Rhythms pulse. Skins Resonate. Feet shuffle and heartbeats quicken. Waaju’s energy builds, weaving psychedelic soundscapes through potent beats, transcending the stage and melting into bodies. With a unique approach to a familiar sound, they rise from London’s rich cultural palette, proving UK Jazz doesn’t have to sound the way we expect it to.
Following on from their acclaimed self-titled 2018 debut, Waaju's newest offering "Grown" has been hailed internationally as one of the finest assimilations of the new UK Jazz sound and presents the band at their most commanding and refined.
Waaju is:
Ben Brown - drums, percussion
Sam Rapley - tenor saxophone
Tal Janes - guitar
Joe Downard - bass
Ernesto Marichales - congas, percussion
"Sometimes the music on 'Grown' feels like a trick of the light; it grooves so hard but it still sounds delicate. Even in the heaviest moments, Waaju play with a wonderful lightness of touch" - Jazzwise Magazine
"('Grown' is) a majestic spiritual jazz masterpiece"
- Songlines Magazine
"There’s a subtleness to the approach that we really like - as if these guys have deeply digested global influences, to a point where they hardly need to be slavish or similar in their music at all" - Dusty Groove, Chicago
"('Waaju' is) one of my favourite current tunes"
- Patrick Forge
"Never were we to be bored. If anything, it was to get even more captivating and with each member coming across in a way that was relaxed, yet self-assured, it was an early sign of them achieving the perfect balance in all areas"
- Listen To Discover
Gigs //
19/05/22 - Waaju + Majid Bekkas, Strange Brew, Bristol
20/05/22 - Waaju + Majid Bekkas, Church of Sound, London
03/06/22 - The Pumphouse, Snape
+ more coming very soon
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