Description
Nubya Garcia isnt an artist you can easily classify. Is it jazz Sure, the Londonborn saxophonist, composer and bandleader grew up studying the genre under the noted pianist Nikki Yeoh at Camden Music. But it isnt until you listen to albums like 2020s Source and 2024s Odyssey that you hear broader creativity shining through Its jazz, classical, dub, RampB and whatever else Garcia wants to convey. It all comes from a place of exploration and selfstudy, of wanting to do all the things across all disciplines while ignoring arbitrary boxes that dont.Garcias sophomore album Odyssey, out in September 2024 via Concord Jazz, is a majestic feat on which she blends orchestral arrangements with RampB, jazz, broken beat and dub, resulting in a grand, nuanced record that feels airy and celestial without sacricing the groove. Its a deeply personal oering about her trek to falling back in love with musical composition over the past four years. Source, her 2020 debut album, was released via Concord Jazz to massive critical acclaim, an NPR Tiny Desk Home Concert, a Pitchfork Best New Music review and a Rolling Stone Album of the Month mention. In a prole, The New York Times called Source a sweeping set of jazz with AfroCaribbean inuences that funnels a lifes worth of experiences into an hourlong listen. Also upon release, the album entered the UK charts in the Top 30, and she was just one of three artists selected to perform live at Glastonburys 2020 Experience, which aired on the BBC to thousands of viewers. Source was also nominated for the Mercury Prize, a prestigious award given to the best albums from the UK or Ireland. In 2022, Garcia toured the US in support of Khruangbin, performing in soldout venues including Radio City Music Hall in New York, the Ryman in Nashville and the Met in Philadelphia. She then headlined her own tour in the UK and US, performing at various festivals including Glastonbury, Love Supreme, Pickathon and Newport Jazz. Garcia continues to tour worldwide while also collaborating with major brands like Lululemon, Paul Smith, Labrum, Nicholas Daley and Burberry. She was one of three creatives selected for Fossils Moment In Time campaign, which was published globally in VOGUE, GQ, and GLAMOUR magazines. Elsewhere, Garcia has been featured in numerous print publications, including Mojo, Vogue and Ebony. As a composer, Garcias original music has been placed with Apple TV Ted Lasso OWN Network Cherish The Day FX TV Atlanta EPIC GAMES Fortnite and on multiple podcasts including the theme tune for Anika Noni Roses Clio awardwinning podcast Being Seen.
