Tomorrow’s New Quartet: All Together, NoW! (UBU0110)

Ubuntu Music is delighted to announce the signing of the talented young ensemble, Tomorrow’s New Quartet, for the release of their debut album, All Together, Now!, on 20th May 2022.

Led by drummer Rod Oughton, the music was born out of the deepest, darkest depths of lockdown. It was composed in isolation in his north-west London flat, in the latter half of 2020, and rehearsed at irregular intervals throughout the spring months of the following year (restrictions allowing).

Rod is a British jazz drummer/composer who is currently based in Amsterdam. He has worked with the James Taylor Quartet, Hailey Tuck and Hudson Taylor, and has performed in Cuba, Dubai and Saudi Arabia as well as all over the UK and Europe. His own band, OK Aurora, released their debut album to a sold-out Pizza Express Soho audience in August 2021. The album went on be featured by BBC Introducing and Jazz FM and received a 5 Star review from Jazz Journal.

Rod explains the genesis of his latest project: “I think the music encompasses everything I was feeling during that period, from fear and uncertainty to fleeting moments of optimism. There’s even one tune on the album dedicated to my neighbour who sadly passed away from Covid related complications in November 2020.”

Rod continues: “I named the band ‘Tomorrow’s New Quartet’ as I felt it embodied the optimism that composing this music and arranging the recording of this album gave me. This project provided a sense of purpose during that challenging period, and this album is the final product of all that work. The band’s line up comprises of Helena Kay, Deschanel Gordon, Flo Moore and myself. These guys are some of my favourite musicians to play with and I felt super lucky that they agreed to get involved and continued to contribute so much to the project.”

Scottish saxophonist Helena Kay has recently spent time in New York City, studying and playing locally. Electric bass extraordinaire Flo Moore continues to manage her hectic schedule, performing and recording. And keyboard ace Deschanel Gordon, BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year, maintains his relentlessly demanding schedule.

Concerning his extended relationship with Ubuntu Music, Rod elaborates: “I’m really happy to release this album on Ubuntu. Martin’s help with the debut OK Aurora release (‘Only In Autumn’) was invaluable and I feel very lucky that he is involved with this release as well. I really feel as though Ubuntu is a force for good in UK Jazz, and the fact that they work just as hard for emerging artists as they do for their top talent is testament to this.”

Martin Hummel, Director of Ubuntu Music, shares his perspective: “It was a pleasure working with Rod on his OK Aurora release last year. When he approached me about Tomorrow’s New Quartet, it was a no-brainer. Helena, Deschanel and Flo have all appeared on previous Ubuntu releases. It’s an exceptional line-up and they delivered a fantastic record. These four are ones to watch. Welcome to the Ubuntu Music Family.”