Kavuma’s choice of personnel on this record is a potent mixture of top young jazz cats at the top of their game. He assembled a true gang of brothers. Mark, along with Ruben Fox and Artie Zaitz who went to school together, were all loitering at any jazz “hangs” they could find long before they were of legal age. Then there is Reuben James who joined the ranks when he found himself studying at the same university as the holy trinity. Over the next few years they were honing their craft and developing their sound as a unit at a local late night jazz hang at Brixton’s POW in South London. Each of them also involved with other projects and very much in demand, ended up playing with the who is who of the local and international scene. Their regular trips across the Atlantic to the jazz mecca New York, where they would meet more talent and got to hang with the legends, brought in the prodigious percussionist Kyle Poole and exceptional tap dancer Michela Lerman into the mix. They all hit it off on a grand level. Conor Chaplin is a stupendous bass practitioner that crossed paths with the brotherhood since the music college days. Enter Mussinghi Brian Edwards. A true veteran of the jazz scene and a musical daddy to this lot, unforcefully stepping in with authority and experience. Not only a formidable array of talent, but also demonstrating a rock solid understanding of their respective roles. The ensemble sounds like a band of old dogs in a clear and positively assured sense. They resemble the finest amalgam of classic 50’s Blue Note and Prestige line ups. Perhaps what attracted them to jazz in the first place was the energy, vibe, blues, rhythm, gospel and emotions found on these influential sides.

Jake Zaitz