Ese & The Vooduu People: Jazz is What We Say It Is!

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Last Show: Tuesday 15 th August 2023

PizzaExpress Live (Holborn)

London 'electric soul' collective Ese & The Vooduu People returns to PizzaExpress Live with a two-set, heady stew of improvised rock, jazz, Afrobeat and soul – and some surprise guests. Anything could happen and almost certainly will, so expect the unexpected!

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“Damn good rockin’ band... a nice band to hang around when they’re playing. Really cool…”

(iggy Pop)

Ese Okorodudu is founder and leader of the extended musical family that is Ese & The  Vooduu People. London-born singer-songwriter Ese (vocals, guitar) is backed a floating pool of some of the UK's best musicians. She's inspired by an eclectic selection of legends from Sly & The Family Stone and Led Zeppelin to Dr John and Skunk  Anansie via David Bowie and Prince. A killer live act, with an emphasis on improvisation and virtuosity, E&TVP are signed to Quadrafon Music Industries and have released two full-length albums as well as a number of EPs and singles. A third album, entitled “Glowing” is due for release in the Autumn of 2023.

Over the past couple of years they have been experimenting with adding jazz and African flavours to their already heady and eclectic musical stew. The first fruits of this have just been released on a new mini-album, Tainted Love. This will be followed by a more ‘overtly jazzy’ EP in the summer.

Says Ese: "Jazz appeals to me not just because of its spirituality, expressiveness and spontaneity – it's also a very broad church with hundreds of denominations. Sun Ra is supposed to have once said ‘Jazz is what I say it is’ – I like that attitude. As a musician, I'm sometimes pigeonholed as a rocker or a soul singer but really I'm interested in crossing borders and mixing genres."

Band Line Up

Ese Okorodudu (electric guitar, vocals)

Jackson Baird (keyboards)

Indigo Pearce (bass)

Kissangwa Mbouta (drums, vocals)

Wilmer Sifontes (percussion)

Sheena Ross (vocals, BVS)

Teodoro Verdossi (electric guitar)

Vanya Lima (backing vocals)

+2 guest musicians on Saxophone and Trumpet