Reflecting on some of the many highlights of 2013 (too many to mention them all!), and remembering some great people who we lost along the way…
| January |
 Having spent the last few months of 2012 touring his 35-piece Jazz Jamaica All-Stars Catch A Fire project, our Artistic Director, Gary Crosby was ready for something a little more compact. Welcome to the world Gary Crosby’s Groundation. Watch some video… |
| February |
 Tomorrow’s Warriors alumnus and Learning Faculty member, Nathaniel Facey won the Jazz FM Award for UK Instrumentalist of the Year. Read more… |
| March |
 The Nu Civilisation Orchestra performed Duke Ellington’s Harlem with the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Keith Lockhart at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. The evening also saw NCO Musical Director, Peter Edwards conduct the band in medley of Ellington’s work from the Cotton Club era. Read more… |
 Our all-female group, Nérija showed their WOW factor when they blew away the audience at Southbank Centre’s Women Of The World Festival. Read more… |
 We hosted a wonderful sharing session with SAMYO – the UK’s National Youth Orchestra for Indian Music – as part of our Young Artist Development Programme at Southbank Centre. Read more… |
 We celebrated two of our Youth Warriors securing places on the Jazz degree course at Trinity Laban, one of the UK’s top music conservatoires. Read more… |
  We supported two of our Junior Warriors in successfully applying for grants to purchase quality instruments and training. |
| April |
 The Nu Civilisation Orchestra made its radio debut when their fantastic Harlem concert with the BBC Orchestra was broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s ‘Afternoon On 3’ (sadly no longer available on the BBC iPlayer). |
| May |
 Throughout May, we let our young musicians loose to run a weekly jam session at the family-run club, Nolias11 in Southwark. Watch some videos… |
| Our directors, Janine Irons and Gary Crosby attended a royal reception for prominent members of the British Caribbean community hosted by Prince Charles, The Prince Of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall at St James’ Palace. Read more… |
| June |
  Tomorrow’s Warriors was proud to be a major contributor to Southbank Centre’s Nucleo Festival that offered an entire weekend of free music-making for all. In all, we delivered 11 separate events and activities across the weekend, including some spectacular work by the Tomorrow’s Warriors Youth Orchestra. Read more… |
 We were also proud to present our inaugural Tomorrow’s Warriors Bronze Arts Award certificates to a very bright cohort of Junior Warriors. Arts Award Voice came along to their show to film them. Watch the video… |
| Members of Tomorrow’s Warriors were captured on film talking about the importance of our programme at Southbank Centre and our excitement over plans for the new Festival Wing. Watch the video… |
| July |
 We blew the roof off a sold out Royal Festival Hall in London with a repeat performance of Jazz Jamaica All Stars’ Catch A Fire, featuring several current TW members and our alumni in the 35-piece orchestra with 240-voice Southbank Centre Voicelab choir. See why with this footage from their sold out show in 2012 in the Queen Elizabeth Hall with an 80-voice choir. Watch the video… |
 Tomorrow’s Warriors small ensembles, Ezra and Nérija led the Warrior charge in a final fought by six bands in the National Festival of Music For Youth, with Ezra coming out on top to win the Best Jazz Ensemble award. Read more… |
| August |
 Tomorrow’s Warriors supported young composer, Cassie Kinoshi in becoming one of just two young people out of 40 applicants to secure a bursary from Music For Youth to receive a year’s worth of specialist support in her development as a composer. Read more… |
 Artistic Director, Gary Crosby got the Jamaican Independence Festival started with his skazzalicious band, Jazz Jamaica, again featuring a host of Tomorrow’s Warriors alumni. Watch the video… |
| September |
 We were thrilled to bits when Junior Warrior, Sam Barnett won the Mayor of London Big Busk competition. Well done that boy (and his tireless parents)! Read more… |
 Also spotted that 4 of the 5 nominees for the MOBO Award for Best Jazz Act were alumni of Tomorrow’s Warriors – Jazz Jamaica, Soweto Kinch, Lineage and, the winner, Shabaka Hutchings’ Sons Of Kemet. Congrats to all! |
 We were delighted to be invited to provide live jazz for the Evening Standard’s Power 1000 Party at the iconic Battersea Power Station to celebrate London’s most influential people. Read more… |
 We were interviewed by the USA’s NPR (National Public Radio) station about Southbank Centre’s plans for the new Festival Wing. Listen to the interview… |
 And the girls were bringing it when we invited award-winning pianist, Zoe Rahman to guest with Nérija during our residency at Ray’s Jazz at Foyles. Read more… |
| October |
 We hit the road as producers of Denys Baptiste’s extraordinary work in tribute to Dr Martin Luther King Jr, Now Is The Time…Let Freedom Ring!, premiering new music and reprising existing work to mark the 50th Anniversary of the civil rights activist’s historic ‘I Have A Dream’ speech. Denys’ piece featured poetry by Lemn Sissay, film by Kwame Lestrade, a live VJ set by Yeast Culture, and a different gospel choir in every city. Watch a trailer… |
 We premiered a wonderful new suite commissioned from Peter Edwards for the Nu Civilisation Orchestra entitled Where Dreams Lead – also in tribute to Dr King. Read more… |
| November |
 Awesome Ezra smashed it when they made their debut at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the Grand Finale of the National Festival Of Music For Youth. Watch the video… |
| London Jazz Festival season and we were (mostly) paying tribute to the great Charles Mingus with two standout concerts at Southbank Centre with a specially-formed ensemble of Tomorrow’s Warriors, the excellent Nu Civilisation Orchestra and bass trio, Lords Of The Lower Frequency, plus another show-stopping gig at Ray’s Jazz with the mighty Ezra. Read more… |
 The Nu Civilisation Orchestra performing Mingus’ The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady was one of the most enthralling concerts we’ve ever experienced – some footage of the concert coming soon…! Read more… |
| Members of our Female Collective had a ‘Girls Night Out’ as guests of Tomorrow’s Warriors when we took them to see Geri Allen, Terri Lyne Carrington and Esperanza Spalding as part of the Jazz Festival’s New Audiences Programme, and then got them into the Wayne Shorter gig! Read a review… |
 We celebrated the 99th Birthday of our friend and jazz great, Coleridge Goode at an intimate ‘knees up’ at his house with his energetic wife Gertrude and a small number of close friends. One of the most joyous moments of the year was seeing the four Lords Of The Lower Frequency playing in one room – Peter, Dave and Gary on bass and Coleridge scatting! Beautiful! |
| December |
| We reflected on the lives of some of our friends, colleagues and icons who have passed away this year. May you rest in peace, and may those left behind find comfort in beautiful memories of you. |
| RIP Cedric ‘Im’ Brooks |
| RIP Cedar Walton |
| RIP Ken Gordon |
| RIP Stan Tracey |
| RIP Dwayne Burno |
RIP President Nelson Mandela |
2014…HERE WE COME! |
THANK YOU for being part of our fantastic journey through 2013, and welcome on board the good ship, Tomorrow’s Warriors as we set sail for another exhilarating journey into 2014!