seed ensemble: driftglass
Francisco Espregueira
Formed in 2016, SEED Ensemble is a ten-piece project led by composer, arranger and alto saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi, known for her work with all-female jazz septet, Nérija, and afrobeat jazz group, Kokoroko. Jazz re:freshed is, for all the reasons, the best platform for the release of Driftglass, dropping tomorrow. Led by Kinoshi an all star band mixes inner-city sounds of London with West African and Caribbean influenced grooves.
Accompanied by some of London’s most up-and-coming young jazz musicians, including tuba player Theon Cross, trumpeter Sheila Maurice-Grey, tenor saxophonist Chelsea Carmichael and Shirley Tetteh, Driftglass also has the participation of brilliant instrumentalists like Joe Armon-Jones or Sarah Tandy. Together they explore a blend of genres through both original compositions and arrangements, with such talent that we might be facing an essential record in the identity of the British jazz scene.
The long-awaited debut album from this emerging London-based collective will be available in vinyl, for collectors with high standards. The vinyl edition is running out quickly, attesting the expectations that were created over the last few years. Courtesy of jazz re:freshed, the fantastic SEED Ensemble is out there.
“SEED Ensemble is my way of celebrating the vibrant and distinctive diversity that has significantly influenced what British culture has become over the centuries.”