Slept On Sunday shines a light on the best of what’s slept on in music and culture.
Can You Be Successful AND Slept On?
London-born jazz artist, composer and saxophonist Nubya Garcia presents an interesting debate. Can someone truly be slept on if they experience great success and recognition? I believe so, because they’re not always mutually exclusive.
In all regards, Nubya Garcia has experienced incredible success these past few years. She’s been featured in some major publications like New York Times, The Guardian, and Rolling Stone. She released her critically acclaimed debut album “SOURCE”. And just recently she featured on British Vogues ‘14 New Creatives Shaping Our Future‘, as well as NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert (At Home).
However, not a lot of people know who she is. This could be because she’s a jazz musician. It’s a niche genre, but that’s all the more reason to give her the shine she deserves.
The Mastery of Nubya Garcia
Garcia is a masterful musician. Her playing seems effortless and from the heart. She has the ability to evoke such a warm and comforting feeling from her instrument. The song “Stand With Eachother [Feat. Ms MAURICE, Cassie Kinoshi, & Richie Seivwright]” has quite possibly the warmest melody of 2020. It rarely leaves my head.
You can tell she is aware of the influences around her music as well. She has a very real appreciation, not only for the history of jazz, but in all adjacent genres. Track 7 on the album “La Cumbia Me Está Llamando [Feat. La Perla]” takes a traditional cumbia rhythm and turns it into jazz. More importantly, she turns it into her own.
A Talent To Watch
Garcia is more than worthy of your attention, if not a listen at the very least. She has a few projects you can go back and discover, and some awesome remixes that have recently come out since the release of SOURCE. It genuinely feels like she has her hand on the pulse of what makes Jazz exciting right now, so you can trust that she’ll continue to push it forward in her own way.
