Knocking Down The Door with Camilla George

The second episode in our new podcast series 'Knocking Down the Door' with partners Céline Peterson and Black Lives in Music, produced and hosted by Ashaine White. Platforming inspirational black women in the Jazz industry. In our second episode, we have Ifelayo guest hosting her first ever podcast and speaking to the inspirational Camilla George. Camilla George is a London based saxophone player, improviser, composer and teacher.She began playing when she was 11 years old where she won a music lesson and as a result, won saxophone lessons. Camilla has studied with many jazz greats such as sax giant, Jean Toussaint (of Art Blakey fame), Tony Kofi, Christian Brewer, Julian Siegal and Martin Speake. In 2012 she graduated with a Masters in Jazz from Trinity College of Music where she also won the Archer Scholarship for outstanding performance.Since 2004 Camilla has been working with both Tomorrows Warriors and the Nu Civilisation Orchestra (including a UK tour performing at many prestigious venues such as the Queen Elizabeth Hall), as well as leading workshops for the younger members of The Warriors family. In 2009 she joined award winning band, Jazz Jamaica whose alumni have included Jason Yarde, Soweto Kinch and Nathaniel Facey. In October 2009 she performed with Jazz Jamaica and Ernest Ranglin at London’s Ronnie Scotts jazz club. In 2013 Jazz Jamaica were nominated for a MOBO award for Jazz Performance. Most recently in October 2014, Camilla performed at Ronnie Scott’s for 3 consecutive nights with Jazz Jamaica. The performance received rave reviews and was a sell out performance. In 2014 she also joined Courtney Pine's Venus Warriors, an all female super group who had their debut gig at The Hideaway jazz club. Camilla’s love of fusing African and Western Music to make her own unique style is a key reason why she is a firm fixture on the new London Jazz scene alongside peers such as Nubya Garcia, Shabaka Hutchings and Zara McFarlane. Her music is a hypnotizing blend of Afrofuturism, hip hop and jazz. Camilla’s music is politically minded and heavily linked with African history and in particular slavery. Her latest album looks at tales that slaves passed onto their children through generations and whilst full of sorrow, is essentially a story of hope for black people and mankind that we can one day live together in harmony.   http://www.camillageorge.com/index.html https://blim.org.uk/ https://www.celinepeterson.com/