As a leader, Briton Nubya Garcia was programmed on Monday’s big TD stage, an excellent operation as far as she’s concerned. A whole lot of people didn’t know this London jazz scene existed, so a whole lot of people enthusiastically discovered this tenor saxophone specialist.
It’s safe to say that Nubya Garcia is now the most renowned saxophonist on the London scene. We’ve already seen and heard her in Montreal, notably with tuba player Theon Cross a few years ago, but not as much as at the start of this evening, the last of June.
Nubya Garcia’s primary argument is her generous, textured sound, in that long line of the most robust tenor saxophones. Her compositions are based on a solid post-fusion groove, i.e., generally outside swing and essentially inspired by hip-hop beatmaking, grime, dub, dubstep, all transposed into (mostly) acoustic instrumentation. Keyboard harmonies are closer to jazz, without skimping on soul/R&B, and melodic themes are also inspired by jazz and soul traditions. The UK side of things has to do with certain rhythms typical of post-dub or grime electronic trends, which are much less common in North America.
Nubya Garcia tops it all off with grace and authority. Her very chic, very feminine and very modern look contributes to the boom effect. Her music can easily claim to belong to the jazz corpus, its expression resting on the strength of the melodies, the groove, the effects of the solo instrument, and the collective power at its service – Lyle Barton, keyboards, Daniel Casimir, double bass, Sam Jones, drums.
The structures on the program are simple, and everything happens through spontaneous expression rooted in groove. And that’s why it can win over a wide audience.
Nubya Garcia has become a jazz star, lighting up jazz festivals around the world, and will continue to do so for many years to come. We invite you to discover her art via her most recent album, Odyssey, released last autumn, featuring string arrangements and high-profile guest appearances by Esperanza Spalding and Georgia Anne Muldrow.
