live Music Awards of 2016 are the inaugural National Live Music Awards The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse and successful live industry, celebrating the diversity and success of ...

, Ross McHenry (Shaolin Afronauts) , Live Bassist of the Year ,

Band members

Current

Members as listed on their Facebook page : * Ross McHenry -

Bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

and leader * Kevin van der Zwaag -

Drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

s * Jarrad Payne -

Percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

* Dylan Marshall -

Guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

* Lachlan Ridge - Guitar * Adam Page -

Woodwind Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and reed ...

* Jason McMahon - Woodwind * Chris Weber -

Trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

* Jon Hunt - Woodwind * Tim Bennett - Percussion * Django Rowe - Guitar * Brenton Foster -

Keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

Past credits

On '' Flight of the Ancients'' (2011): * Kevin van der Zwaag, drums * Lachlan Ridge, guitar * Kahil Nayton, guitar * Dylan Marshall, guitar * Jon Hunt, baritone saxophone and bass clarinet * Chris Soole, alto saxophone * Chris Weber, trumpet * Joel Prime, percussion * Tim Bennett, percussion * David van der Zwaag,

shekere The shekere (from Yoruba Ṣẹ̀kẹ̀rẹ̀) is a West African percussion instrument consisting of a dried gourd with beads or cowries woven into a net covering the gourd. The Shekere originated in a tribe in Nigeria called the Yoruba. The ins ...

and

hand percussion Hand percussion is a percussion instrument that is held in the hand. They can be made from wood, metal or plastic, bottles stops and are usually shaken, scraped, or tapped with fingers or a stick. It includes all instruments that are not drums o ...

* Tim Wilsdon,

congas The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest) ...

* Ross McHenry, bass and leader Collaborators on ''Quest under Capricorn'' (2012): *

Derek Pascoe Derek Pascoe (born 1957) is a British musician now based in Adelaide, South Australia. He was the singing, vocalist and saxophonist in pop band Flintlock (musical group), Flintlock in the 1970s. He is a member of the jazz performance academic st ...

Tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

*Andrew Crago -

Saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

s *Max Franklin - Saxophones *David van der Zwaag - Percussion *Joel Prime - Percussion *Pat Thiele *Sam Eads *Kyra Schwartz *Luca Spiler -

Trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

Bass trombone The bass trombone (german: Bassposaune, it, trombone basso) is the bass instrument in the trombone family of brass instruments. Modern instruments are pitched in the same B♭ as the tenor trombone but with a larger bore, bell and mouthpiece to ...

At Blenheim Festival, March 2015: *Ross McHenry - Bass guitar *Kevin van der Zwaag - Drums *Jarrad Payne - Percussion *Dylan Marshall - Guitar, synthesiser *Lachlan Ridge - Guitar *Adam Page - Tenor saxophone,

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

*Jason McMahon -

Baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contra ...

*Tim Bennett - Percussion *Chris Weber - Trumpet *Stephen McEntee - Trombone

Individual work

Ross McHenry

Ross McHenry released an album, ''Child of Somebody'', in July 2016, which was recorded in New York and includes artists

Marcus Strickland Marcus Strickland (born February 24, 1979) is an American jazz soprano, alto, and tenor saxophonist. He was born in Gainesville, Florida, and grew up in Miami. '' Down Beat'' magazine's Critics' Poll named him 'Rising Star on Tenor Saxophone' in ...

Mark de Clive-Lowe Mark de Clive-Lowe (born 16 August 1974) is an American-based Japanese-New Zealand DJ, musician, composer and producer raised in Auckland and now based in Los Angeles, California. Early life Born in Auckland, New Zealand, de Clive-Lowe was r ...

Tivon Pennicott Tivon Pennicott is an American composer, orchestrator and tenor saxophonist. Of Jamaican parentage, he grew up in Marietta, Georgia, but moved to Miami, Florida, where he studied music at the University of Miami. On a visit in Los Angeles, he met a ...

, Duane Eubanks and Corey King. He also formed the Ross McHenry Trio, with New Zealand drummer Myele Manzanza and pianist Matthew Sheens, who played at the

Melbourne International Jazz Festival The Melbourne International Jazz Festival is an annual jazz music festival first held in Melbourne, Australia in 1998. The Festival takes place in concert halls, arts venues, jazz clubs and throughout the streets of Melbourne. The 2021 Festiva ...

in June 2016 and released an album, ''The Outsiders'', to critical acclaim in 2017. McHenry and Tara Lynch, original Transatlantics vocalist, are married and have a daughter born around 2014. ;Awards The Fowler's Live Music Awards took place from 2012 to 2014 to "recognise success and achievement over the past 12 months ndcelebrate the great diversity of original live music" in South Australia. Since 2015 they're known as the

. In 2014, Henry won Best Jazz Artist The

(NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016. In 2016, Henry was nominated as Live Bassist of the Year.

Dylan Marshall / Didier Kumalo

Composer and guitarist Dylan Marshall hails from

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, South Africa, where he was inspired by local pioneers of jazz such as

Abdullah Ibrahim Abdullah Ibrahim (born Adolph Johannes Brand on 9 October 1934 and formerly known as Dollar Brand) is a South African pianist and composer. His music reflects many of the musical influences of his childhood in the multicultural port areas of Cap ...

and Chris McGregor, as well as other African musicians, including

Bembeya Jazz National Bembeya Jazz National (originally known as Orchestre de Beyla) is a Guinean jazz group that gained fame in the 1960s for their Afropop rhythms. They are considered one of the most significant bands in Guinean music. Many of their recordings are ...

, OK Jazz, and Super Biton de Ségou. His musical influences also include 80s

electro-funk Electro (or electro-funk)Rap meets T ...

, 70s

jazz-rock Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...

and hip hop music. In 2017, he formed a five-piece band called Didier Kumalo, which pays tribute to some of the classic African jazz ensembles, but influenced by contemporary musical techniques and styles, including

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

and acoustic. Didier Kumalo is scheduled to play at

in March 2023.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaolin Afronauts Afro-beat musical groups Musical groups from Adelaide Musical groups established in 2008