Longtime Leeds jazz/soul/global beats DJ/promoter Lubi Jovanovic (DJ Lubi) celebrates 40 years working in the music business this year (1982-2022). In celebration of this landmark, he's promoting a series of special live shows across various venues in Leeds during the year featuring musicians he's worked with over the decades. Tonight, he presents this fantastic triple bill at Brudenell Social Club as part of the new Leeds Jazz Festival.
TC & The Groove Family are a 10-piece collective whose music celebrates the coming together of cultures and the unity that music can provide for everyone. Driven by drummer Tim Cook, their live shows are powerful and dynamic, exploring grooves and genres from the UK and around the world, including afrobeat, breakbeat, jungle, jazz and highlife. The band have played alongside afro-fusion legends K.O.G & The Zongo Brigade and London jazzers Yussef Dayes, Pyjaen and Cykada at shows in Sheffield, Bristol, Leeds and London. In 2021, they performed as part of We Out Here’s online festival showcase, before blowing the roof off of the Chai Wallah stage at Shambino in August.
Singles ‘Let’s Start’ and ‘Temple’ received airplay from BBC Introducing West Yorkshire, Craig Charles and Tom Robinson on BBC Radio 6 and Colin Curtis on Worldwide FM. Having spent successive lockdowns writing new music, the band headed into the studio last summer to record their debut album with Tom Excell (Nubiyan Twist/ONIPA). Tonight, they will be launching this album at their first ever Brudenell Social Club show on the opening night of the inaugural Leeds Jazz Festival. The 9 piece band will be joined onstage by newest member KOG/Zongo Brigade MC Franz Von and will reunite with their lead vocalist from day one, Pariss Elektra. A big night with musical fireworks guaranteed.
Support act Yusuf Yellow & The Energy Collective are the live hip-hop band of Leeds MC Yusuf Yellow. Over the last few years, he has been seamlessly developing a burgeoning reputation as a stalwart of the UK hip-hop scene. The artist's songwriting and lyrics navigate through the different stages of his life, overhauling his creativity in the process. Sonically, Yusuf Yellow’s sound takes as much from current hip-hop, with a hypnotic flow, as it does from the masterful production values of the early 2000s onwards. After a few years of MCing with backing tracks, in 2021 he put together his live band, an 8 piece ensemble made up of some of the best jazz, soul and hip-hop musicians/artists from the currently buzzing Leeds scene. Their headline shows so far in Leeds have been a masterclass in live band hip-hop. Big things coming for Yusuf Yellow & The Energy Collective in 2022.
Rounding off a great triple bill are Chissu, the new band led by alt-soul singer August Charles. Originally from Zambia, August grew up in South Yorkshire and began singing in his school choir aged 12 whilst taking an interest in soul, jazz, r'n'b and indie as a child of the noughties. In 2020, he released his debut single and a year later after the follow up came out, he was picked up by BBC Introducing Hot List of best new young artists to watch for that year. Tom Salmon from BBC 6 Music said “His voice just knocked me for six and he is definitely a new favourite act for me”. Tonight he launches his new band Chissu, a much darker style and sound than his solo material. It’s a raw exploration of soul, jazz and rock that pulls no punches. August put together a band of jazz musicians from Leeds (Tom Woodhouse - guitar, Richard Moulton - drums, Dave Edwards - bass guitar) and began to create, with no genre or style in mind. That freedom to create is the reason why it’s important to have the "Chissu' alias live alongside the solo artist August Charles material. Tonight, they'll be showcasing music from their debut EP "Dark Times Come And Go".
TC and the Groove Family 
Yusuf
Brudenell News
Be Kind // Re-opening Statement
Friday 16th July 2021
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