Tomorrow's Warriors (TW) 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 special focus on "Black musicians, female musicians and those whose financial or other circumstances might lock them out of opportunities to pursue a career in the music industry". Crosby drew inspiration from having been a member of the Jazz Warriors, a London-based group of musicians that in the 1980s showcased many young

Black British Black British people or Black Britons"Black Briton, N." ''Oxford English Dictionary''. Oxford UP. December 2024. https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1136579918. are a multi-ethnic group of British people of List of ethnic groups of Africa, Sub-Saharan ...

musicians who went on to achieve international success (among them

Courtney Pine Courtney Pine, (born 18 March 1964) is a British jazz musician, who was the principal founder in the 1980s of the black British band the Jazz Warriors. Although known primarily for his saxophone playing, Pine is a multi-instrumentalist, also ...

Steve Williamson Steve Williamson (born 28 June 1964) is an English saxophonist and composer (tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, keyboard and composition). He has been called "one of the most distinctive saxophone voices in contemporary Britis ...

Cleveland Watkiss Cleveland Watkiss, (born 21 October 1959), is a British vocalist, actor, composer and educator. Biography Cleveland Watkiss was born in Hackney, East London, to Jamaican parents, and was one of nine children. He is the older brother of pianis ...

, Phillip Bent, Orphy Robinson, as well as Crosby himself). Tomorrow's Warriors, which has a multiracial make-up, provides a platform for young musicians wishing to pursue a career in jazz, and aims "to inspire, foster and grow a vibrant community of artists, audiences and leaders who together will transform the lives of future generations by increasing opportunity, diversity and excellence in and through jazz." Alumni of Tomorrow's Warriors have gone on to win many awards, including the

Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual Music award, music prize awarded for the best album released by a musical act from the Music of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom or Music of Ireland, Ireland. It was cre ...

, given in 2023 to the

Ezra Collective Ezra Collective are a British jazz quintet composed of drummer and bandleader Femi Koleoso, bassist TJ Koleoso, keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones, trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi, and tenor saxophonist James Mollison, who met at the jazz youth programme Tomorr ...

, who also won the accolade "Group of the Year" at the

Brit Awards 2025 The Brit Awards 2025 was the 45th edition of the Brit Awards ceremony presented by British Phonographic Industry (BPI) to recognize the best in British and international music of 2024. The ceremony took place on Saturday 1 March 2025 at The O2 Ar ...

. Irons, a former vocalist turned manager and producer, and her partner Crosby also initiated the Dune Records label, drawing on talent from Tomorrow's Warriors, including such graduates of the organisation as

Denys Baptiste Denys Baptiste (born 1969) is an English jazz musician. A graduate of Tomorrow's Warriors, Baptiste plays tenor and soprano saxophone in addition to composing. Baptiste played with Gary Crosby and Nu Troop, before releasing in 1999 his debu ...

, J-Life and

Soweto Kinch Soweto Kinch (born 10 January 1978) is a British jazz saxophonist and rapper. Biography Born in 1978 in London, England, to a Barbadian father, playwright Don Kinch, and British-Jamaican actress Yvette Harris, Soweto Kinch began playing ...

.John Murph
"Do Your Own Thing: The Dune Label"
''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' was an American print magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade ...

'', March 2004. Tomorrow's Warriors partners with venues, promoters and organisations across the UK to develop audience participation in jazz, with regular live public events. According to music journalist Richard Williams, "No single organisation has exerted a more profound or beneficial influence on jazz in Britain than Tomorrow's Warriors."

Background

Since its inception by Gary Crosby and Janine Irons in 1991, Tomorrow's Warriors has worked towards devising and producing inspirational programmes and performance opportunities for new and emerging musicians, at the same time as developing culturally diverse audiences, being considered to have "nurtured many of the UK's leading jazz performers via its award-winning jazz education and emerging artists programme" with Tomorrow's Warriors alumni winning more than 50 awards and achieving successful careers in the music industry. As noted by

Henri Selmer Paris Henri Selmer Paris is a French enterprise, manufacturing company, manufacturer of musical instruments based at Mantes-la-Ville near Paris. Founded in 1885, it is known as a producer of professional-grade woodwind and Brass instrument, brass ins ...

, the organisation is "committed to making jazz music accessible to all, by addressing in particular young people from ethnic minorities, women, and those whose financial situation might be an obstacle to learning or pursuing a musical career. This involves making the programme free, but also prospecting in the various communities of London." Over the years, Tomorrow's Warriors' activities have included a regular jam session, formerly held weekly at The Jazz Café, then from 2004 at The Spice of Life in

Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

, where it remained active until Summer 2010. The company went on to become a weekend resident at the

Southbank Centre Southbank Centre is an arts centre in London, England. It is adjacent to the separately owned National Theatre and BFI Southbank. It comprises the three main performance spaces – the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Purcell R ...

in London. The Tomorrow's Warriors' programme provides a wide variety of opportunities ranging from workshops and showcases for young musicians to concerts and tours for established professional bands and orchestras, partnering with a network of local, national and international arts organisations, as well as commercial producers, venues, promoters and festivals. Tomorrow's Warriors is a National Portfolio Organisation of

Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council o ...

