The 10-piece UK-based collective Nubiyan Twist, led by producer and guitarist Tom Excell, have released a brilliant and expansive new album on the Strut label, titled Freedom Fables, featuring an all-star cast of special guest vocalists including Cherise, Nick Richards, Ego Ella May, Ria Moran, London jazz great Soweto Kinch, rising Ghanaian star K.O.G. and highlife legend Pat Thomas.

Building off the collaborative nature of their past two full-length albums, this nine-track recording fuses together elements of jazz-funk, broken beat, Afro-Latin grooves, and UK street soul influences with each song adapting to the vibe that each guest vocalist brings to the music. For instance, “Buckle Up” has a more soulful hip-hop feelwith Soweto Kinch both rapping and playing saxophone on the track, while “Ma Wonka” with Pat Thomas has strong highlife energy. The session also includes three tracks featuring 2019 Jazz FM Vocalist of the Year Cherise Adams-Burnett (“Tittle Tattle”, “Keeper”, “Flow”).

Overall, this album is truly incredible from start to finish, and arguably the group’s best and most adventurous album to date. There is not many ensembles that can successfully cover so much ground musically, while also making the recording feel unified. On Freedom Fables, Nubiyan Twist has certainly mastered this recipe.

Nubiyan Twist — ‘Freedom Fables’
(Strut)

1. Morning Light (ft. Ria Moran)
2. Tittle Tattle (ft. Cherise)
3. Ma Wonka (ft. Pat Thomas)
4. Buckle Up (ft. Soweto Kinch)
5. Keeper (ft. Cherise)
6. If I Know (ft. K.O.G.)
7. Flow (ft. Cherise)
8. 27-7 (ft. Ego Ella May)
9. Wipe Away Tears (ft. Nick Richards)

BUY RECORD

• African
• Broken Beat
• Jazz Dance
• Jazz Funk
• New Releases