Biography
Led by saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer Shabaka Hutchings, Sons of Kemet formed as a politically charged modern jazz supergroup based in the U.K. and drawing players from multiple continents. Modal and free jazz merged with African rhythms and modes alongside Caribbean dub and Middle Eastern timbres on their widely acclaimed 2018 Impulse! release Your Queen Is a Reptile. Following festival dates across the U.K. and Europe, the members turned to separate endeavors before reuniting to mark the group’s tenth anniversary with the 2021 album Black to the Future.
The project began in spring 2011 with Hutchings joined by tuba player Oren Marshall and the percussion-drums pairing of Seb Rochford and Tom Skinner. Their initial performance drew strong approval from jazz listeners at Charlie Wright’s International Bar in London. Drummer Eddie Hick later filled in for Rochford on a temporary basis, and Theon Cross of Brass Mask took over the tuba position. Hutchings’ curiosity and study shaped the ensemble’s expansive approach; his immersion in South London’s cross-genre scene, collaborations with musicians throughout the African continent, and personal trajectory informed the sound. Born in London and raised primarily in Barbados, he took up clarinet and performed with assorted calypso and reggae groups there. Returning to the U.K., he enrolled at the Guildhall School of Music, where he discovered equal ease with free jazz and swing. Seeking a more personal direction, he incorporated Caribbean elements and relocated again to Barbados to work with ethnomusicologists focused on the region’s traditions. Hutchings has cited Count Ossie and Cedric Im Brooks as pivotal influences from that period.
Among the other members, Seb Rochford stands out for his extensive session contributions to Herbie Hancock, David Byrne, and Brian Eno, as well as his leadership of Polar Bear, Acoustic Ladyland, and the Mercury Award-nominated Basquiat Strings. Tom Skinner maintained a comparable schedule, recording with Matthew Herbert, Malatu Astatke, and Eska. Oren Marshall had long operated his Oren Marshall Trio, participated in numerous large jazz ensembles, and supplied music for film and television productions.
The band’s first album, Burn, appeared in 2013 and earned them the MOBO jazz prize that year. Their initial recording with Cross, Lest We Forget What We Came Here to Do, received broad critical praise upon its early 2016 release. After European and U.S. tours in 2017, Hutchings contributed to several projects, including Yazz Ahmed’s La Saboteuse. Sons of Kemet joined the Impulse! roster in January 2018; Your Queen Is a Reptile featured Hick and Moses Boyd alongside Rochford in a percussion configuration on select tracks. Each of the nine pieces was named after a woman of African heritage and history. Performance poet Josh Idehen appeared on two selections, while dub poet Congo Natty guested on one. Issued in March 2018, the album earned a Mercury Prize nomination in July. Rochford departed in 2019 and was succeeded by Edward Wakili-Hick. The group observed its tenth anniversary in 2021 with the May release of their fourth album, Black to the Future.
The project began in spring 2011 with Hutchings joined by tuba player Oren Marshall and the percussion-drums pairing of Seb Rochford and Tom Skinner. Their initial performance drew strong approval from jazz listeners at Charlie Wright’s International Bar in London. Drummer Eddie Hick later filled in for Rochford on a temporary basis, and Theon Cross of Brass Mask took over the tuba position. Hutchings’ curiosity and study shaped the ensemble’s expansive approach; his immersion in South London’s cross-genre scene, collaborations with musicians throughout the African continent, and personal trajectory informed the sound. Born in London and raised primarily in Barbados, he took up clarinet and performed with assorted calypso and reggae groups there. Returning to the U.K., he enrolled at the Guildhall School of Music, where he discovered equal ease with free jazz and swing. Seeking a more personal direction, he incorporated Caribbean elements and relocated again to Barbados to work with ethnomusicologists focused on the region’s traditions. Hutchings has cited Count Ossie and Cedric Im Brooks as pivotal influences from that period.
Among the other members, Seb Rochford stands out for his extensive session contributions to Herbie Hancock, David Byrne, and Brian Eno, as well as his leadership of Polar Bear, Acoustic Ladyland, and the Mercury Award-nominated Basquiat Strings. Tom Skinner maintained a comparable schedule, recording with Matthew Herbert, Malatu Astatke, and Eska. Oren Marshall had long operated his Oren Marshall Trio, participated in numerous large jazz ensembles, and supplied music for film and television productions.
The band’s first album, Burn, appeared in 2013 and earned them the MOBO jazz prize that year. Their initial recording with Cross, Lest We Forget What We Came Here to Do, received broad critical praise upon its early 2016 release. After European and U.S. tours in 2017, Hutchings contributed to several projects, including Yazz Ahmed’s La Saboteuse. Sons of Kemet joined the Impulse! roster in January 2018; Your Queen Is a Reptile featured Hick and Moses Boyd alongside Rochford in a percussion configuration on select tracks. Each of the nine pieces was named after a woman of African heritage and history. Performance poet Josh Idehen appeared on two selections, while dub poet Congo Natty guested on one. Issued in March 2018, the album earned a Mercury Prize nomination in July. Rochford departed in 2019 and was succeeded by Edward Wakili-Hick. The group observed its tenth anniversary in 2021 with the May release of their fourth album, Black to the Future.
Albums
Burn (10th Anniversary Remaster)
2023
Black To The Future
2021
Your Queen Is A Reptile
2018
Lest We Forget What We Came Here to Do
2018
Burn
2013
Singles