. Trustees of Tomorrow's Warriors include Steve Abbott,

Viv Broughton Viv Broughton (born 24 May 1943) is a British studio owner, music entrepreneur and writer, who is CEO of The Premises Studios, described by ''London Jazz News'' as "a vitally important and popular London recording and rehearsal venue". A one-tim ...

Margaret Busby Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's then youngest publisher as well as the first black female book p ...

, Peter Comber, Nick Cornforth, Camilla George, Nicky O'Donnell and Chris Panayi.

Ensembles

Members of Tomorrow's Warriors, as well as participating in informal jam sessions, may go on to join one of the more formal ensembles, which include Tomorrow's Warriors StringTing, Tomorrow's Warriors Female Collective, a Junior Band (for young musicians aged between 11 and 15), Tomorrow's Warriors Youth Orchestra, and the flagship Nu Civilisation Orchestra.

Nu Civilisation Orchestra

In 2008, Tomorrow's Warriors established an orchestra initially to provide a platform for pianist/composer Peter Edwards – who was a participant in the young artist development programme – to recreate

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

's rarely performed ''The Queen's Suite''. The orchestra was subsequently established as a permanent ensemble, under the musical direction of Edwards, called the Nu Civilisation Orchestra (NCO). Other major projects undertaken by the NCO include in 2013 a 50th-anniversary recreation of

Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz Double bass, upright bassist, composer, bandleader, pianist, and author. A major proponent of collective Musical improvisation, improvisation, he is considered one of ...

's ''

The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady ''The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady'' is a studio album by Charles Mingus. It was recorded on January 20, 1963, and released in July of that year by Impulse! Records. The album comprises a single continuous composition—partially written as a b ...

'' (1963) at the

Purcell Room The Purcell Room is a concert and performance venue which forms part of the Southbank Centre, one of central London's leading cultural complexes. It is named after the 17th century English composer Henry Purcell and has 370 seats. The Purcell Ro ...

, about which ''London Jazz News'' wrote: "The ensemble was flawless. ...hard to imagine anyone in the packed Purcell room doubting that this was a moving, breathing work. The recording remains a wonder, but recreated live the music seemed fresh as ever and more vividly coloured, more intense. The result was like getting up close to a great painting you have only seen in reproduction: you get a fresh sense of why it is a masterpiece. I really hope it can be heard more widely." More recently the NCO performed a live soundtrack to

John Akomfrah Sir John Akomfrah (born 4 May 1957) is a Ghanaian-born British artist, writer, film director, screenwriter, theorist and curator of Ghanaian descent, whose "commitment to a radicalism both of politics and of cinematic form finds expression in ...

's 2013 film '' The Stuart Hall Project'', and on

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive righ ...

2017 played a concert of songs (featuring

Lisa Hannigan Lisa Margaret Hannigan (born 12 February 1981) is an Irish musician, singer, composer, and voice actress. She began her musical career as a member of Damien Rice's band. Since beginning her solo career in 2007 she has released three albums: '' S ...

Sabrina Mahfouz Sabrina Mahfouz is a British-Egyptian poet, playwright, performer and writer from South London, England. Her published work includes poetry, plays and contributions to several anthologies. Education Mahfouz earned a BA degree in English Liter ...

and ESKA) from

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...

's classic 1976 album ''

Hejira The Hijrah, () also Hegira (from Medieval Latin), was the journey the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his followers took from Mecca to Medina. The year in which the Hijrah took place is also identified as the epoch of the Lunar Hijri and Sola ...

'', at the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. 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 G ...

as part of the

Women of the World Festival WOW – Women of the World Festival (WOW, WOW Festival) is a network of arts festivals that celebrate the achievements of women and girls as well as highlighting the obstacles that face them, and is part of a global feminist movement. The WOW F ...

. In April 2017, it was announced that the NCO had secured a new residency at

Rich Mix Rich Mix is a charity that offers cinema and cross-arts centre that is located in the East End of London, located in Shoreditch in the Borough of Tower Hamlets, East London, England. Once a vast leather factory, 62,000-square-foot building was ...

in east London. In 2020, the Jazz Hang initiative was announced, with Tomorrow's Warriors and

Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is a music, dance, and musical theatre conservatoire based in South East London. It was formed in 2005 as a merger of two older institutions – Trinity College of Music and Laban Dance Centre. Trini ...

joining forces in a collaboration "to redress the balance in representation at the grassroots level in the UK jazz scene by reaching out to young musicians from diverse backgrounds and introducing them to playing jazz". In 2022, as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival, the Nu Civilisation Orchestra led by musical director Peter Edwards and featuring ESKA on vocals undertook a national tour presenting Mitchell's ''Hejira'' and ''Mingus'' about which the reviewer for ''

The Arts Desk ''The Arts Desk'' (theartsdesk.com) is a British arts journalism website containing reviews, interviews, news, and other content related to music, theatre, television, films, and other art forms written by journalists from a variety of tradition ...

