Tomorrow’s Warriors were back in East London for our third consecutive year hosting and curating a stage for the Brick Lane Jazz Festival on the weekend of the 25th-27th April.
Brick Lane Jazz Festival has grown over the last four years into a very special gathering of the London jazz scene, mixing up established artists and emerging talent across multiple venues for three fantastic days of music.
So, it was very special for Tomorrow’s Warriors to be invited back to programme and showcase a mix of our young musicians and projects led by participants of our Emerging Artists Programme for our Brick Lane Tap Room Takeover.
The weekend featured three of our development ensembles; all-female Tomorrow’s Warriors Frontline, our Junior Band and Youth Ensemble plus BXL x LDN Interplay (our international collaboration with Brosella Jazz Festival). And the next generation of artists breaking through onto the London jazz scene shone brightly too with standout sets from Chis-Stéphane Boizi, Joti, KO Quartet, Shanise Hall, Ade Kayode, Klara Devlin, Emily Tran, and Kezia Abuoma.
It was an incredible weekend of music with the venue packed with a knowledgeable jazz crowd for every single performance.
Another festival highlight was Tomorrow’s Warriors Co-Founder, bassist and band-leader Gary Crosby premier of his new project, Africa Space Programme, performing just a short walk away from the Tap Room at Village Underground.
Performing to a full house, Gary was joined by two of the UK’s most outstanding tenor saxophonists; Denys Baptiste, known for his powerful technique and improvisational prowess, and Steve Williamson, celebrated for his inspirational compositions as well as his unique sound and expressive playing, alongside drummer Winston Clifford.
Huge thanks to the wonderful team behind Brick Lane Jazz Festival and to everyone who came out to support us. This weekend is always a highlight in our calendar, and we can’t wait to see next year!
Photo credits: Tomorrow's Warriors - Graeme Miall
