Throw seven key figures from the British jazz scene together and you get Nérija. The mostly female collective, consisting of Nubya Garcia and members of KOKOROKO, among others, isn’t too fussy about genres. Everything passes the review when they’re on stage: from sixties hard bop, funk and soul to hip hop and township blues. On Tuesday 11 February, they’ll blow BIRD away with their eclectic mix.

Nérija is a mix & match of all the good things UK jazz has to offer. Take Nubya Garcia for example, who came to BIRD last year and showed us all why she’s one of the most applauded sax players of the moment. Or trumpet player Sheila Maurice-Grey, who as the driving power of KOKOROKO got the entire main hall of Theater Rotterdam to their feet during MOMO. Or violist Cassie Kinoshi, who was nominated for a Mercury Prize when she was part of SEED Ensemble. And that doesn’t even bring us halfway!

All this talent in one place couldn’t go unnoticed for long. Nérija won the Parliamentary Jazz Award 2017, in the best newcomer category, and their brand-new debut album Blume received favourable reviews from Pitchfork and De Volkskrant, among other publications. But if we should believe the music journalists, the seven-headed collective are at their best on stage!

Line-up

Sheila Maurice-Grey: trumpet
Rosie Turton: trombone
Cassie Konoshi: alto saxophone
Nubya Garcia: tenor saxophone
Shirley Tetteh: guitar
Rio Kai: double bass
Lizy Exell: drums