The Jazz Warriors were an English all-black London-based group of
jazz musicians, that made its debut in 1986.
The idea for the band came from the Abibi Jazz Arts, a London organization that promoted black music and
black culture Black culture refers to:
* Culture of Africa
* African-American culture
* The culture of black communities in other parts of the world, see Black people
See also
* Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
The Schomburg Center for Resear ...
. The Jazz Warriors provided black British musicians with a venue to showcase their talents, which until that time was limited mostly to
funk music and
reggae.
According to writer
John Chilton, the Jazz Warriors "proved to be the launching pad for the stellar talents of a number of important jazz musicians." The band released one album - 1987's ''Out of Many, One People'' (1987). The band remained together until 1994, despite many of the members leaving for solo careers,
however they reunited in 2020.
History
Formed in the 1980s and including 25-plus members,
The Jazz Warriors became a showcase for talented young black British musicians, many of whom - including
Courtney Pine,
Steve Williamson,
Cleveland Watkiss
Cleveland Watkiss, (born 21 October 1959), is a British vocalist, actor, and composer.
Biography
Cleveland Watkiss was born in Hackney, East London, to Jamaican parents, and was one of nine children. He is the older brother of pianist Trevo ...
,
Phillip Bent
Phillip Bent (born 16 September 1964) is an English jazz flautist from London, England, who was a member of the GRP All-Star Big Band. He has made references to a number of musicians as his inspiration, including Bobbi Humphrey, James Newton, K ...
,
Orphy Robinson
Orphy Robinson MBE (born 13 October 1960) is a British jazz multi-instrumentalist who plays vibraphone, keyboards, saxophone, trumpet, piano, marimba, steelpans and drums. He has written music for television, film and theatre.
Career
Robinson ...
,
Gary Crosby and others - went on to achieve international success.
Former member Crosby has said of the Jazz Warriors:
There were all these different writers, but everything ended up sounding with the same energy. I've never felt anything like that energy — raucous, raw.... It wasn't the most accurate of bands, but the actual power, and the wildness of the soloing.... It was so exciting. Regardless of who wrote what, once we got to the meat of the music, there were fireworks.... A lot of spunk, man, a lot of testosterone going around!
The Jazz Warriors released only one album: ''Out of Many, One People'', in 1987.
They continued performing and touring under the leadership of pianist Adrian Reid, with the help of a committee formed from senior members of the Warriors, until formally closing in the late 1990s. An EP, ''Chameleon'', was released on their own label, Jazz Warriors Records. It was well received internationally and appeared on a bestselling compilation, ''The Rebirth of the Cool Vol 2'' (
4th & B'way Records
4th & B'way Records (pronounced and spelled out completely as Fourth and Broadway Records in the UK) is a US-based subsidiary of Island Records that specialised in street-oriented music such as hip hop. Established in 1984, it was the flagshi ...
; 1993). Certain new young members continued to gain national prominence and further highlighting the talent pool of young black musicians attracted to the Jazz Warriors; these included
Jason Yarde,
Dennis Rollins
Dennis Rollins, (born 1964) is an English jazz trombonist, the founder and bandleader of BadBone and Co.
Early life and career
Dennis George Rollins was born in Birmingham, England, of Jamaican parents, and raised in Bentley, Doncaster, wher ...
, Winston Rollins, Robert Mitchell, Clarence Adoo,
Byron Wallen,
Rowland Sutherland,
Tony Kofi
Tony Kofi (born 10 July 1966) is a British jazz saxophonist and flautist. He leads a trio and quartet and is co-founder of the Monk Liberation Band. His trio includes drummer Winston Clifford and Hammond B3 organist Anders Olinder. Kofi is signe ...
, Robert Fordjour, Steve and Peter Lewinson, Tony Remy, and Patrick Clahar.
Legacy
Courtney Pine's Afropean Jazz Warriors
On 6 October 2007, Courtney Pine assembled a fifteen-piece line-up for a new themed concert called "Afropeans" at the
Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhi ...
, London, marking the bicentenary of the
abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. This new band featured two original Jazz Warriors members (Pine and Jason Yarde), but brought in two other established black British jazz players — pianist Alex Wilson and trumpeter Byron Wallen. It also contained younger black British jazz talent, including Jay Phelps and Nathaniel Facey (both from the band Empirical),
Ayanna Witter-Johnson (on cello and vocals), Ebony Steel Pan Orchestra player Samuel Dubois and electric/acoustic guitarist
Femi Temowo (known for his work with
Soweto Kinch), as well as Cuban electric violinist
Omar Puente
Omar Puente (born 1961)Anushka Asthanabr>"The undying love of a man who gave up everything for Debbie Purdy" ''The Observer'', 2 August 2009. is a Cuban-born violinist and jazz musician, currently living in England. He has been called "a classica ...
. The concert was recorded for a live Courtney Pine Afropean Jazz Warriors album, also called ''Afropeans'' (Destin-e Records, 2008).
The Jazz Warriors International
In 2011, a new Jazz Warriors International organisation was formed by some members of the original Jazz Warriors, embracing the historic legacy of the original group.
Tomorrow's Warriors
In 1991, the original Jazz Warriors double-bassist, Gary Crosby, established
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 ...
, an organisation to nurture and develop talented young jazz musicians wishing to pursue a professional career in jazz.
"About"
Tomorrow's Warriors.
Discography
* ''Out of Many, One People'', 1987
Notes
References
*
*
*
{{Authority control
British jazz ensembles
Musical groups from London
Musical groups established in 1986
Musical groups disestablished in 1994
Musical groups reestablished in 2020