Our ground-breaking development programme helped bridge divides and wrapped up with breath-taking live performance.
Over the past three months Tomorrow’s Warriors has been working with our delivery partners The Music Works and Jazz Stroud, alongside an incredible group of young musicians to deliver A GRIME SUPREME in Gloucester and Stroud. The energy and results have been incredible, and it was fitting that the project concluded with a community showcase and panel session at The Music Works, followed by a headline concert at the Goods Shed featuring the young musicians involved and special guests Moses Boyd and XVNGO.
With the support of Youth Music Trailblazer funding, the project set out to develop new musical collaborations between jazz musicians and grime artists; breaking down musical, social and geographical barriers to foster a new community. Gabriel Starkey, Tomorrow’s Warriors Learning, Outreach and Engagement Co-ordinator, explains:
“UK music is at a more collaborative point than ever. Perhaps, for those of us that live in London, this won’t come as news – the inclusive, bustling, ‘melting pot’ atmosphere of the city has always seemed a place where musical and cultural bridges are crossed. In jazz, we have seen this more markedly than ever over the past decade, with acts such as Moses Boyd, Ezra Collective and Blue Lab Beats, to name a few, paving the way for the fusion of jazz with grime, hip-hop, afrobeat, reggae, dub, neo-soul, RnB and more.
However, this story looks a little different in other parts of the country. In areas where the economic and social geography is very different to that in the capital, often the infrastructure necessary for this sort of collaboration simply hasn’t been there.
Gloucester has a talented pool of energised and passionate musicians, MCs, producers, and singers bubbling under the surface – often unseen and unheard by many but writing thoughtfully and expressively about their experiences in the city. Signs of this growing scene are starting to be more visible, with Gloucester now home to The Music Works, a state-of-the-art studio and performance space.
But there is also a geographical divide. South of Gloucester, past a small hill (which locals often referred to as a mental ‘mountain’ separating the musicians of both cities), is Stroud – home to both a pool of skilled and talented jazz instrumentalists, and Stroud Valleys Artspace, the organisation behind Jazz Stroud, one of the South West’s biggest annual jazz festivals.
It’s thanks to the incredible work of our Music Leaders, the teams from The Music Works and Jazz Stroud and the talented musicians and producers, who were all so dedicated, that A GRIME SUPREME managed to build so many bridges between communities.”
The inspirational Music Leaders working on A GRIME SUPREME featured iconic British producer Swindle, TW alumni Mercury-nominated jazz drummer Moses Boyd, PhD Neuroscience student and jazz-drill pioneer, XVNGO (Deji Ijishakin), plus genre-fluid MC and Gloucester native, Rider Shafique.
From September – November 2023, Tomorrow’s Warriors delivered:
- 3 workshop days
- 2 live public performances at The Music Works Gloucester and The Goods Shed Stroud
- 3 Panel sessions with the A GRIME SUPREME team for Gloucester community
- Inspirational performance from Moses Boyd and XVNGO
- 275+ learning opportunities
- Facilitated the creation of at least 8 new songs
- Workshop for young people with leading audio technicians, DnB Audio.
Additionally, the project is already delivering an ongoing legacy with the opportunity for participants to record at Real World Studios before the end of the year plus two festival performances secured for next year.
We had high expectations of the impact of A GRIME SUPREME but the outcomes in Gloucester far exceeded them. However, it’s the response from the participants that we were most moved by and shows we have gone some way to bridging the divides. Here are just a few testimonies from the young people involved in the programme:
‘I was getting emotional when I came off stage and I was looking at everyone and I was thinking ‘this is what I’ve wanted to do my entire life’. The fact that Tomorrow’s Warriors has been able to give us a platform to start that and to make connections like this… it’s been such a good project, and I don’t want it to end.’ Tilda
‘I think one of my proudest moments was getting over my social anxiety… just going into the mindset of you’re here for the music, you’re not here to care about what anyone thinks. You’re here for the music, and that’s one thing I’m really proud of.’ Funke
‘Working with the TW team has been honestly so influential and inspiring. They really do look after you, they really do help you out so much. For me, personally, having Moses around, him just telling me stuff, helped me grow in my talent and my work so much more because of what he’s taught. He’s been so generous.’ Jayden
‘Everyone has really been there for me on this project, and it hasn’t just impacted me musically but emotionally and mentally, and helped a lot of my social confidence – I can connect with people a lot now – not just with music, but also without it.’ Nile
Photos: @jumpcut_visuals and Dom Thompson