Adwa (Live) - KOKOROKO
- Nate Holder
- Jun 25, 2020
- 1 min read
KOKOROKO are an afrobeat collective from London, led by trumpeter Sheila Maurice-Grey. Many members of the band have a solid musical grounding in jazz, but the band's music reflects their cultural backgrounds, with band members originating from different parts of the Caribbean and Africa. Like with many young black people in the UK, we have grown up with not only an awareness of the music we studied in school, but the music of our local cultures and the African diaspora. Listen to how KOKOROKO blur the lines between elements of jazz, afrobeat and funk to create a uniquely British sound.
How do the keyboard and bass interact from the beginning to 1:55?
How would you describe the form of this song?
3:36 might be a reference to which tune?
What does Cassie Kinoshi (sax) do at 5:25?
What do Sheila Maurice-Grey (trumpet) and Richie Seivwright (trombone) do during Cassie Kinoshi's solo? Why do they do what they do?
Which musicians do you think the band may have been influenced by?
Can you name 5 other black British female instrumentalists?
I love how KOKOROKO blends jazz and cultural influences in their music! Speaking of making things stand out, I recently used a linkedin bold text generator to highlight key points in my social media posts—it's super handy for adding emphasis.
KOKOROKO do not simply play afrobeat or jazz; they blur genres to create a fresh, GeoGuessr hybrid sound that showcases how multicultural influences can come together to form something original, authentic, and uniquely British.