Nubya Garcia

In the organizer's words:

Nubya Garcia is an artist who is difficult to pigeonhole. Is it jazz? Sure, the London-born saxophonist, composer and bandleader grew up studying the genre under renowned pianist Nikki Yeoh at Camden Music. But it's only when you listen to albums like Source (2020) and Odyssey (2024) that you realize the broader creativity that shines through: it's jazz, classical, dub, R&B and whatever else Garcia wants to express. It all stems from a place of exploration and self-study, a desire to do everything and express himself in all disciplines without being pigeonholed into arbitrary categories.

Garcia's second album, Odyssey, out September 2024 on Concord Jazz, is a majestic work on which she blends orchestral arrangements with R&B, jazz, broken beat and dub to create a gorgeous, nuanced album that feels airy and celestial without sacrificing groove. It's a deeply personal work, about her journey to rediscover a love of musical composition over the past four years.

Source, her 2020 debut album, was released on Concord Jazz and received tremendous critical acclaim: an NPR Tiny Desk (Home) concert, a Pitchfork review as "Best New Music" and an "Album of the Month" mention in Rolling Stone. In an article, the New York Times called Source "a wide-ranging jazz set with Afro-Caribbean influences that channels a lifetime of experiences into an hour of music." The album also entered the top 30 in the UK charts following its release, and Garcia was one of only three artists to perform live at the Glastonbury 2020 Experience, which was seen by thousands of viewers on the BBC. Source was also nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize, which recognizes the best albums from the UK or Ireland.

In 2022, Garcia toured the US in support of Khruangbin, performing to sold-out venues including Radio City Music Hall in New York, the Ryman in Nashville and the Met in Philadelphia. She then embarked on her own headlining tour in the UK and US, playing various festivals including Glastonbury, Love Supreme, Pickathon and Newport Jazz.

Garcia continues to tour worldwide while collaborating with major brands such as Lululemon, Paul Smith, Labrum, Nicholas Daley and Burberry. She was one of three creatives selected for Fossil's "Moment In Time" campaign, which was published worldwide in magazines such as VOGUE, GQ and GLAMOUR. Garcia has also been featured in numerous print publications including Mojo, Vogue and Ebony.

As a composer, Garcia's original music has been used in productions such as Apple TV (Ted Lasso), OWN Network (Cherish The Day), FX TV (Atlanta), EPIC GAMES (Fortnite) and various podcasts (including the theme music for Anika Noni Rose's Clio Award-winning podcast Being Seen).

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