Soweto Kinch (born 10 January 1978) is a British jazz alto saxophonist and rapper.

Biography

Born in 1978 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England, to a Barbadian father, playwright Don Kinch, and British-Jamaican actress Yvette Harris, Soweto Kinch began playing saxophone at the age of nine after learning clarinet at Allfarthing Primary School,

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its name ...

, SW London. He then moved to

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

, where he attended West House Primary School in Edgbaston, beginning a long association with Britain's second city. After meeting

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Awar ...

four years later, he discovered and became passionate about

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

, first concentrating on piano and later in his teens switching to alto saxophone as his main instrument. He attended Bromsgrove School, Worcestershire, from the age of 13, completing his A levels when he was 18. Early musical influences include the vocalist and percussionist Frank Holder. Kinch went on to study Modern History at Hertford College,

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. He also benefited from participation in the programmes of

Tomorrow's Warriors Tomorrow's Warriors is a jazz music education and artist development organisation that was co-founded in 1991 by Janine Irons and Gary Crosby, committed to championing diversity, inclusion and equality across the arts through jazz, with a spec ...

, the music education and artist development organisation co-founded in 1991 by Janine Irons and Gary Crosby, and played with Crosby's Jazz Jamaica All Stars collective. In 2001 Kinch established the Soweto Kinch Trio with bassist Michael Olatuja and drummer Troy Miller and supported Courtney Pine at

Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club that has operated in Soho, London, since 1959. History The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street (London), Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was set up and managed ...

and performed at the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...

and the Cheltenham International Jazz Festival. In 2006, Kinch released his second album, '' A Life in the Day of B19: Tales of the Tower Block'', the first installment of a two-part concept album documenting the lives of three Birmingham men. The album includes narration by BBC newsreader Moira Stuart. Kinch is also a member of the '' Pop Idol'' backing band the Big Blue. Kinch has performed for Don't Flop Entertainment, where he has competed in rap battles and faced opponents Dotz, Shuffle T and Charron. In an interview at Abbey Road Studios,

Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer and songwriter. She was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul, rhythm and blues and jazz. A m ...

mentioned that she would like to record a "more purist" jazz album, citing Kinch as a notable jazz musician with whom she would like to work.

Stage work

In 2013, Kinch presented a staged performance of his concept album ''The Legend of Mike Smith'' at

Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre ...

in England. The performance was influenced by ''

Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature a ...

'' and the seven deadly sins, telling the tale of Mike Smith, a young MC faced with a range of contemporary temptations. Kinch performed the work with Karl Rasheed Abel on bass and Shaney Forbes on drums. The subject allowed Kinch to explore a wide range of emotions in hip-hop and jazz form. He has stated that the trio format "allows ormore harmonic freedom and space to deliver lyrics". The music was augmented by dance.

Other work

In April 2016 Kinch became a presenter of the

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also featuring. The st ...

programme ''Jazz Now''. Kinch curated the 2019 Koestler Arts exhibition which showcases artworks created by prisoners and detainees in institutions, and is held at the

Southbank Centre Southbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, England, on the South Bank of the River Thames (between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge). It comprises three main performance venues (the Royal Festival Hall including the Nati ...

in London.

Discography

* ''

Conversations with the Unseen ''Conversations with the Unseen'' is a 2003 album by British saxophonist Soweto Kinch. The album was nominated for the 2003 Mercury Prize.

'' (Dune, 2003) * '' A Life in the Day of B19: Tales of the Tower Block'' (Dune, 2006) * ''

War in a Rack ''War in a Rack'' is a 2009 EP by Soweto Kinch. Track listing All tracks are written by Soweto Kinch. # War in a Rack Intro (0:56) # Can't Hold Me Down (3:31) # B**ch Slap (2:24) # Declaration of War (3:47) # Head for the Hills (3:36) # Sound t ...

'' (Soweto Kinch, 2009) * ''

The New Emancipation ''The New Emancipation'' is a 2010 album by Soweto Kinch. Track listing All tracks are written by Soweto Kinch. # "An Ancient Worksong" (1:42) # "Trying to be a Star" (4:28) # "A People With No Past" (6:45) # "Paris Heights" (7:56) # "Suspended ...

'' (Soweto Kinch, 2010) * '' The Legend of Mike Smith'' (Soweto Kinch, 2013) * ''Nonagram'' (Soweto Kinch, 2016) * ''The Black Peril'' (Soweto Kinch, 2019)

References

External links

* – official site *
Soweto Kinch
BBC profile
Soweto Kinch
at dune-music.com
Soweto Kinch
interview by Michael "The Dood" Edwards, "The Emancipation of Soweto Kinch", for UK Vibe, August 2010

interview at britishhiphop.co.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:Kinch, Soweto 1978 births Living people Musicians from London People educated at Bromsgrove School Alumni of Hertford College, Oxford British jazz alto saxophonists British male saxophonists Black British male rappers English people of Barbadian descent English people of Jamaican descent 21st-century saxophonists 21st-century British male musicians British male jazz musicians Nu Troop members People from Wandsworth