Serious announces 2021 'Take Five' residency

Live music producers Serious have announced the participants of their fifteenth talent development scheme called Take Five – offering mentorship to eight emerging UK jazz and improvising musicians, funded by the PRS Foundation, Help Musicians, Arts Council England, Night Dreamer, Garrick Trust and Serious Trust.

This year’s cohort includes Jazz FM Awards 2020 nominees Rosie Turton and Sarathy Korwar, singer Noemi Nuti and bassist John Pope.

Going back fifteen years, the programme has brought through the likes of Seb Rochford (of Polar Bear), Shabaka Hutchings (Sons of Kemet, The Comet is Coming), Yazz Ahmed, and Nubya Garcia – serving as a pivotal moment in their careers that led to wider recognition, touring, record deals, and more.

Thanks to COVID-19, the residency has been delayed to early next year, but when it does happen, the group will be led by composer and saxophonist Jason Yarde.

This year’s eight participants are an eclectic group, demonstrating the vibrancy and variety of the UK’s burgeoning jazz scene and offering a taste of what is to come from the genre in the coming years. They are:

• Jasdeep Singh Degun (sitar, voice)
• Jelly Cleaver (guitar, voice, producer)
• Jemma Freese (keyboards, piano, voice)
• John Pope (double bass, bass guitar)
• Noemi Nuti (voice, Paraguayan harp, flute, and more)
• Rosie Turton (trombone)
• Sam Eagles (saxophone)
• Sarathy Korwar (drums, tabla, percussion)

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