After the stunning success of their critically-acclaimed third album Sharpener, London’s brass juggernauts Hackney Colliery Band blaze back onto the scene with their first collaborative album, ushering in a whole new era for the band.
Formed in 2008 out of a desire to play music that appealed to the feet as much as to the ears, the Hackney Colliery Band have become cult stars in the musical world having totally re-invented the brass band sound for the modern age. They are a nine-piece, playing trumpets, trombones, saxes, drummers and sousaphone, and they play everything from jazz to electronica thanks to their inclusion of drum machines and fantastic musical stylings.
A truly brilliant live act who have enjoyed a remarkable few years, they have done everything from playing 45 minute sets at the Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics to appearing at the BRITs, MOBO Awards and Mercury Awards, as well as on many different BBC radio stations and Jazz FM. The band has fans all around the world, having played a number of gigs across Europe, and has worked with the likes of Amy Winehouse and Jamie Cullum.
Collaborations Vol.1 features collaborations with a host of key names in jazz and world music including amongst others the father of Ethio-jazz Mulatu Astatke, British jazz funk legend James Taylor, Beninese singer-songwriter and Grammy Award-winner Angélique Kidjo, trombonist Dennis Rollins and UK saxophonist Pete Wareham, Hackney Colliery Band have effortlessly transformed their explosive live energy into 11 original recordings that push the groove and form in an accomplished manner.
Steve Pretty, the band’s frontman said: “It’s hard to believe that 2019 is our tenth anniversary, but now we’re ten years older it felt like the right time to get back to our jazz roots. It’s been such a privilege to work with so many of our musical inspirations both old and new on this record, and we’re super excited to be ushering in the next ten years with this new collaborative spirit: this is called ‘Volume One’ for a reason…”
The first two singles are now available on stores, ‘Mm Mm’ (feat. Angélique Kidjo and Roundhouse Choir) merges Beninese grooves with wah pedal trumpet textures, while ‘Netsanet’ (feat. Mulatu Astatke) is a deep exploration of Mulatu’s trademark ethio-jazz.
Pre-order a copy of the album here ahead of its 7th June release, check out the album artwork below.
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