You’d better get used to hearing the name CHELSEA CARMICHAEL because it’s going to be on the lips of every hardcore jazz fan up and down the country after her maiden album ‘The River Doesn’t Like Strangers’ is released next month.
A saxophonist by trade, 28-year-old Chelsea was born in Manchester and raised in Warrington but moved to London where she became immersed in the capital’s exciting new jazz scene and tasted success as a member of SEED Ensemble, a Mercury-nominated 10-piece band led by fellow saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi. Now, though, Chelsea is branching out and embarking on a career of her own, thanks to Sons Of Kemet’s reed maestro and producer Shabaka Hutchings, who had the foresight to make the young saxophonist the first signing of his new label, Native Rebel Recordings.
‘The River Doesn’t Like Strangers’ comes in the wake of two well-received singles Chelsea recorded for the label; a swirling maelstrom of melody and groove called ‘Myriad’ and the more recent ‘There Is You And You,’ a compelling example of the saxophonist’s energetic style and exciting improv skills. Both tracks are included in the album, which consists of ten songs and offers a broad showcase of Chelsea’s talents in the company of guitarist David Okumo, bassist Tom Herbert and Sons Of Kemet drummer, Ed Wakili Hick.
Chelsea Carmichael’s debut LP ‘The River Doesn’t Like Strangers’ is released by Native Rebel Recordings on October 22nd.
