Camilla George alto saxophone / Renato Paris vocals & keyboards / Jihad Darwish bass / Rod Youngs drums
Camilla George is a visionary saxophonist, composer, bandleader and innovator. Her strong cultural roots and love of fusing African and Western Music has informed her own style, a key reason why she is a firm fixture on the new London Jazz scene, alongside peers such as Nubya Garcia and Shabaka Hutchings. Her music is a hypnotising blend of Afrofuturism, hip hop and jazz, with a politically-minded subtext that has a powerful connection to her Nigerian identity, lineage and heritage, reflecting African history, culture and slavery.
Born in Eket, Nigeria, Camilla has been interested in music from an early age and particularly in the fusion of African and Western music. She grew up listening to Fela Kuti, as well as Jackie McLean and Charlie Parker. She began playing the saxophone aged 11 years old, when she won a music contest where the prize awarded her saxophone lessons.
Her most recent album, Ibio Ibio, is a tribute to her tribe, the Ibibio people of South Eastern Coastal Nigeria. “George is the undoubted star, delivering criss-crossing solos with a ‘50s hard-bop bent.” - Mojo Magazine,
Camilla won Best Jazz Act at the 2023 Urban Music Awards, performed in the Jazz Refreshed showcase for SXSW, (filmed at Abbey Road studios) and reached the final in the DC Jazz Prix in 2021.
Recent notable performances include North Sea Jazz Festival, (where Camilla performed with her own group and as a featured artist in the Diaspora Suite performance); Jazz a Vienne (where Camilla sat in with Marcus Miller) and EFG London Jazz Festival.
A festival favourite, Camilla makes a welcome return to mjf with her latest quartet.
