THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “London saxophonist, composer and bandleader Nubya Garcia’s new album Odyssey is, as the title suggests, an ambitious, epic journey. In a largely male-dominated scene, Garcia has carved herself a prominent space, and invites other brilliant Black female musicians to join her on this adventure, namely: Esperanza Spalding, Richie Seivwright and Georgia Anne Muldrow.
Describing Odyssey, Garcia says; “It represents the notion of truly being on your own path, and trying to discard all the outside noise saying you should go this way or that way.” It’s also inspired by life’s ever-changing, ever-continuing adventure, the twists and turns of living. Musically, the album finds Garcia orchestrating strings for the first time, having fallen back in love with composition and then painstakingly studying a vast array of orchestral sounds. The bigger, bolder result is a widescreen soundscape that traverses jazz, classical, R&B and dub. Co-produced by returning collaborator Kwes, Odyssey follows up Garcia’s widely celebrated, Mercury Music Prize-nominated 2020 debut Source.
Lead single The Seer, a propulsive cut with double-time drums, upper register piano chords and echoed saxophone wails, reflects Garcia’s efforts to find clarity. “Wishing that you could get a peek at the future,” she says, “or even just gathering some guidelines in your own future so that you could know that you’re on the right path.” Though the song is about trying to catch a vision of the future, the music — with its ominous piano chords, stampeding drum break and blazing horn — charges forcefully to the unknown.
Garcia is a multi award-winning artist. She has toured extensively, playing venues and festivals across Latin America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the United States. Her reputation as a DJ is also burgeoning; she helmed a popular radio residency, and plays a growing number of live sets across Europe. Garcia has collaborated with major brands, and her music has been placed on multiple TV shows and podcasts.”
