Sean Khan’s The Modern Jazz and Folk Ensemble for Rich Mix show
Mike Flynn
Thursday, January 30, 2025
The saxophonist’s widely acclaimed jazz folk project kicks off this year’s edition of the Afro Futures festival on 6 March at Rich Mix, London
One of 2024’s most beguiling albums appeared in the form of saxophonist Sean Khan’s eponymous The Modern Jazz & Folk Ensemble Volume One (released on the Acid Jazz label). It paid tribute to the sounds of the early 1970s folk revival, recast and reimagined through the vibrant jazz lens with help of legendary Pentangle lead singer Jacqui McShee, and rising star vocalists Rosie Frater-Taylor and Kindelan.
The project enjoyed a sell-out show at Ronnie Scott’s late last year (pictured above) and now returns as one of the main headliners of the Afro Futures Festival (6-9 March), the latest edition of Certain Blacks annual indoor festival. Khan will be joined by McShee, Frater-Taylor and his full live band at Rich Mix, East London for the event’s opening night.
Celebrating 10 years of artistic innovation, Certain Blacks is an East London-based arts development organisation known for championing artists from all dimensions of diversity, including different socioeconomic, ethnic, gender and neurodiverse identities. The organisation takes its name from the influential album by the innovative jazz collective Art Ensemble of Chicago, released in 1970.
For the full programme visit certainblacks.com/afro-futures-festival-2025
