Soweto Kinch
Encyclopedia
Soweto Kinch is a British
jazz alto saxophonist
and rapper
.
Born in London, England to a Barbadian
father, who is a playwright
, and British-Jamaica
n mother, who is an actress, Kinch began playing saxophone at the age of nine after learning clarinet
at Allfarthing Primary School, Wandsworth
, SW London. He then moved to Birmingham where he attended West House Primary School in Edgbaston
beginning a long association with Britain's second city. After meeting Wynton Marsalis
four years later he discovered and became passionate about jazz, first concentrating on piano and later, in his teens, focusing on alto saxophone. He attended Bromsgrove School
, Worcestershire, from the age of 13 through to completing his A levels at 18.
In 2001 he also established the Soweto Kinch Trio - with bassist Michael Olatuja and drummer Troy Miller, which supported Courtney Pine at the former Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club
, in Birmingham, and performed at the Royal Festival Hall
and Cheltenham International Jazz Festival.
Kinch has won numerous accolades including the Rising Star Award at the 2002 BBC
Jazz Awards and the prestigious White Saxophone prize at the Montreux Jazz Festival
. In 2003 and 2007 he won the MOBO prize for Best Jazz Act. In the same year his debut album Conversations With The Unseen was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, but Kinch lost to grime
MC Dizzee Rascal
. 2004 saw Kinch win two BBC Radio Jazz Awards; Best Instrumentalist and Best Band along with the Peter Whittingham Award
for Jazz Innovation.
In 2006, Kinch released his second album, A Life In The Day Of B19 - Tales Of The Tower Block, the first instalment of a two-part concept album documenting the lives of three inner-city Birmingham men. The album features narration from Moira Stuart
. The second part of the album, titled Basement Fables, was originally intended for a March 2007 release, but has been delayed with no clear indication of a date.
Kinch also moonlights as a member of the Pop Idol
backing band The Big Blue.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
jazz alto saxophonist
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
and rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
.
Born in London, England to a Barbadian
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
father, who is a playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, and British-Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n mother, who is an actress, Kinch began playing saxophone at the age of nine after learning clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
at Allfarthing Primary School, Wandsworth
Wandsworth
Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
, SW London. He then moved to Birmingham where he attended West House Primary School in Edgbaston
Edgbaston
Edgbaston is an area in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Edgbaston ward and the wards of Bartley Green, Harborne and Quinton....
beginning a long association with Britain's second city. After meeting Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Learson Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, bandleader, music educator, and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Marsalis has promoted the appreciation of classical and jazz music often to young audiences...
four years later he discovered and became passionate about jazz, first concentrating on piano and later, in his teens, focusing on alto saxophone. He attended Bromsgrove School
Bromsgrove School
Bromsgrove School, founded in 1553, is a co-educational independent school in the Worcestershire town of Bromsgrove, England. The school has a long history and many notable former pupils.-History:...
, Worcestershire, from the age of 13 through to completing his A levels at 18.
In 2001 he also established the Soweto Kinch Trio - with bassist Michael Olatuja and drummer Troy Miller, which supported Courtney Pine at the former Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club
Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club
Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club which has operated in London since 1959.The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was managed by musicians Ronnie Scott and Pete King. In 1965 it moved to a larger venue nearby at 47 Frith Street...
, in Birmingham, and performed at the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
and Cheltenham International Jazz Festival.
Kinch has won numerous accolades including the Rising Star Award at the 2002 BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Jazz Awards and the prestigious White Saxophone prize at the Montreux Jazz Festival
Montreux Jazz Festival
The Montreux Jazz Festival is the best-known music festival in Switzerland and one of the most prestigious in Europe; it is held annually in early July in Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva...
. In 2003 and 2007 he won the MOBO prize for Best Jazz Act. In the same year his debut album Conversations With The Unseen was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, but Kinch lost to grime
Grime (music)
Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...
MC Dizzee Rascal
Dizzee Rascal
Dylan Kwabena Mills , better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles...
. 2004 saw Kinch win two BBC Radio Jazz Awards; Best Instrumentalist and Best Band along with the Peter Whittingham Award
Peter Whittingham Award
An award given to musicians under the age of 26. The award focuses on innovative recording, composition and performance projects in the field of cutting edge jazz...
for Jazz Innovation.
In 2006, Kinch released his second album, A Life In The Day Of B19 - Tales Of The Tower Block, the first instalment of a two-part concept album documenting the lives of three inner-city Birmingham men. The album features narration from Moira Stuart
Moira Stuart
Moira Clare Ruby Stuart OBE is a British journalist who was the first African-Caribbean female newsreader on British television...
. The second part of the album, titled Basement Fables, was originally intended for a March 2007 release, but has been delayed with no clear indication of a date.
Kinch also moonlights as a member of the Pop Idol
Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
backing band The Big Blue.
Discography
- Conversations with the Unseen (2003) (Dune Records)
- A Life In The Day Of B19 - Tales Of The Tower Block (2006) (Dune Records)
- The New Emancipation (2010) (Soweto Kinch Recordings)
External links
- Soweto Kinch on MySpace
- Soweto Kinch BBC Profile
- Soweto Kinch at dune-music.com
- http://ukvibe.org/index.php/interviews/soweto_kinch Interview Soweto Kinch by Michael 'The Dood' Edwards for UK Vibe - August 2010
- Soweto Kinch interview at britishhiphop.co.uk
- Interview with Soweto about B19 and his home in Birmingham from a local podcast - this is a direct link to mp3 file.