Ankora

Fast-rising on the UK jazz scene, instrumental octet Ankora draw inspiration from the legacies of Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson and Wayne Shorter, and the contemporary mastery of Esperanza Spalding, Geri Allen, Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts and Kenny Kirkland, to deliver a spirited show of largely original music. Shaped by their years of mentoring from London’s much-celebrated talent development organisation Tomorrow’s Warriors, Ankora seek to remain connected to their roots, while allowing composition and improvisation to lead them to places of hopeful newness. They are delighted to make their debut performance at PizzaExpress Live Soho. Ankora is a London based, eight-piece ensemble composed of Kezia Abuoma, Tami Adebanjo, Keira Chakraborty, Hannah Clifton, Klara Devlin, Aleks Dimitrova, Miranda Radford and Mali Sheard. Meeting at the hailed music organisation ‘Tomorrow’s Warriors’, these ambitious young musicians were previously selected to perform as the band ‘Tomorrow’s Warriors Frontline’, under the tutelage of acclaimed drummer and composer, Romarna Campbell. Ankora is the exciting new step the ensemble are taking to launch into the London jazz scene. The name ‘Ankora’ is derived from the Latin word for ‘anchor’ (anchora): a symbol of groundedness, hope and a connection to roots. These connotations are expressed through their repertoire of both originals and covers of powerful jazz tunes. The name links to an alternative meaning in Italian, ‘again’, marking the momentum of their rebirth as they continue their musical and artistic journey. The band's influences include the legacies of Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson and Wayne Shorter, while branching out to the more contemporary mastery of Esperanza Spalding, Geri Allen, Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts and Kenny Kirkland. The ensemble takes inspiration from the spark and power of these jazz legends, compositionally and in their playing. Ankora have already made their mark on the jazz scene through performances at venues such as Love Supreme Jazz Festival, We Out Here, Cheltenham Jazz Festival, The Vortex, The Royal Albert Hall's Elgar Room, Brick Lane Jazz Festival, Manchester Jazz Festival and The Jazz Café. Ready for more, the unique, powerful voice of the ensemble is excited to embrace the wonder and diversity of today's jazz scene.