New Mama Tokus album released: Spirit in the Room
Joyful jazz, social commentary with a groove and a funky form of feminism feature on a thrilling new album released by South Devon performers Mama Tokus and The King Tut Trio this month.
Spirit in the Room is a live recording of a show performed at Ashburton Arts Centre, with eight tracks of infectious, electric improvisation-infused words and music.
The album – available now as vinyl and downloads on music-streaming/selling site Bandcamp – will get an official launch at the band’s show at The Barrel House in Totnes on May 31 – the first of a new series of Sunday afternoon sessions ‘with Mama Tokus and friends’.
What’s on the album?
Mama Tokus is known for her spoken-word performances and has written lyrics for two of the album’s eight tracks, including songs about Baubo, the goddess of rude female humour (very close to Mama’s heart) and another about forgotten black women, called QueenSpeech.
Other tracks on the album feature numbers by Thelonious Monk, Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Gil Scott-Heron and more – although all are given new interpretations by the band, who are overseen by Tom Unwin on piano, Ric Byer on drums, Marcus Vergette on double-bass and Stig Olson on soprano and tenor saxophones.
“It’s an exciting listen for us and, we hope, people who buy the album,” said Mama Tokus. “It captures the virtuosity and the vibe, which is why I called it Spirit in the Room“.
The album was recorded before a capacity audience in the Ashburton music venue (which you can hear on the recording), by Totnes-based Rowland O’Connor, of Dartington-based Sorting Room Studios, so it is a local production.
Who is Mama Tokus?
Mama Tokus is a soulful singer, composer & performer, a spoken word artist, a jazz-gal and an ordained Priestess in the Church of the Latter-Day Dude.
She’s working to create Collective Joy in this crazy world with uplifting words, songs & shows and is inspired by funk, soul, gospel, blues and dance music, Mama Tokus writes, speaks, sings and performs her own compositions as well as soulful interpretations of vintage songs.
Jazz at the Bazza in May
Sunday 31 May is the first of a string of Mama Tokus & The King Tut Trio appearances booked into The Barrel House for the rest of this year. These are daytime gigs, beginning at 3pm. Sharing plates of food will be available, ensuring a convivial atmosphere for the show. It’s cheaper to get in if you buy Earlybird and Advance tickets online, priced at £6 and £8 respectively. And you can also buy a £30 combo-ticket that includes the vinyl album (normally priced at £25) with accompanying downloads.
Online tickets for all Mama Tokus and King Tut Trio gigs are on sale at www.wegottickets.com/mamatokus