Judi Jackson
Judi Jackson was introduced to the world of music through the Jefferson Centre’s Music Lab in her hometown of Roanoke, Virginia. It was here she met Wynton Marsalis, and opened
for Mavis Staples, which sparked her development as a jazz
vocalist and performer. Before graduating from the University of Mary Washington with a BA in Musical Theatre,
Judi recorded her original song, ‘Only Love’ with Grammy award winning band Snarky Puppy under the direction of friend and mentor Michael League.
Ayanna witter johnson
Singer, songwriter, cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson is a rare
exception to the rule that classical and alternative r&b music
cannot successfully co-exist.
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Graduating with a first from both the Trinity Laban
Conservatoire of Music and Dance and the Manhattan
School of Music, she has toured with Anoushka Shankar,
Courtney Pine, recorded with Akala and composed for the
London Symphony Orchestra.
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The twist in Ayanna's story is her winning the acclaimed
amateur night at the Apollo in Harlem, gaining a MOBO
award nomination and getting airplay on BBC Radio 1 & BBC
1Xtra
Carleen Anderson
Acknowledged by BBC 6 Music’s Gilles Peterson as one of the most powerful singer/songwriters of her generation, Carleen Anderson, the winner of Jazz FM’s 2013 Best UK Vocalist Award.
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Widely known for her solo works and collaborations with celebrated artists such as Paul Weller, Nigel Kennedy, Ramsay Lewis, Courtney Pine, Omar, Incognito and more, Anderson is also acknowledged as the vocalist and composer for the music of the Young Disciples whose album Road to Freedom brought the group international recognition.
Additionally Anderson is noted for her music family link to the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, via her stepfather, musician/singer, Bobby Byrd and birth mother, songstress, Vicki Anderson.
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Yolanda
brown
Double MOBO Award winning YolanDa Brown is the premier female saxophonist in the UK, known for her delicious fusion of Reggae, Jazz and Soul.
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YolanDa has toured with Diana Krall, The Temptations, Billy Ocean, Beverley Knight and collaborated with artists such as Snarky Puppy’s Bill Laurance, Reggae Legend Bob Marley’s son Julian, and the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. Her debut album “April Showers May Flowers” was No 1 on the UK Jazz Charts and her sophomore “Love Politics War” released in 2017 followed suit.
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YolanDa was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts by the University of East London and invited to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
TERRI
WAlKER
Terri needs no introduction as one of the UK’s leading soul artists, nominated for four MOBO awards and a Mercury Music Prize,
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Terri dropped ‘Untitled’, her critically acclaimed debut album in 2003 – featuring a collaboration with Mos Def – and was nominated for the Mercury Prize and four MOBO awards. Follow up albums ‘LOVE’ and ‘I Am’ crystallised her position as one of the UK’s leading artists and saw Terri touring extensively.
Terri released her fourth album ‘Entitled’ in 2015, and is on track for a new album to cause a storm on the UK soul scene later this year.
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