Soweto Kinch

Soweto Kinch
Background information
Born	1978
Origin	London, England, UK
Genres	Jazz Hip Hop
Instruments	alto saxophone

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Soweto Kinch is a British jazz alto saxophonist and rapper. He was born in London in 1978 to a Barbadian father, who is a playwright, and British-Jamaican mother, who is an actress. Kinch began playing saxophone at the age of nine after learning clarinet at Allfarthing Primary School, London. After meeting Wynton Marsalis four years later he discovered and became passionate about jazz, first concentrating on piano and later, in his teens, focusing on alto saxophone. He attended Bromsgrove School, Worcestershire from the age of 13 through to completing his A levels at 18.

He obtained a degree in Modern History from Hertford College, University of Oxford in 1999, but decided to abandon further formal studies in favour of a jazz education after being offered a place within the core band of Tomorrow's Warriors (the development programme established by Gary Crosby in 1991 to nurture and develop talented young jazz musicians). As well as Crosby, Kinch's mentors include Courtney Pine and Denys Baptiste, and he made his recording debut - both as a performer and an arranger - with Crosby's Jazz Jamaica All Stars on their 2001 album, MASSIVE, which includes his own arrangement of jazz standard 'Vitamin A'.

In 2001 he also established the Soweto Kinch Trio - with bassist Michael Olatuja and drummer Troy Miller, which supported Courtney Pine at the former Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, Birmingham and performed at the Royal Festival Hall and Cheltenham International Jazz Festival.

Kinch has won numerous accolades including the Rising Star Award at the 2002 BBC Jazz Awards and the prestigious White Saxophone prize at the Montreux Jazz Festival. In 2003 and 2007 he won the MOBO prize for Best Jazz Act. In the same year his debut album Conversations With The Unseen was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, but Kinch lost to grime MC Dizzee Rascal. 2004 saw Kinch win two BBC Radio Jazz Awards; Best Instrumentalist and Best Band along with the Peter Whittingham Award for Jazz Innovation.

In 2006, Kinch released his second album, A Life In The Day Of B19 - Tales Of The Tower Block, the first instalment of a two-part concept album documenting the lives of three inner-city Birmingham men. The album features narration from Moira Stuart. The second part of the album was originally intended for a March 2007 release, but has been delayed with no clear indication of a date.

Kinch also moonlights as a member of the Pop Idol backing band The Big Blue.

Discography

• Conversations with the Unseen (2003) (Dune Records)
• A Life In The Day Of B19 - Tales Of The Tower Block (2006) (Dune Records)

External links

• Soweto Kinch on MySpace
• Soweto Kinch BBC Profile
• Soweto Kinch at dune-music.com
• Soweto Kinch interview at britishhiphop.co.uk
• Interview with Soweto about B19 and his home in Birmingham from a local podcast - this is a direct link to mp3 file.