Get The Message Kokoroko

• 1 Higher 03:53
• 2 Sweeter Than 02:45
• 3 My Prayer 03:56
• 4 Three Piece Suit (feat. Azekel) 04:36
• Total Runtime 15:10

Info zu Get The Message

Kokoroko, the London-based contemporary jazz collective, has released their new single ‘Three Piece Suit’ featuring Azekel.

Warm, rich and sumptuous in sound, ‘Three Piece Suit’ is a heartwarming tribute to the Nigerian immigrant experience. An initial draft of the track first began life at Kokoroko’s studio under the working title ‘Get The Message’.

Crackling through the track’s snug and patiently-arranged grooves are subtle touches of funk, adding new dimensions to the band's signature afrobeat and jazz sound in a way that recalls the work of Cymande. Further caressing the instrumentation is the incorporation of the Brazilian nose flute and woozy-sounding synth lines, effortlessly transporting the listeners back in time.

A conversation between Onome Edgeworth, the band’s percussionist and Azekel about their grandfathers who both landed in Balham from Nigeria in the 1960s would yield finishing touches that its rough sketches needed, bringing the song home to its final form.

Speaking on the track’s conception, Onome said: "We wrote the song thinking of our grandfathers arriving in London and the way they carried themselves and dressed in the 1960s. They were part of a dapper and suited generation that sowed the seeds for the worlds we’re building now. It speaks to our sentimental memories of a time that we know we can't have back”.

Palpable throughout are spiritual echoes resonating with ideas of home, lineage and ancestry. Speaking on this, Azekel said: “The song is about coming back, letting go and realizing that all things, past, present and future are intertwined.”

The unveiling of ‘Three Piece Suit’ comes alongside the news that Kokoroko will be releasing a brand new EP entitled ‘Get The Message’. Slated for release on November 1st via Brownswood Recordings, ‘Get The Message’ was created as an intentional vessel for joy. Heavily filled with themes of community, connection and relationships both romantic and platonic, the new EP is a manifestation of Kokoroko and their inner world.

The forthcoming EP will mark Kokoroko’s first dose of new music since the release of ‘Could We Be More Remixes’. The experimental and kaleidoscopic sister project to their 2022 debut album ‘Could We Be More’ which upon initial release earned critical plaudits from the likes of The Guardian, The Telegraph, Financial Times, Jazzwise, CRACK Magazine and Downbeat Magazine. The release would also garner their first Top 40 placement on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at No.30.

Enlisting some of contemporary music’s most forward-thinking artists like KeiyaA, Ash Lauryn, Stefan Ringer and Hagan to re-imagine the original album through a club-focused lens, ‘Could We Be More Remixes’ marked the beginning of the band being cast beyond spaces unrelated to the jazz sphere. A signal of their incoming next phase.

Azekel, voice
Sheila Maurice-Grey, trumpet
Onome Edgeworth, percussion
Tobi Adenaike-Johnson, guitar
Ayo Salawu, drums
Duane Atherley, bass
Anoushka Nanguy, trombone
Chelsea Carmichael, saxophone

Kokoroko
The London-based eight-piece musical group led by trumpeter Sheila Maurice-Grey is truly sitting at the intersection of past and present by sharing their cultural heritage through KOKOROKO’s music. And this message is not only embodied in their sound but also in the name of the octet translated from Nigerian Urhobo origin as “Be strong”. Their early track 'Abusey Junction' was the band’s well-acclaimed success that got appreciated by more than 25 million viewers on YouTube. This year was not less fruitful for KOKOROKO and brought the release of their debut album Could We Be More. Having presented the uplifting sounds of their release from Brazil to Amsterdam the band finishes the year by performing at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire in London.

In the same manner, as their debut album, the show opens with ‘Tojo’. The substantial soul fanfare accompanied by the electronic sounds of the track immediately transports the crowd to outer space filled with the unique charm and positive spirit of KOKOROKO. People moving to the grooves of the talking drums and dreamy brass create unrushed waves of motion as the tracks evolve.

“We are very excited to be here, such an honor!” - the group leader Sheila confesses to the audience. And it’s not hard to believe that London takes a special place on the KOKOROKO’s roster as it's a hometown for most of the band members.

Listening to ‘Baba Ayoola' gives everybody a journey back in time to 2020. The fluidity and calmness that the group radiates from the stage give its playing an incredibly natural feel. After a couple of tunes and virtuosic instrumental improvisations the first notes of ‘Abusey Junction’ appear and the crowd explodes cheering to a well-known song. Unarguably being a backbone of tonight’s set the live performance of the track creates an almost magical atmosphere of ease in the crowd. By the time ‘War Dance’ is playing all the levels of O2 Shepherds Bush Empire transform into dancing stalls. Followed by ‘Ewà Inú’ and ‘Body and Soul’ the energy reaches its peak finishing the night with chant-like vocals of ‘We Give Thanks’.

During the night KOKOROKO soulfully reconnected with their fans through the soothing blends of afrobeat and jazz. The show once again reminded everybody that afrobeat is not something that should stay within our parents' generation and it seems like KOKOROKO will make sure it stays around.

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