Personnel: Soweto Kinch (Alto + Tenor Saxophones, Keys, Rap Vocals, Beat Box + Freestyle, Hand claps), Femi Temowo (Guitar, Acoustic Guitar), Michael Olatuja (Double Bass, Bass Guitar), Troy Miller (Drums), Abram Wilson (Trumpet), Denys Baptiste (Tenor Saxophone), (Harry Brown (Trombone), Eska Mtungwazi (Vocals), Rasiyah (Vocals), Francis Mott (Vocals), Jason Yarde (Hand Claps).
Cast:
Narrator Moira Stuart
‘ S” Soweto Kinch
Annoying Woman Soweto Kinch
Perge Perge
Marcus Toyin Kinch
Interviewer - Bianca Le Bubble Kim Trusty
Da Man Soweto Kinch
Da Man’s manager Jonathan Kidd
Adrian Breis
Trash talker 1 Abram Wilson
Trash talker 2 Soweto Kinch
Guy in black hood MC Jonzi D
Cypher Jonzi D, Soweto Kinch, Dannie Hoch
Nigerian announcement MC Femi Temowo
Minni Minni Mic MC Soweto Kinch
Egor the alter ego Soweto Kinch
Producer: Tony Platt
Co-Producer: Soweto Kinch
A truly groundbreaking recording project from this fabulous young artist who has created a major stir on both sides of the Atlantic. His debut album, Conversations With The Unseen (DUNECD08) earned international acclaim for successfully blending jazz and hip-hop where so many others had failed, bagging him Mercury/MOBO/Urban Music Awards, a sackful of BBC Jazz Awards, and more. Soweto’s latest offering brings the two genres closer still and highlights his incredible talents not only as a jazz player but also as a leading narrative rap artist and MC.
A Life In The Day Of B19 is a two-part tale – Tales Of The Tower Block (release 2006), and Basement Fables (release 2007) – that follows three fictional characters as they each come to terms with the pitfalls of celebrity; tempestuous, romantic entanglements; and the solitude of the musician’s quest. Traversing jazz, hip-hop and poetry, it weaves a narrative and message of hope through a diverse range of musical worlds. The music features explosive jazz and inspirational narrative hip hop.
‘B19’ (the project’s abbreviated title) is an inspired duology that marks a massive upward shift in Soweto’s stature as a significant, major artist. The album features the award-winning BBC Television newsreader, Moira Stuart; the inimitable vocalist, Eska Mtungwazi; and Soweto’s highly charismatic label mate, trumpeter Abram Wilson amongst a cast of many, underpinned by his award-winning quartet.
“Whereas Conversations With The Unseen took hip hop to a jazz audience, B19 aims to take jazz to the hip hop audience” says Soweto.
Mr Kinch demonstrates what England has to teach [the USA] about narrative hip-hop. Don’t sleep on Mr Kinch. The New York Times
A rawness and power that mark him out from his peers in British jazz. The Independent
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