Camilla George at Nisville

23 Jul Camilla George at Nisville

Camilla George is a visionary saxophonist, composer, bandleader and innovator.
Her strong cultural roots and love of fusing African and Western Music has informed
her own unique style, a key reason why she is a firm fixture on the new London Jazz
scene, alongside peers such as Nubya Garcia and Shabaka Hutchings.
Her music is a hypnotising blend of Afrofuturism, hip hop and jazz, with a politically
minded subtext that has a powerful connection to her Nigerian identity, lineage and
heritage, reflecting African history, culture and slavery.
Born in Eket, Nigeria, Camilla has been interested in music from an early age and
particularly in the fusion of African and Western music. She grew up listening to Fela
Kuti, as well as Jackie McLean and Charlie Parker. She began playing the
saxophone aged 11 years old, when she won a music contest where the prize
awarded her saxophone lessons.
Camilla went on to study with many jazz greats such as saxophone giant, Jean
Toussaint (of Art Blakey fame), Julian Siegal and Martin Speake at Trinity College of
Music where she gained a Masters in Jazz Performance, as well as being awarded
The Archer Scholarship for Outstanding Performance in 2011.
In 2009, she joined award-winning band Jazz Jamaica and performed with special
guest, Ernest Ranglin at Ronnie Scott’s jazz club. In 2013 Jazz Jamaica was
nominated for a MOBO award for Jazz Performance. They continue to perform
extensively all over the world.
In 2014, Camilla formed her own critically acclaimed project showcasing the stars of
the new UK Jazz Scene. Dubbed “The Golden Girl of Jazz” by The Evening
Standard, Camilla’s debut album, ‘Isang’ (pronounced E-SANG which means
‘journey’ in Ibibio her native language) received huge critical acclaim.
Her follow up album, ‘The People Could Fly’ which was released in September

2018, featuring special guest Omar, as well as in hugely respected guitarist Shirley
Tetteh, gained substantial critical acclaim with 4 star reviews from the Financial
Times and Jazzwise to name a few. The album and Camilla was featured on several
key playlists such as State of Jazz, and Camilla was the poster girl for Tidal’s British
Jazz playlist. The album looked at tales that slaves passed onto their children
through generations and, whilst full of sorrow, was essentially a story of hope for
black people and mankind that we can one day live together in harmony.
Her most recent album, ‘Ibio Ibio’, is a tribute to her tribe the Ibibio people of South
Eastern Coastal Nigeria. The album features an incredible lineup, including Daniel
Casimir, Sarah Tandy, Winton Clifford, Renato Paris, Sheila Maurice-Grey, Rosie
Turton, Shirley Tetteh, hip hop drummer, Daru Jones, Birmingham based rapper,
Lady Sanity and Sam Jones.
Ibio-Ibio was well-received by the press, with Mojo Magazine’s 4 star review stating
“George is the undoubted star, delivering criss-crossing solos with a ‘50s hard-bop
bent.” Other media coverage included a feature in Jazzwise Magazine.
Camilla was nominated for a Jazz FM award for Best Instrumentalist 2019, and in
2023 won ‘Best Jazz Act’ at the Urban Music Awards. She performed in the Jazz
Re:freshed showcase for SXSW, which was filmed at Abbey Road studios in 2021,
as well as the Jazzahead showcase in 2021 and reached the final in the DC Jazz
Prix in 2021. In 2023 Camilla was asked to star in a promotional video for Henri
Selmer Saxophones Paris.
Recent notable performances include North Sea Jazz Festival, where Camilla
performed with both her own group and as a featured artist in the ‘Diaspora Suite’
performance; Jazz a Vienne, where Camilla also sat in for a guest spot with Marcus
Miller; EFG London Jazz Festival, Jazz In The Park Romania, Brosella and Jazz
Onze Lausanne.