Myele Manzanza on his latest release and upcoming Blues Kitchen show
World-renowned drummer/composer, Myele Manzanza, continues to dissolve the borders between modern jazz and electronic beat production, being raised on a staple diet of hip hop, jazz and dance music in his youth. Having moved to London at the beginning of the pandemic, Myele is already developing a strong live presence in his new London home; his quartet has shared stages with the likes of Hiatus Kaiyote, The Bad Plus, Alfa Mist, and drawing packed houses to top venues such as The Jazz Café and Ronnie Scott’s. Tapping into the vibrant London scene, Myele now readies his next project on London-based label DeepMatter 'Crisis & Opportunity' Vol. 3, 4 & 5. Weaving his unique blend of forward thinking & genre bending jazz, broken beat, electronica and world music, Manzanza drives the band forward through sets of original compositions, inspired by the city of London that he now calls home.
Myele Manzanza performs live at The Blues Kitchen on 23rd November.
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Q. What can audiences expect from your upcoming gig at the Blues Kitchen?
It's going to be a banger. I've been busy in the rehearsal studio with my bandmates Lewis Moody (from Australia) and Benjamin Muralt (from Switzerland) and we've been really dialling in on our trio dynamic and working out the nuances which has been a lot of fun. Expect a wide range of style from Jazz Messengers-esque hard bop to some Detroit house & even a hint of free jazz in places. But don't let that scare you, it's going to be a cohesive show with something for everyone.
Q. Tell us a bit about your latest release, Crisis & Opportunity Vol.1
It was borne out of the Covid 19 lockdowns of 2020 / 2021, where I had nothing but time and a desire to keep myself busy lest I fall into the existential trap of having nothing to do. I had just moved to London in late 2019 and was just beginning to get the ball rolling before the lockdowns came in, but despite that, London & the UK as a whole has been very good to me, and I wanted to make something that was a hat-tip / offering to the city that I now call home.
Q. You were recently in Manchester with Ashley Henry's band - what did you get up to in the city?
Not gonna lie, that was an excellent gig. For whatever reason, everything just seemed to come together musically that night. I think a combination of the musician's mood, the ease of the instruments as well as the love from the Manchester audience. As much as I love London, they're a little bit spoilt when it comes to live music, so playing to the people of Manchester where people don't take the arts for granted so much was a real joy. To be fair, we didn't get up to much in the city as we had to shoot off early the next morning for our next gig, but I'll have a little more time in Manchester this time around so hopefully I'll get a better idea of the flavour of the place.
Q. As a native of New Zealand, who would you recommend to UK audiences looking to check out the NZ jazz scene?
To name a few... Jonathan Crayford, Riki Gooch / Eru Dangerspiel, Lucien Johnson, The Jac, Umar Zakaria, Callum Allardice. There's countless others doing great work, and especially the younger cats coming out now who are perhaps a little more open minded, starting to find their own sound and hungry for it. I think when we get out of the whole Covid / lockdown / travel restriction situation a few of them will be making the rounds in the northern hemisphere and I'm definitely excited for that.
Q. What's coming up in 2022 for you?
The big projects will be finishing off Crisis & Opportunity Vol. 3, 4 & 5. They're all pretty close but there'll just be the fine details of mixing and mastering to get sorted. Hopefully there'll be a little more global action around Europe / America and fingers crossed back home in New Zealand / Australia when the borders begin to open again. Other than that, just trying to take things a day at a time, keep pushing myself artistically and be as good a human being as I can.