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SUNDAY 7AM NZST
London based producer, pianist, bandleader and MC Alfa Mist today releases his acclaimed fourth full-length album Bring Backs, out now via ANTI-. https://alfamist.ffm.to/bringbacks
“a beautifully meditative and sumptuously produced body of work” – Loud & Quiet (UK)
“Alfa Mist presents an extraordinarily contemplative album, even for the already vibrant young London jazz scene, that sensually reflects on the search for meaning.” – Musikexpress (DE) 5/5
“Intensely dynamic” – Tip Berlin (DE) 5/5
“”Bring Backs” contains nine tracks that will make you change your mind about the state of jazz as a “dead language”.” Billboard (IT)
“a fascinating combination of jazz, hip-hop and soul” – Mania (NL)
To celebrate the launch of the album, Alfa played a free-to-view concert, streamed live on YouTube last night and only available until 7AM NZST Sunday 25th). Recorded in the legendary Metropolis Studios, the show sees Alfa play through the new album accompanied by a full 12 piece band – a full list of players and guests performing is below.
Alfa will also take Bring Backs on a full UK tour this November/December including a very special headline show at The Barbican on December 4th. Full tour dates are listed below, tickets are available to buy HERE.
LISTEN TO CURRENT SINGLE ‘TEKI’ HERE
Latest single ‘Teki’ is the opening track of Bring Backs and the third single to be taken from the album. Earlier this month Alfa released a solo session version of previous single ‘Organic Rust’ with COLORS (watch HERE), while the album’s first single ‘Run Outs’ earned a B List placement at BBC Radio 6 Music.
Bring Backs marks Alfa’s first release for the label ANTI- and is also the most detailed exploration of his upbringing in musical form. The album’s nine tracks of groove-based intricacies, lyrical solipsism and meandering fragmentations are tied together by a remarkable poem written by Hilary Thomas expressing the sensuous realities of building community in a new country. Entirely written and produced by Alfa, the album was recorded in London with a core band of longtime collaborators including Jamie Leeming (guitar), Kaya Thomas-Dyke (bass and vocals) and Johnny Woodham (trumpet).
Over the past 5 years Alfa has steadily established himself as one of the most dynamic and consistent talents to emerge from London’s widely celebrated jazz reformation. Building on long standing affiliations with the likes of breakout star Jordan Rakei, Alfa has always carved his own lane, following a distinctly outsider’s approach and free from the trappings of a traditional musical training. Having arrived at jazz in search of samples for his teenage hip-hop productions, Alfa eventually taught himself piano by ear and quickly developed a unique style, with hip-hop rhythms driving throughout the improvisational forms, all bound by a pervasive sense of melody. His first three solo albums ‘Nocturne’ (2015), ‘Antiphon’ (2017) and ‘Structuralism’ (2019) were all released on his own label Sekito, and were interspersed with countless collaborations and side projects, highlighting a prolific work ethic and true versatility across piano, rapping and production that has established Alfa at the centre of an amorphous cohort of talented musicians to emerge from London.
Alfa recently reworked Eddie Henderson’s jazz fusion classic ‘Galaxy’ for the celebrated Blue Note Re:imagined album, as well as collaborating with the London Contemporary Orchestra on a new version of his track ‘Confliction’ as part of a documentary with Spitfire Audio – watch HERE.
ALFA MIST 2021 TOUR DATES
Tue 23 Nov,Glasgow, St Luke’s
Wed 24 Nov, Newcastle, Riverside
Thu 25 Nov, Leeds, Belgrave Music Hall
Fri 27 Nov, Manchester, O2 Ritz
Mon 29 Nov, Birmingham, The Mill
Tue 30 Nov, Cardiff, The Globe
Thu 2 Dec, Bristol, Thekla
Sat 4 Dec, London, The Barbican
Sun 5 Dec, Brighton, Concorde 2
Wed 8 Dec, Dublin, Whelan’s
Bring Backs Tracklisting:
- Teki
- People (feat. Kaya Thomas-Dyke)
- Mind The Gap (feat. Lex Amor)
- Run Outs
- Last Card (Bumper Cars)
- Coasting
- Attune
- Once A Year
- Organic Rust
‘Bring Backs, Live at Metropolis Studios’ Band Lineup
Band: Alfa Mist – Keys, Kaya Thomas-Dyke – Bass/Double Bass, Samuel Rapley – Tenor Sax/Bass Clarinet, Jas Kayser – Drums, Jamie Leeming – Guitar, Junior Alli-Balogun – Percussion, Johnny Woodham – Trumpet/Flugel
Guest Vocal: Lex Amor
Amika String Quartet: Peggy Nolan – Cello, Lucy Nolan – Viola, Simmy Singh – Violin I, Laura Senior – Violin II
