Apr 2, 2024 12:59 PM
Saxophonist, Sonic Explorer Casey Benjamin Dies at 45
Casey Benjamin, the alto saxophonist, vocalist, keyboardist and producer who stamped his distinctive sounds on the…
With the release of Nérija’s full-length debut, Blume (Domino), saxophonist Nubya Garcia’s career pushes on to a new stage.
(Photo: Emra Islek)Garcia penned the title track for Blume, a stately evocation featuring Maurice-Grey’s melancholy melodic lines. The song crests with emotional fervor and unfolds with the grace of a lazy summer Sunday.
“We were going through all of the tunes on the album, and we thought that title had the right energy about the group’s sound,” Garcia said. “The melody cycles around a lot, with each of us adding something new to each cycle.”
Other highlights on Blume include Kinoshi’s darkly sexy “EU (Emotionally Unavailable),” Tetteth’s sauntering “Partner Girlfriend Lover” and the Afro-Latin-tinged “Equanimous,” written by bassist Rio Kai. Garcia’s improvisational prowess takes the spotlight on a few other cuts: On Maurice-Grey’s percolating and cinematic “Last Straw,” the saxophonist spits serrated passages on tenor that coil and snap unexpectedly, while on Turton’s “Unbound,” she concocts oblique lines that belie her love of modern bop.
One element that distinguishes Nérija from other bands is that Kai is the only male member of the septet. (He replaced bassist Inga Eichler, who now leads the band Endeevior.)
The seed for the band’s formation was planted because of Tomorrow’s Warriors, a London organization that seeks to bolster the arts through educational programing for the city’s diverse residents and aims to foster the success of women working in the music industry. Bandmates now look at the group’s gender makeup as coincidence. “We just enjoy playing together,” Exell said.
“One of the first bands that I was ever in was with Sheila and Nubya,” Kai added. “We just have a strong vibe together. I think it just happened that most of the members turned out to be women.”
While it’s obvious that Garcia has no reticence to perform with men and nonbinary musicians, she has, in previous interviews, praised the value of building relationships with other female musicians for the sake of community.
Born to Trinidadian and Guyanese parents, Garcia grew up surrounded by music. She began playing piano at age 5 and studied with pianist Nikki Yeoh. She later learned violin and viola, and played in the London School Symphony Orchestra. The saxophone came into Garcia’s life when she was 10, and from there she joined the Camden Jazz Band. As a teen, she participated in music programs hosted by the Royal Academy of Music and also took a five-week music course at Berklee College of Music in Boston. And like most members of Nérija, Garcia attended the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London. There, she earned a degree in jazz performance.
But it was through working with Tomorrow’s Warriors that her voice as a musician began to take shape. The organization’s weekend workshops instilled in Garcia a deeper regard for discipline and collaboration, and helped her to draw upon her family’s background for inspiration.
Today, Garcia said she feels that music has become an important vessel for her to discover more about herself and to make meaningful connections with other cultures.
“The way that music develops from one generation to the next—it’s incredible to delve into that journey,” she said. “I didn’t have the opportunity to grow up in Guyana or Trinidad. But those musical journeys just lead me to other avenues, like black American swing, which was the first music that I pursued. I think people in London’s black music scene are really searching for their cultures. And it’s coming out in various ways.”
Garcia has profound gratitude for Tomorrow’s Warriors and its founder, Gary Crosby, a jazz bassist and educator who was awarded the Queen’s Medal for Music by Queen Elizabeth II on July 10. “[Tomorrow’s Warriors] showed us how to collaborate with people whom you didn’t grow up with,” Garcia said. “It taught us to do things together, rather than trying to do it on your own. Gary saw the strong work ethic within us. When I didn’t get into Trinity College the first time, he really encouraged me to try again. Gary taught us the importance of helping and supporting one another. He just prepared me to actually do it. Instead of expecting things to happen, he taught me that I have to work really hard to make things happen. And he taught me that I have to give back to the community.”
In the near future, Garcia is set to continue working with Nérija and Maisha, a group that also counts guitarist Tetteh as a member and released the There Is A Place EP last winter. But the saxophonist also plans to expand her network of collaborators, a blossoming circle of performers that already includes Chicago-based drummer Makaya McCraven and London producer Swindle (aka Cameron Palmer). If that wasn’t enough, Garcia is an emerging DJ with a regular gig on NTS, an online radio station based in London’s Hackney borough.
She stays busy.
With so many intriguing enterprises, it seems as though the world is Garcia’s oyster. And since she hasn’t yet released a full-length recording under her own name, the jazz scene awaits the next artistic pearl from the globetrotting saxophonist. DB
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