On 17th March three of Tomorrow’s Warriors young Emerging Artists travelled from London to Brussels to meet their Belgian counterparts for the first time as the latest chapter of BXL x LDN Interplay began.
Now in its second year, the joint development project between Tomorrow’s Warriors and Brosella Festival brings musicians together to create original collaborative jazz compositions, build new musical and cultural bridges, and perform at venues and festivals in both Belgium and the UK.
This year London is represented by bassist Myra Brownbridge (Tony Kofi, Zara McFarlane, Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain), tenor saxophonist David Kayode (Nii Maxine, Osibisa, Moses Boyd), and drummer Cassius Cobbson (Mansur Brown).
And, completing the sextet, the Brussels contingent features Marius Rabbe on trombone, soprano saxophonist Adia Vanheerentals, and guitarist Anton Robberechts.
The musicians all arrived with their own new compositions to develop with the ensemble over three days under the mentorship of UK trumpeter Mark Kavuma and Belgian vocalist Chantal Acda.
Following the three-day development sessions with their mentors, the musicians made their debut, performing at the Brosella Spring Festival concert at La Vallée on Thursday 20th March.
Looking back at the first week of the project, Music Leader Mark Kavuma reflected “This is all about championing collaboration and teamwork which, I think, is not just a cornerstone for any successful music making, but also for life in general.
Creatively this is bringing all the participants out of their individual comfort zones, because all the compositions are so different. So, this week has already offered them whole load of fresh and new creative perspectives to encounter.”
And this was a sentiment echoed by the musicians, with Myra Brownbridge adding “This is giving me a sense of renewal and feeling refreshed, just from playing together for a week.
Being a musician in London is tough – balancing how to earn enough money but still enjoy the creative spark is so challenging. This week has given me hope and a shared motivation to work with different musicians and see what clicks with them, it’s already been really exciting and inspiring to have all the different points of view and different musical perspectives come together.”
The project continues through spring and summer of 2025 with the ensemble taking part in the Tomorrow’s Warriors Taproom Takeover at Brick Lane Jazz Festival, London, in April, a further three-day development session at the start of June, followed by a performance at the Middelheim Festival. They will be taking to the main stage at Brosella Festival on 6th July, before heading back to the UK in August to perform at Pizza Express Holborn, London, before a final performance on the Tomorrow’s Warriors Big Top stage at Gilles Peterson’s We Out Here Festival.
“As musicians we are closer than we think, in terms of what we can do, when we’re talking about both theory and technique. For an example, we can all play in different time signatures, but sometimes we might approach them in a different way.
Cassius Cobbson sums up the journey the musicians are on together.
The shared headspace we are creating is about getting it right and making the music sound sweet together in a very short space of time.
And yeah, that is reflection of how far we have come musically, and it is inspiring!”
Jazz fans can look forward to this ensemble growing in stature as their music evolves!
All photographs ©shamrockraver.