One year after the release of their debut track “Abusey Junction”, the Londoners announced their first EP with “Uman”.
The band’s name ‘Kokoroko’ means ‘be strong’ in Orobo, a language and tribe from Nigeria. The least one could say is that their first track “Abusey Junction” lived up to their name, going over 20 million plays on Youtube. It can be supposed that Kokoroko, their debut EP, will do just as much. Throughout its 4 tracks, the project aims at offering a broader vision of the band’s singular universe, deeply inspired by soul and afrobeat. It takes its roots in West Africa and incorporates it in a very londoner jazz aesthetic.
Lead by trumpeter Sheila Maurice-Grey, the band is formed by leading lights from the London jazz community. It draws as much from the nightlife energy, the musical influences of West African Pentecostal churches, than from references such as Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas, Fela Kuti and Tony Allen.
“Abusey Junction” was featured in the compilation We Out Here, released on Brownswood Recordings, documenting London’s vibrant new underground jazz scene.
Kokoroko’s eponym EP will be out on march 8th 2019 on Brownswood Recordings. Pre-order it on their Bandcamp.
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