London Brew

Nubya Garcia, Shabaka Hutchings, Tom Skinner & more pay tribute to Miles Davis on new album 'London Brew'

A bunch of musicians from in and around the current UK jazz scene have come together for London Brew, a new album inspired by Miles DavisBitches Brew, including Nubya Garcia, Shabaka Hutchings (Sons of Kemet, The Comet Is Coming, Shabaka and the Ancestors), Tom Skinner (Sons of Kemet, The Smile), Theon Cross (Sons of Kemet), Dave Okumu (The Invisible), Benji B, Raven Bush, Tom Herbert, Nikolaj Torp Larsen, Nick Ramm, Dan See, and Martin Terefe. The group was initially brought together by guitarist/producer Martin Terefe and executive producer Bruce Lampcov to perform a Bitches Brew 50th anniversary concert at the Barbican in 2020, but when that was cancelled due to the pandemic, it turned into this album of new, original music. The album comes out March 31 via Concord Jazz (pre-order), and the first single is “Miles Chases New Voodoo in the Church,” which Nubya Garcia describes like this:

This single is our interpretation of Miles Davis’ ode to Jimi Hendrix (“Miles Runs the Voodoo Down”). I’ve always been very inspired by the creative minds of both Miles and Jimi…. Both were innovators who carved their own lanes, which is something I’ve aspired to in my own career. For a while now I’ve been experimenting and using pedals and effects with my instrument, so to be able to do that on this track, while paying tribute to their legacies, was a joy both creatively and personally.

About the project overall, Theon Cross says “the possibility of playing with a larger group of people [at the end of a year marked by the pandemic] with such an open and free approach was an incredibly powerful and moving experience,” and Shabaka Hutchings adds:

For me, that’s what Bitches Brew is. It’s a bunch of musicians making music because of the love of making music, as a social force and as a social construct. They are creating something that expresses unity and motion. That’s what it is to be alive… you know, you have unity, you have motion, and you have vibration. You don’t get any more alive than that. That’s Bitches Brew.

Listen to the new single and watch the album trailer below…

Tracklist
1. London Brew (23:34)
2. London Brew Pt.2 – Trainlines (15:49)
3. Miles Chases New Voodoo in the Church (7:27)
4. Nu Sha Ni Sha Nu Oss Ra (8:55)
5. It’s One of These (6:53)
6. Bassics (2:51)
7. Mor Ning Prayers (9:52)
8. Raven Flies Low (12:53)

London Brew is:
Benji B: Decks, Sonic Re-cycling
Raven Bush: Violin, Electronics
Theon Cross: Tuba
Nubya Garcia: Saxophone, Flute
Tom Herbert: Electric Bass, Double Bass
Shabaka Hutchings: Saxophone, Woodwinds
Nikolaj Torp Larsen: Synthesizers, Melodica
Dave Okumu: Guitar
Nick Ramm: Piano, Synthesizers
Dan See: Drums, Percussion
Tom Skinner: Drums, Percussion
Martin Terefe: Guitar, Electronics