While London has been celebrated for a jazz scene that fuses improvisational traditions with the full of life sound of the town’s diaspora, different areas of the UK have been fostering contemporary expertise. In Leeds, saxophonist Jasmine Myra channels meditative melodies, whereas Glaswegian trombonist Corto Alto was nominated for the Mercury prize for his high-energy ensemble work. In Bristol, in the meantime, jazz has melded with electronics, hip-hop and soulful songwriting to provide teams akin to Ishmael Ensemble, Waldo’s Present and Snazzback.
Ishmael Ensemble singer and keyboardist Holly Wellington, AKA Holysseus Fly, has spent the previous two years because the launch of her debut single Marigold creating her personal mix of Bristolian jazz-soul. Going solo after her analysis and remedy for breast most cancers in 2019, Wellington’s ensuing releases have journeyed via introspective, piano-laden balladry on Marigold to expansive soul on 2023’s debut EP Birthpool.
Accompanied on stage by a crew of backup dancers cum vocalists, Wellington’s latest performances at Glastonbury and Bristol’s Forwards pageant have made reference to improvisatory freedom as a lot as Self Esteem’s bombastic theatricality. “I’m doing my very own factor in my very own approach, being daring and never being afraid to say how I really feel,” she has stated. Together with her newest single, Out of This World, Wellington pushes this putting sound additional by way of rumbling synth-bass and digital drum programming, proving that the Bristol sound is as various as it’s attractive.
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