Nubya Garcia: Odyssey review – a rich, orchestral journey of self-discovery

(Concord Jazz)
The British sax star rekindles her love for scoring strings on her second solo album, with the help of Chineke! Orchestra, Esperanza Spalding and more

Tenor saxophonist Nubya Garcia is one of the top-line names to emerge from the past decade’s explosion of young London jazz talent. Her second solo album foregrounds Garcia’s deepening compositional and arranging skills, as well as bravura performances from some longtime associates – keys player Joe Armon-Jones (Ezra Collective) and drummer Sam Jones, for two – plus input from a handful of female vocalists.

Cross-pollination is a jazz default; that tendency runs even stronger in the London cohort. This album’s orchestral bent also chimes with the recent, fine work of Cassie Kinoshi’s Seed Ensemble (Gratitude, 2024). But Odyssey is ultimately about Garcia – figuring out life, and rekindling her love for scoring strings.