When you’ve spent the year on the road, the Barbican has to feel like a special place to come home to. YolanDa Brown is the double MOBO award-winning saxophonist rounding off her nationwide tour next month with an unmissable homecoming night at the Barbican, as part of The EFG London Jazz Festival.

Having taught herself the sax at thirteen, YolanDa’s latest album takes listeners on a journey of Reggae and rhythms from the Caribbean, peppered with those supreme Jazz inflections that make it clear to see how YolanDa holds centre stage. On 15th November, she’ll be launching her new album, Reggae Love Songs, and joined for this extra special night in London with her ten-piece band and friend and vocalist Shingai Shoniwa of The Noisettes.

Ahead of her show, Run Riot caught up with YolanDa to talk about fusing genres, making jazz as accessible as possible and all the familiar faces she’s been able to invite on stage.

Run Riot: You’ve described the saxophone as your voice and that you can sing through your songs- do you feel you can say more that way?

YolanDa Brown: Yes! I feel that music is a very emotional experience for the listener and the player no matter the genre. Music makes you want to dance, cry, reminisce, share the moment and sometimes words can get in the way. A lot of music is open to interpretation, even though the general feeling can be established. At my shows I love to introduce the song and share what I felt when writing the song and what it means to me but after that it is up to the listener. I think a deeper connection is made that way. I have had many heartwarming conversations with audience members after shows where they describe what the music made them feel or a person it made them remember and how they felt what I was saying through my playing.

RR: How have you found being self-taught as a saxophonist has changed your relationship with playing it?

YB: I think that being self-taught has it pros and cons. My most overwhelming experience is the sense of freedom that I feel. I don’t think of notes or theory when playing and I very much feel that the moment and emotion drive what I play. I play what I feel and focus on my expression in the phrases. However, on the other hand I do love the idea that there is a theory and formula to music and that when you come across a chord progression or key that feels challenging there is a solution to help you through it with musical knowledge. It is important to have a balance. But the self-taught element allows for freedom of improvisation and in my mind thinking outside of the logical music box.

RR: You’ve also argued in the past that jazz is very accessible - what do you think people’s biggest misconceptions about the genre are? How do programmes like the EFG London Jazz Festival help to change that? How do you want it to change? Perhaps it doesn’t need to!

YB: I think that we have been taught (somewhere along the line) that every musical genre is for a certain type / class / race or culture of person. When really music in the wider sense of the word is for everyone to enjoy. Jazz in particular has been known to be for the sophisticated, Jazz club going, deep thinker and that it would be difficult for anyone else to “get it”. However the basis of Jazz is in the improvisation of the player and the interpretation of the listener. I think that Jazz is for everyone. Jazz as a genre takes on so many forms and is a really exciting genre to explore, but over time has required the listener to look for it to hear it played. Now Jazz can be heard a lot more in what would be called the “mainstream” and as a result makes the access to it a lot easier. Music festivals really do help to allow audiences to hear (and enjoy) something that is new to them and it is wonderful that festivals like the EFG London Jazz Festival offer such a diverse range of Jazz concerts that the general public along with the jazz connoisseur can experience. I love to and will continue to play my natural rhythm in Jazz. By collaborating with open-minded Jazz promoters and Festivals, I will continue to play my part in making the genre more accessible and find new ways to express it.

RR: What’s it been like fusing jazz influences with reggae rhythms on your album and then the tour this year? How do you find a mid-point to represent them both?

YB: Jazz forms the basis of so many genres and it’s key is improvisation. With that in mind it works so well in combination with other genres. It’s how I was introduced to it and how I love to play it! I really enjoy fusing the genres on my Reggae Loves Songs tour and also on my original songs for the album, they work really well together. Reggae has a natural rhythm that I find works with your heartbeat. It creates a wonderful background for improvisation and can be toned up to for a lively and energetic feel and toned down for a more ballad and reflective moment. The rhythm and bass lines form a wonderful backdrop to Jazz chord progressions and plenty of freedom for improvisation, which I love! It is the perfect match for my natural rhythm and for me as a player, I feel.

YolanDa Brown on stage with Mica Paris 

RR: You’ve got an incredible list of collaborators and people you’ve shared a stage with for your Reggae Love Songs tour. What’s it like bringing friends and other musicians on stage? And who has been the most surprising collaborator?

YB: It has been a wonderful experience to have such a wide selection of friends and special guests on the tour. The thing I love best is that no two nights of the tour are the same. Every time we play the songs there is an organic chemistry between the band, the audience, the guests and myself! When the song finally comes to an end we all exhale and enjoy the moment. Having voice and sax duet works so well and the energy on the stage is electric! We rehearse, but on the night the songs take on a life of their own and I have great memories of collaborations with Matt Cardle, Lemar, reuniting with the amazing Mica Paris and of course “Stir it Up” with Bob Marley’s son Julian Marley at a sold out Hackney Empire.

RR: How did you get to know Shingai Shoniwa?

YB: I first met Shingai at a show we were both playing at the O2 Arena a few years back. I had always wanted to meet her and knocked on her dressing room door to introduce myself. She has such amazing energy and kind spirit and had heard of me too. From that point I knew we had to work together. We met again backstage at a music festival we were both playing and when my tour came around she was first on my list to ask. She has joined me on the tour already in Liverpool and it was a fantastic time on stage, we can’t wait to do it all again in London at the Barbican!

RR: Can you give away anything about your performance on 15th November?

YB: It has been a fantastic year on the Reggae Love Songs Tour and I am so excited to end it in my home city at the Barbican. It will be a night of Reggae, Jazz and Soul exploring the different ways we experience love with original compositions and re-arranged classics. Full of improvisation, interaction from the audience and of course special guests. It’s a show for those that are new to live music and Jazz and the seasoned concert goer ready to have a unique experience.

RR: You’ve played all over the world this year- what’s it like coming back to London? What stands out to you when you perform here?

YB: London is and always feels like home. I am so grateful for the support of everybody that comes to my London shows and having had them in the audience time and time again they really do feel like family! There is a familiarity that makes the interaction between the auditorium and the stage such a great connection throughout the night. This has a fantastic effect on where the show goes and instead of feeling the initial wind up of an introduction for the first song, we definitely pick up where we left off!

YolanDa Brown: Reggae Love Songs at the Barbican

15th November

20:00 £20-£30 plus booking fee

Info and booking

Visit YolanDa’s website here and follow her on Twitter at @YolanDaBrownUK.

The EFG London Jazz Festival runs from Friday 11th to Sunday 20th November, featuring over 2,000 artists, 300 gigs and across 50 venues.

Find out more information about the festival here.