I’ve made the journey North across the Scottish border, from chilly Newcastle to the even chillier Edinburgh: landing in the city’s beautiful Assembly Rooms. It’s a charming venue, and perfectly matched with the vibes and energy of KOKOROKO.
It isn’t long before I, along with the rest of the crowd who have turned out for the London-based outfit, am whisked across borders again: this time guided up and away to the magnificent sounds of West Africa (and beyond), as the seven-piece open their set with Higher, from their stunning new EP Get The Message.
What follows is all but two hours of the sounds of KOKOROKO’s beautiful afrobeat-inspired jazz, which explores every corner of both their remarkable discography and the grand hall into which it is being projected.
Dynamically, the band are flawless; In the livelier passages, such as in Something’s Going On, the tones of trumpeter and bandleader Sheila Maurice-Grey and trombonist Anoushka ‘Noushy’ Nanguy are punchy and bolstered with funky rhythms and driving percussion. Yet, in the quieter passages, such as Dide O, the tones meld together softly, perfectly layered over measured rhythms underneath, courtesy of Ayo Salawu on drums, Onome Edgeworth on percussion, and Duane Atherley on bass. Four-way vocal harmonies are perfectly delivered by Sheila, Noushy, guitarist Tobi Adenaike and Keyboardist/synthist Yohan Kebede throughout the set, adding a dreamy depth to their sound, as the group sweep you further into their world. At the very top level, Yohan’s keyboard/synth provides an exquisite final layer.
This is all forged perfectly into a set consisting of old tunes, new ones, even newer ones, and a couple of covers, which makes two hours fly by in what feels like two minutes.
KOKOROKO are clearly cooking something exciting in the studio. The unreleased tracks we are treated to slot into the setlist like they were never not part of it. The future is looking very bright for KOKOROKO.
Words echo from various corners of the stage periodically, with members of the band addressing the crowd, expressing gratitude for one another, their fans, and most importantly, music. Onome gives a heartfelt shoutout to Noushy; The Glasgow-heralding trombone vocalist, and newest member of the outfit, is lauded with Scottish praise – and deservedly so. It’s no surprise she’s up for a Scottish Jazz Award this year.
I was looking forward to hearing Three Piece Suit, as KOKOROKO’s first single from the new Get the Message. Duane steps up to provide the vocals for this – another name to add to the group’s roster of impressive vocalists.
As the set winds down, six of the seven members leave the stage, leaving Tobi to face the crowd alone. After a couple of moments to compose, he settles into the spotlight and graciously into the opening guitar sequence of Abusey Junction. It’s the perfect start to an encore, and his crystal clear guitar tones ring through the room. Every note is perfectly calculated, whilst seemingly effortlessly flowing from his fingers. The same can be said for his magnificently crafted solo later in the piece, after the rest of the band have returned to back up their guitarist. Not that he needed the support – you’d be forgiven for not even noticing their return, and that’s in no way an insult.
They wrap up their set as they began, with another from their newest EP, Sweeter Than. It’s a fitting end to a strong set; KOKOROKO are living in the here and now, and great things are on the way.
Waxing Lyrical 