'' said: "Exceeding all hopes, this made Mingus and Mitchell's visions as vivid as they've ever been, and as breathtakingly advanced. An unbelievable experience." On 15 September 2023, at the Royal Festival Hall, a 32-piece all-string version of the NCO with saxophonist

Nubya Garcia Nubya Nyasha Garcia (born 1991) is a British jazz musician, Saxophone, saxophonist, composer and bandleader. Early life and education Garcia was born in 1991 in Camden Town, London, the youngest of four siblings, to a Guyanese people, Guyanese ...

, an alumna of Tomorrow's Warriors, performed their exploration of

Stan Getz Stan Getz (born Stanley Gayetski; February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wis ...

's 1962 album ''

Focus Focus (: foci or focuses) may refer to: Arts * Focus or Focus Festival, former name of the Adelaide Fringe arts festival in East Australia Film *Focus (2001 film), ''Focus'' (2001 film), a 2001 film based on the Arthur Miller novel *Focus (2015 ...

'', together with two new works by Black British composers Oleta Haffner and the NCO's Peter Edwards – in a well-reviewed concert, described as "instantly setting a new standard for the creative use of a string orchestra in jazz ... in a performance that mixed care and joy in admirable proportion."

Other initiatives

In 2016, Tomorrow's Warriors announced a partnership with Jazz House Kids in

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a commercial and cultural hub of North Jersey and a diverse ...

, through which four young people from the Tomorrow's Warriors Young Artist Development Programme have been given scholarships to take part in the Jazz House Kids Summer Workshop at

Montclair State University Montclair State University (MSU) is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Clifton and into Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, the second largest public un ...

. In March 2017, Tomorrow's Warriors launched a new music education initiative, The Jazz Ticket, to mark the centenary of the birth of six iconic jazz figures: composer

Tadd Dameron Tadley Ewing Peake Dameron (February 21, 1917 – March 8, 1965) was an American jazz composer, arranger, and pianist. Biography Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Dameron was the most influential arranger of the bebop era, but also wrote charts for swi ...

, vocalist

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

, trumpeter

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

, pianist

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk ( October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the Jazz standard, standard jazz repertoire, includ ...

, drummer

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...

and percussionist

Mongo Santamaria Mongo may refer to: Geography Africa * Mongo, Chad, a Sahel city * Apostolic Vicariate of Mongo, Chad, a Roman Catholic missionary jurisdiction * Mongo Department, Gabon * Mongo, Sierra Leone, a chiefdom * Mongo River (Little Scarces River) ...

. As reported by Jazz FM, "The Jazz Ticket' will be delivered in 54 schools in Southampton, Luton, Leicestershire, Manchester, Gateshead, Brighton, Bristol, Hull and London, and engage almost 600 young people as performers and many more as audience members." From 30 May to 3 June 2017, Tomorrow's Warriors was in residence at the

Black Cultural Archives Black Cultural Archives (BCA) is an archive and heritage centre in Brixton, London, devoted to the histories of people of African and Caribbean descent in Britain. Also known as BCA, it was founded in 1981, by educationalist and historian Len G ...

(BCA) in

Brixton Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century ...

, delivering performances and workshops alongside the BCA's ''Black Sound'' exhibition. In 2021, the organisation's 30th anniversary was celebrated with a variety of activities, culminating with "A Great Day in London" at the Southbank Centre's

Queen Elizabeth Hall The Queen Elizabeth Hall (QEH) is a music venue on the South Bank in London, England, that hosts European classical music, classical, jazz, and avant-garde music, talks and dance performances. It was opened in 1967, with a concert conducted by ...

, billed as "the greatest London jazz happening in a generation", as ''

Jazzwise ''Jazzwise'' is a British monthly magazine focused on jazz, launched in 1997. The magazine covers a range of jazz sub-genres and provides news coverage, a national gig guide, a jazz-on-film page, feature articles, and a review section that evalua ...

'' magazine noted: "a gathering on a par with

Art Kane Art Kane (born Arthur Kanofsky; April 9, 1925 – February 3, 1995) was an American fashion and music photographer active from the 1950s through the early 1990s. He created many portraits of contemporary musicians, including Bob Dylan, Jefferson A ...

