British jazz musician Nubya Garcia released Odyssey, her second studio album, last year and she’s hit the road for some USA tourdates. She recently performed live at The Birchmere, and Chris Castillo was there to photograph the show.
The following article is adapted from a press release.
Nubya Garcia’s current tour — including her date at The Birchmere on April 1 — follows in the wake of her new opus, Odyssey (Concord Jazz). Featuring contributions from Georgia Anne Muldrow, Ritchie, and esperanza spalding, Odyssey further expands Nubya’s talents, incorporating her composing talents alongside her renowned saxophone playing. The music inspired features at The Cut, All Things Considered, and Stereogum while also garnering positive reviews from Pitchfork (8.0), Bandcamp (Album of the Day), and the New York Times.
Describing Odyssey, Garcia said, “It represents the notion of truly being on your own path, and trying to discard all the outside noise saying you should go this way or that way.”
It’s also inspired by life’s ever-changing, ever-continuing adventure, the twists and turns of living. Musically, the album finds Garcia orchestrating strings for the first time, having fallen back in love with composition and then studying a vast array of orchestral sounds.
Watch the official album trailer for Odyssey by Nubya Garcia on YouTube:
London-born saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Nubya Garcia brings a refreshing take on the genre — redefining what it means to be a jazz musician in the modern era. Garcia is the epitome of musical creativity, fusing elements of dub, R&B, and classical styles together with her commanding tone and fierce compositions. A former student of noted pianist and composer Nikki Yeoh, Garcia is constantly exploring, drawing influence from her London contemporaries and her Trinidad/Guyanan heritage while ignoring conventions of the genre.
Making waves following her debut album, Source, which was named one of Sound Of Life’s Greatest Jazz Albums of the 21st Century, the project received massive critical acclaim. With an NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert, a Pitchfork Best New Music review and a Rolling Stone Album of the Month mention, the New York Times hailed Source as “a sweeping set of jazz with Afro-Caribbean influences that funnels a life’s worth of experiences into an hourlong listen.” Upon release, the album entered the UK charts in the Top 30, and was nominated for the Mercury Prize, thrusting Nubya Garcia into the spotlight.
Here are some photos of Nubya Garcia performing live at The Birchmere on April 1, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Chris Castillo.
