TSR Presents: A Night of New Jazz
Join us for an unforgettable evening of original jazz music, performed by three of the best up and coming jazz bands in London.
ACT 1: Between Rivers
Between Rivers is a 8 piece band led by guitarist and composer Manuel Humaran. Now in his third year studying at the Royal Academy of Music in the jazz department, Manuel has formed this group featuring some of the finest upcoming jazz musicians in the London scene who have all been taught by prestigious figures in the UK and European jazz scene.
The music is heavily inspired by various different genres such as jazz, funk, Latin American music, and singer songwriters.
ACT 2: Kikimiki
Kikimiki is a young jazz fusion band based in London and led by vocalist and flautist Keira Chakraborty. Kikimiki plays mostly original music with an all-female frontline. Their music blends vocal and instrumental styles, with a particular emphasis on vocal harmonies, bringing a reflective, relaxed, and joyful energy to the music. Inspirations include Nubya Garcia, Elena Pinderhughes, Ezra Collective, Olivia Dean, Gregory Porter, and Ahmad Jamal.
Members are currently studying at the Royal Academy of Music and are also members of Tomorrow’s Warriors and Kinetika Bloco, and the band itself began as part of the Tomorrow’s Warriors Emerging Artists program. Most musicians come from a background in jazz music, and while being a relatively new group,have played together in different combinations for years.
They have performed at We Out Here Festival, Brick Lane Jazz Festival, The London EFG Jazz festival, Next Door Records, and Karamel, and band members have played at Love Supreme Festival, The Vortex, The Jazz Cafe, and Dizzy’s Jazz Club in New York. Ready for more, the band continues to write music and is excited to share their unique musical style with new audiences.
ACT 3:
Led by vocalist Laura AlYousif, this London-based jazz ensemble is made up of Cambridge University music graduates with a shared history in the Cambridge University Jazz Orchestra (CUJO). Having performed together extensively during their time in Cambridge, across concert halls, festivals and late-night shows, the group brings a strong sense of musical chemistry and collective identity to their live performances.
Laura AlYousif is a vocalist and sound designer whose work spans jazz performance, contemporary songwriting and music for screen. During her time at Cambridge, she was the principal vocalist and VP of CUJO, and was heavily involved in the wider live music scene. Now based in London, she works in music supervision alongside her performance practice, bringing a sharp ear for texture, narrative and mood to the band’s repertoire.
Trumpeter and bandleader Finlay Waugh is a London-based composer, orchestrator and conductor working across jazz performance, media scoring and education. Former Musical Director of CUJO, Finlay has collaborated with leading UK jazz artists including Mark Armstrong, Zara McFarlane and Mark Kavuma.
On keys is Zach Yarrow, a keyboardist, singer and arranger whose work moves fluidly between jazz, funk, classical and pop. Zach has performed solo and collaborative sets at venues across London including the Troubadour, Dream Bags Jaguar Shoes, Engine Rooms E3 and the Moustache Bar, and has extensive experience accompanying singers and working in bands.
Drawing on their shared background and wide-ranging influences, the ensemble’s sets combine reworked standards, original material and inventive takes on contemporary repertoire, with a focus on feel, interplay and a modern small-group sound.
