Unapologetic Expression: The Inside Story Of The UK Jazz Explosion
Andr�� Marmot
424 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-571-37448-9
Faber & Faber
2024

Anyone who has kept half an eye on the UK/London jazz scene since the turn of the century will likely be aware that jazz there has gone from being low- key—in terms of popularity and visibility—to becoming something of a cultural buzzword. Where it was once stigmatized as elitist and dated, and mocked by satirical TV shows, jazz has risen to be hip once more, with its chief flag bearers courted by major labels and international festivals and their music championed by specialist media and broadsheet newspapers alike. How this transformation came about—and the deeper meanings it represents—is at the heart of author Andr�� Marmot's stimulating book.

Jazz' new success—and the focus here is really on London—also marks a significant cultural and historical shift according to Marmot. The last time jazz was big news in the UK, in the mid to late-'80s, the stars of the day were predominantly of Caribbean heritage—the children of the Windrush generation. Fast-forward to 2024 and many of the leading figures of this new wave of jazz acolytes are the children of African immigrants whose music reflects both their heritage and their urban environment.

One of the main threads of Marmot's well researched and highly readable narrative is the socio-cultural parallel between this generation of London jazz artists and the historical roots of the music. The forces of imperialism, colonialism and globalization that brought jazz into existence over a century ago, he argues, continue to shape the music's evolution in the UK today, with London at its epicenter. This is a story not just of jazz, but of post-colonial Britain.

It is the story of how musicians like