Live music producers Serious have announced the participants for this year’s edition of the talent development scheme Take Five – an annual programme for eight emerging jazz and improvising musicians from across the UK. This year’s participating musicians are Charlotte Keeffe (trumpet, flugelhorn, piano, voice), Dominic Canning (piano/synth), Marcus Joseph (alto saxophone), Midori Jaeger (cello/voice), Misha Mullov-Abbado (double bass/electric bass), Nishla Smith (voice), Rosie Frater-Taylor (voice/guitar), and Xhosa Cole (saxophone).  

This month, the participants will take part in an online residency week that will include talks, discussions and breakout sessions with leading industry experts. The aim of this week is to provide the participants with information about the industry, allowing them the time and space to think about how to advance their music and careers. The sessions will cover topics such as working with agents and labels, gigging internationally, as well as providing funding and legal advice. Previous participants of the Take Five programme will also present keynote talks during the week. 

For the second half of the programme (22–26 May), the musicians will meet in person at the Cats Abbey venue in the Cotswolds where they will collaborate on a series of works that have been arranged by each of the musicians for the group. This collaboration will be directed by composer and saxophonist Jason Yarde, and will culminate in a video recording that will be released as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival in November. 

The Take Five programme offers participants continued mentorship from Serious, along with performance opportunities at the EFG London Jazz Festival and the Take Five Presents showcase in Southbank Centre.

Take Five Artists
Trumpet and flugelhorn player Charlotte Keeffe’s playing encompasses free improvisation, jazz and experimental, and she regularly performs as a soloist and with a variety of ensembles, including her own group, the Charlotte Keeffe Quartet. This Sunday (8 May), she will perform at Cafe OTO in London.

Dominic Canning (Doom Cannon) is a pianist and synth player from South London, and a founding member of the Jazz FM award-winning group Steamdown. He is also the musical director of soul/R&B artist Celeste. 

Saxophonist Marcus Joseph is from Leicester and is of Afro-Caribbean descent. His work touches jazz, reggae, hip hop and spoken word, and his debut album Beyond the Dome was released last year on the Jazz Refreshed label.

Midori Jaeger is a cellist, vocalist and composer who trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Her genre-spanning work includes influences of jazz, folk, western classical and Indian classical. Her 2021 EP See Touch Kick And Sweat was featured in a live performance on BBC Radio London, and a sold-out launch show at the Green Note venue in London.

Misha Mullov-Abbado is a bass player, composer and arranger based in London who, in 2017, was selected as one of the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists. He has released three solo albums – Dream Circus (2020), Cross-Platform Interchange (2017) and New Ansonia (2015) – and co-directs the Patchwork Jazz Orchestra, a young big band in London that performs original compositions.

Jazz singer and composer Nishla Smith creates music centred around storytelling. She has recently made work for Manchester Jazz Festival, Opera North and Manchester Collective, and last year released her debut album Friends With Monsters on Whirlwind Recordings.

Singer, songwriter and guitarist Rosie Frater-Taylor’s music blends the genres of jazz, folk, soul and pop. She began exploring songwriting at the Roundhouse in London, and the Royal Academy of Music. She released her self-produced debut album On My Mind in 2018, which received significant air time from BBC 6Music’s Tom Robinson, and BBC Radio 1’s Abbie McCarthy. 

Saxophonist Xhosa Cole was the winner of the 2018 BBC Young Jazz Musician of the year. Following the release of his debut album K(no)w Them, K(no)w Us last year, Cole has performed headline gigs in jazz clubs across the UK including Ronnie Scott’s, Pizza Express, Jazz in the Round, and the 606. He also leads an ensemble, Rhythm-a-ting, and is currently preparing a new album for release.

Take Five is funded by the PRS Foundation, Help Musicians, Arts Council England and Serious Trust. 

For more information, visit: https://serious.org.uk/news/2022/take-five-artists-17th-edition