Tomorrow's Warriors

Tomorrow's Warriors is a jazz music education and artist development organization that was co-founded in 1991 by Janine Irons MBE FRSA and Gary Crosby OBE, committed to increasing diversity across the arts through jazz,^[1] "with a special focus on those from the African diaspora and girls".^[2] Crosby drew inspiration from having been a member of the Jazz Warriors, a London-based group of musicians that in the 1980s showcased many young black British musicians who went on to achieve international success (among them Courtney Pine, Steve Williamson, Cleveland Watkiss, Phillip Bent, Orphy Robinson, as well as Crosby himself).^[3] Tomorrow's Warriors, which has a multiracial make-up,^[4] provides a platform for young musicians wishing to pursue a career in jazz, and aims "to inspire, foster and grow a vibrant community of artists, audiences and leaders who together will transform the lives of future generations by increasing opportunity, diversity and excellence in and through jazz."^[5]

Irons and Crosby also initiated the Dune Records label, which draws on talent from Tomorrow's Warriors, including such graduates of the organization as Denys Baptiste, J-Life and Soweto Kinch.^[4][6]

Background

Since its inception by Gary Crosby and Janine Irons in 1991, Tomorrow's Warriors has worked towards devising and producing inspirational programmes and performance opportunities for new and emerging musicians, at the same time as developing culturally diverse audiences, being considered to have "nurtured many of the UK’s leading jazz performers via its award-winning jazz education and emerging artists programme" with Tomorrow’s Warriors alumni winning more than 50 awards and achieving successful careers in the music industry.^[7]

Over the years Tomorrow's Warriors' activities have included a regular jam session, formerly held weekly at The Jazz Café, then from 2004 at The Spice Of Life in Soho, where it remained active until Summer 2010.^[8] The company went on to become a weekend resident at the Southbank Centre in London.^[2] The Tomorrow's Warriors' programme provides a wide variety of opportunities ranging from workshops and showcases for young musicians to concerts and tours for established professional bands and orchestras, partnering with a network of local, national and international arts organisations, as well as commercial producers, venues, promoters and festivals. Tomorrow's Warriors is a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England.^[2]

Ensembles

Members of Tomorrow's Warriors, as well as participating in informal jam sessions, may go on to join one of the more formal ensembles, which include Tomorrow's Warriors StringTing,^[9] Tomorrow's Warriors Female Collective,^[10] a Junior Band (for young musicians aged between 11 and 15),^[11] Tomorrow's Warriors Youth Orchestra,^[12][13] and the flagship Nu Civilisation Orchestra.

Nu Civilisation Orchestra

In 2008, Tomorrow's Warriors established an orchestra initially to provide a platform for pianist/composer Peter Edwards — who was a participant in the young artist development programme^[14] — to recreate Duke Ellington’s rarely performed The Queen’s Suite.^[15][16][17] The orchestra was subsequently established as a permanent ensemble, under the musical direction of Edwards, called the Nu Civilisation Orchestra (NCO).^[18]

Other major projects undertaken by the NCO include in 2013 a 50th-anniversary recreation of Charles Mingus's The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963) at the Purcell Room,^[19] about which London Jazz News wrote: "The ensemble was flawless. ...hard to imagine anyone in the packed Purcell room doubting that this was a moving, breathing work. The recording remains a wonder, but recreated live the music seemed fresh as ever and more vividly coloured, more intense. The result was like getting up close to a great painting you have only seen in reproduction: you get a fresh sense of why it is a masterpiece. I really hope it can be heard more widely."^[20] More recently the NCO performed a live soundtrack to John Akomfrah's 2013 film The Stuart Hall Project,^[21] and on International Women's Day 2017 played a concert of songs (featuring Lisa Hannigan, Sabrina Mahfouz and Eska) from Joni Mitchell's classic 1976 album Hejira, at the Royal Festival Hall as part of the Women of the World Festival.^[22][23]

In April 2017 it was announced that the NCO had secured a new residency at Rich Mix in east London.^[24]

Other initiatives

In 2016, Tomorrow's Warriors announced a partnership with Jazz House Kids in Montclair, New Jersey, through which four young people from the Tomorrow’s Warriors Young Artist Development Programme have been given scholarships to take part in the Jazz House Kids Summer Workshop at Montclair State University.^[25]

In March 2017, Tomorrow's Warriors launched a new music education initiative, The Jazz Ticket, to mark the centenary of the birth of six iconic jazz figures: composer Tadd Dameron, vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, pianist Thelonious Monk, drummer Buddy Rich and percussionist Mongo Santamaria.^[26][27] As reported by Jazz FM, "‘The Jazz Ticket’ will be delivered in 54 schools in Southampton, Luton, Leicestershire, Manchester, Gateshead, Brighton, Bristol, Hull and London, and engage almost 600 young people as performers and many more as audience members."^[28]

From 30 May to 3 June 2017, Tomorrow's Warriors was in residence at the Black Cultural Archives in Brixton (BCA), delivering performances and workshops alongside the BCA's Black Sound exhibition.^[29][30]

References

External links

• Tomorrow's Warrios official website.
• The Jazz Ticket website.
• "Tomorrow's Warriors - THE JAZZ TICKET" video.
• Tomorrow's Warriors on Facebook.
• Tomorrow's Warriors on Twitter.