London jazz luminaries Sons of Kemet announced they will go on hiatus for the foreseeable future following their remaining 2022 tour dates. The group consisting of saxophonist/clarinetist Shabaka Hutchings, drummers Tom Skinner and Edward Wakili-Hick, and tuba player Theon Cross has spent the past ten years inventing a style all their own, fusing elements of jazz, rock, Caribbean folk, reggae, and African music.
“This year will be the last chance to see us in the form to which you’ve grown accustomed,” the band announced in a post on social media. “After 10 years we have decided that from the end of our scheduled 2022 shows we will be closing this chapter of the band’s life for the foreseeable future. We’re excited to play our remaining gigs for you and to make this summer a fitting send off.”
At once simple and chaotic, modern and steeped in ancient traditions, the sound of Sons of Kemet employs a unique stripped-down instrumentation with just the saxophone stylings of Hutchings and the low-end rumblings of Theon Cross to give shape to the melody. The group’s frantic sense of rhythm combined with the percussion-forward presentation creates an atmosphere like half a New Orleans second line parade that took a wrong turn and somehow ended up across the pond. The quartet has earned a glowing reputation with its high-energy performances, socially conscious themes, and distinctive style, both musical and visual.
The band’s remaining 2022 tour dates include shows in cities around the U.S. and Europe. They will perform at Peckham Rye Park in the U.K. tonight, June 2nd and tour throughout Europe until the end of July when they will travel to the states for Newport Jazz Festival. They will play a free show at the Capital One City Parks Foundation Summerstage in New York’s Central Park with jazz drummer/bandleader Makaya McCraven, experimental pop artist L’Rain, and DJ Lindsey on July 31st.
The group will remain stateside with performances in Chicago and Denver and a spot at Pickathon 2022 in Happy Valley, OR before returning to Europe for their last-ever performances. Their final show is scheduled to take place at Pukkelpop Festival 2022 in Hasselt, Belgium on August 21st. Click below to view a complete list of tour dates.
Sons of Kemet’s members will continue to make music with other projects. Bandleader Shabaka Hutchings recently released his debut solo EP and drummer Tom Skinner is one-third of the new Thom Yorke-fronted Radiohead offshoot The Smile.
Sons Of Kemet – “My Queen Is Harriet Tubman”
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