Sons of Kemet

Bio

Sons of Kemet are a super band born in 2011 composed by four of the brightest stars of the English jazz scene: Shabaka Hutchings (clarinet, saxophone), Tom Skinner (drums and percussions), Theon Cross (tuba) e Seb Rochford (drums and percussions). The result is a revolutionary music medley that embraces jazz, rock, dub, and Caribbean folk and performances amongst the most electrifying, kinetic, and ready to shake the earth.

After having developed a reputation as splendid artists thanks to the quality of their live performances, they debuted with their first studio album, Burn, in 2013. The album was their first success which The Art Desk described as «an album surprisingly bright and original, full to the brim of new ideas. What else could cause a rave and a discussion on the origins of jazz? ». That same year they won Best Jazz Act at the Music of Black Origin Awards.

Burn was followed by 2016’s Lest We Forget What We Came Here to Do, the success of which can also be attributed to the ever-growing synergy and connection between the group members. The themes explored in the album were a direct following of the music project they started with their debut album and the jazz sound combined with electronic elements managed to increase Sons of Kemet’s popularity even amongst a public less inclined towards jazz.

Their third project, Your Queen is a Reptile, was published in 2018. The album was a socio-cultural comment on the monarchy, the patriarchy, racism, discrimination, and colonialism. Despite the hard topics, the sound was still light and joyous, referring back to Hutchings’s Caribbean ancestry. To honor the iconic black women who actively fought against discrimination, Sons of Kemet titled the nine tracks of their third album with the names of Angela Davis, Harriet Tubman, Mamie Phipps, and even the name of Hutchings’s grandmother.

It was precisely for the presentation of Your Queen is a Reptile (published with Impulse!) that they arrived in Italy in 2018 for three special concerts at the Biko Club in Milan, the Pisa Jazz Festival, and the Ravenna Jazz Festival.

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