Thokozile Collective Special Album Launch

About

Celebrate a local jazz milestone with vibrant, melodic, African and global flavoured jazz designed to blow away those winter blues, at a special album launch gig.

Locally based sextet, Thokozile Collective, play vibrant, melodic jazz with southern African and other global influences. Featuring new Senegalese master percussionist Cheikh Diop, they’ve played a range of jazz festivals and have supported the likes of James Taylor Quartet, New Cool Collective and Osibisa but, until now, have never headlined their own show in the Studio. However, with tonight’s launch of their long-awaited debut album, this is the perfect opportunity.

The band was originally formed on the back of a major British Council music exchange programme with South Africa which saw musicians travel to Cape Town and vice versa. Thokozile received such a positive reception the band revived shortly after the project ended to keep its legacy alive here in the UK. They’ve been playing and touring sporadically with a rotating cast of musicians over the past decade, with the current lineup in place since 2018. Last year the band were at their busiest ever, including a school – focussed tour which saw them perform in front of over 6000 school students! The band features some of the best players on the local scene; the odd special guest may also pop up at the show tonight.

Terry Quinney – saxophones

Rob Palmer – guitar

Dan Somogyi – guitar / keyboards

Jack Shaughnessy – bass

Cheikh Diop – percussion

Neil Evans – drums