Nubya Garcia On Fusing Jazz Music Into The Mainstream
Nubya Garcia, photography by Danika Lawrence
To celebrate the release of the latest album Source, Nubya Garcia takes Jodi Clarke on a walk-through of her youth in Camden, their journey into the jazz scene and Forwards Festival.
There’s an overcast in south London at about 3pm on a Tuesday, where I set up the Zoom link to meet jazz princess Nubya Garcia. The first thing I’m welcomed by is a great smile, “Well, it’s lovely to meet you Jodi, my name is Nubya Garcia and I make music,” she assures me. In a couple of minutes, the conversation quickly delved into her feelings for future steps into her career while seamlessly edging closer to the camera, relaxing her shoulders in preparation for the questions ahead.
In recent years, the jazz music scene has flourished into a refreshing cultural renaissance across the UK, from London to Manchester among younger listeners. The youth now contribute to the movement, where confident, vibrant and expressive silhouettes are presented with an architectural backdrop of the urban lifestyle.
Though Nubya recently announced a new upcoming album Odyssey, live performances will always be one of her main priorities. “We’ve just come off the back of many festivals, so it’s been amazing to play the new music, and then to tease some of the latest bits that are coming out, in a month now,” she says. While performing remains a beloved memory, the performance at Forwards Festival brings excitement to what’s to come, leading her into a future filled with endless hope. “Bristol, they love music and that’s exciting. I love to perform; I love to tour and it’s been interesting slowly moving into playing the new music and to see how people respond.” Live connection to fans at a festival being held in a city deeply associated with presenting high quality, diverse and heritage music is a resonant medium for artists and audience alike to really engage in a way music is meant to be experienced; its visceral form.
As the afternoon unfolded, our discussion on Nubya’s musical beginnings revealed surprisingly just how early the musician picked up an instrument- “I have been playing music since I was 3 years old, I’m 32 now, so I know music much more than I don’t, it’s been in my life for a long time.” Nubya explained, “The violin is where I started, then the recorder, later the piano which I didn’t enjoy as much, but loved music that diverted me towards the saxophone,” she says, referencing the instrument she holds as a musical partner in her craft.
Nubya Garcia, photography by Danika Lawrence
Nubya’s childhood in north London holds a nostalgic feeling for her, the opportunity to join a jazz group at Camden Music at the age of 11 years old, later introduced like-minded individuals and a community. The conversation flowed from Nubya’s early years into homegrown influences, at 32 years old, she still reignites with her stepdad’s musical background installing a sense of “love for making music” and “my older brothers and sisters were the closest in inspiration in terms seeing them go to music school,” she says. But her drive has now been shaped beyond influences: “I wanted to become part of the club, there was a lot of music playing at home from many different genres. So, I believe I slotted in something completely different.”
“I think it’s interesting because I was only around people my age at these weekend courses at Tomorrow’s Warriors which is a youth development organisation”, Nubya continues, with an absorbed look on her face. “Women existed in jazz, they just weren’t pushed to the forefront or written about, so it was assumed over hundreds of years that they weren’t present; misogyny and sexism exist, there are phenomenal female musicians in history.”
Female voices greatly dominated the jazz scene, revered by untold stories, and deemed to be purposely excluded within our scriptures. Now, it too stands as a testament to women in jazz today, where many are surrounded by other women to be inspired by. Nubya explains, “I feel that I’m around people and musicians who respect me,” as the conversation deepened, the light dimmed upon Nubya’s blood-red t-shirt. “Without going too deep into it, unfortunately, the way society has been set up, the powers that be want to dominate and exploit.”
Nubya’s eager and open approach to life through playing the saxophone, fuelled by an unwavering commitment to music, has left only fond memories, “I tried it and felt that it was more suited to me with a natural feeling to want to learn more, you build something that resonates with you,” a powerful closing sentiment on personal evolution alongside creativity.