Kokoroko

Kokoroko, the London-based contemporary jazz collective, has released their new single ‘Three Piece Suit’ featuring Azekel.

Warm, rich and sumptuous in sound, ‘Three Piece Suit’ is a heartwarming tribute to the Nigerian immigrant experience. An initial draft of the track first began life at Kokoroko’s studio under the working title ‘Get The Message’.

Crackling through the track’s snug and patiently-arranged grooves are subtle touches of funk, adding new dimensions to the band's signature afrobeat and jazz sound in a way that recalls the work of Cymande. Further caressing the instrumentation is the incorporation of the Brazilian nose flute and woozy-sounding synth lines, effortlessly transporting the listeners back in time.

A conversation between Onome Edgeworth, the band’s percussionist and Azekel about their grandfathers who both landed in Balham from Nigeria in the 1960s would yield finishing touches that its rough sketches needed, bringing the song home to its final form.

Speaking on the track’s conception, Onome said: "We wrote the song thinking of our grandfathers arriving in London and the way they carried themselves and dressed in the 1960s. They were part of a dapper and suited generation that sowed the seeds for the worlds we’re building now. It speaks to our sentimental memories of a time that we know we can't have back”.

Palpable throughout are spiritual echoes resonating with ideas of home, lineage and ancestry. Speaking on this, Azekel said: “The song is about coming back, letting go and realizing that all things, past, present and future are intertwined.”

The unveiling of ‘Three Piece Suit’ comes alongside the news that Kokoroko will be releasing a brand new EP entitled ‘Get The Message’. Slated for release on November 1st via Brownswood Recordings, ‘Get The Message’ was created as an intentional vessel for joy. Heavily filled with themes of community, connection and relationships both romantic and platonic, the new EP is a manifestation of Kokoroko and their inner world.

The forthcoming EP will mark Kokoroko’s first dose of new music since the release of ‘Could We Be More Remixes’. The experimental and kaleidoscopic sister project to their 2022 debut album ‘Could We Be More’ which upon initial release earned critical plaudits from the likes of The Guardian, The Telegraph, Financial Times, Jazzwise, CRACK Magazine and Downbeat Magazine. The release would also garner their first Top 40 placement on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at No.30.

Enlisting some of contemporary music’s most forward-thinking artists like KeiyaA, Ash Lauryn, Stefan Ringer and Hagan to re-imagine the original album through a club-focused lens, ‘Could We Be More Remixes’ marked the beginning of the band being cast beyond spaces unrelated to the jazz sphere. A signal of their incoming next phase.