's iconic 1958 photo '' A Great Day in Harlem''. Even greater, maybe, given that each musician in the sprawling QEH line-up had a common denominator, and was fundraising for the same cause: Tomorrow’s Warriors, the pioneering jazz music development charity celebrating its 30th anniversary year." A five-star review in ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...

'' concluded: "Tomorrow's Warriors' contribution to Jazz – not just British Jazz – has been nothing short of monumental. Their youth ensembles, Junior Band and Female Frontline, demonstrated the dizzy levels of talent rising from the next generation of young players. There's no doubt that it was indeed a Great Day In London." In November 2023, continuing its mission "to support of the next jazz generation", Tomorrow's Warriors launched a drive to help sustain its free-to-access Young Artist Development Programme and Emerging Artist Programme.

Awards, recognition and legacy

In 2017, Tomorrow's Warriors won the Parliamentary Jazz Award for Jazz Education, and further awards went to alumni: Nérija, an all-female ensemble developed from Tomorrow's Warriors' Female Collective, won Best Newcomer, while

Shabaka Hutchings Shabaka Hutchings (born 1984), also known simply as Shabaka, is a British jazz musician, composer and bandleader. He leads the band Shabaka and the Ancestors, and formerly led Sons of Kemet before its dissolution in 2022. He was also a member ...

was Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year. Across the categories 14 alumni were shortlisted. Tomorrow's Warriors alumni have also been well represented at the Jazz FM Awards."Tomorrow’s Warriors Alumni Clean Up at the Jazz FM Awards"
Tomorrow's Warriors, 2 May 2018. In 2019, some 19 of the 39 nominees for awards were former Tomorrow's Warriors; ''Jazzwise'' reported that at the presentation ceremony "act after act cites the Tomorrow's Warriors organisation as a crucial factor in their musical development." In October 2021, Tomorrow's Warriors was honoured with the Impact Award from Jazz FM. In July 2023, the Parliamentary Jazz Award for "Jazz Newcomer of the Year" went to Tomorrow's Warriors alumnus Sultan Stevenson. In September 2023, the

, a quintet composed of drummer and bandleader Femi Koleoso, bassist TJ Koleoso, keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones, trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi, and tenor saxophonist James Mollison, who first met as participants of Tomorrow's Warriors, became the first jazz act to win the

in its 31-year history, Following the announcement of the award, Femi Koleoso paid tribute to the band's origins, saying: "This moment we're celebrating right here is testimony to good, special people putting time and effort into elpingyoung people to play music.… let's continue to support that." At the

, the Ezra Collective went on to further acclaim, becoming the first jazz band to win "Group of the Year", with frontman Koleoso again acknowledging the importance of their early opportunities through Tomorrow's Warriors and the need to sustain funding for such youth music education initiatives. ''UK Jazz News'' has stated: "So much of the vibrant young London Jazz scene owes a huge debt to Tomorrow's Warriors, not only in providing a supportive environment for young British black jazz musicians but also by encouraging them to develop jazz music true to themselves that might also incorporate musical influences from Africa, the Caribbean, hip-hop and soul." Among influential names in the music industry who have spoken in support of the mission of Tomorrow's Warriors,

Cerys Matthews Cerys Elizabeth Matthews (; born 11 April 1969) is a Welsh singer, songwriter, author, and broadcaster. She was a founding member of Welsh rock band Catatonia and a leading figure in the " Cool Cymru" movement of the late 1990s. Matthews now ...

describes the organisation as "the musical heart of the British jazz scene", while

Gilles Peterson Gilles Jérôme Moehrle MBE (; born 28 September 1964), better known as Gilles Peterson (), is a broadcaster, DJ, record label and festival owner. He is renowned for his genre-defying approach to music with jazz at its core. From this base he ...

states: "Tomorrow's Warriors occupies a unique and vital space in our cultural landscape. Their work in helping positively shape future generations is of critical importance especially in light of the tribulations we currently face."

Alumni

Graduates of Tomorrow's Warriors development programmes who have gone on to pursue successful careers include: * Yazz Ahmed * Joe Armon-Jones *

* Moses Boyd * Theon Cross * Julie Dexter * Peter Edwards * Eska * Nathaniel Facey *

* Binker Golding * Camilla George *

* Cassie Kinoshi * Femi Koleoso * TJ Koleoso * James Mollison * Zara McFarlane *

Andrew McCormack Andrew McCormack (born 24 March 1978) is a British jazz pianist. Biography McCormack recorded his debut album ''Telescope'' in 2006 and was awarded BBC Jazz Awards Rising Star in the same year. The London Symphony Orchestra commissioned a pi ...

* Sheila Maurice-Grey * Jay Phelps *

Byron Wallen Byron Wallen (born July 1969) is a British jazz trumpeter, composer and educator. He was described by ''Jazzwise'' as "one of the most innovative, exciting and original trumpet players alive". As characterised by ''All About Jazz'', "He does not ...

* Jason Yarde

References

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