An evening that brings the soul of the ‘70s to the present day, embodying politics, embracing jazz, and paving the way for hip-hop, with – from both sides of the Atlantic – the ever flamboyant Cymande and the heritage of Gil Scott-Heron, reinterpreted by Brian Jackson and Yasiin Bey.

1/ Cymande

Formed in London in 1971, Cymande has long since been the hidden treasure of British soul. But what did the eight musicians from back then have in common? They all had roots in the Caribbean, as clearly evidenced by the rhythms and sounds permeating the three albums which Cymande recorded between 1972 and 1974, lounging in a mix of jazz, funk, and soul. While they were welcomed with open arms in the United States, the group didn’t manage to make waves in their own country. The undervalued visionaries threw in the towel after their fourth record, released in 1981. Over the years, a new generation of artists from the hip-hop scene rediscovered and sampled these seminal albums, and without realising what they were doing, De La Soul, the Fugees, and MC Solaar (with his hit “Bouge de là”) were actually paving the way for a come-back that feels like reparations. For fifteen years, Cymande has been back on stage and in the studio, this time greeted by an audience that treats them as it should. Their richly orchestrated sixth album, Renascence (2025), strikes a generous balance between spiritual jazz and soul.

2/ Gil Scott-Heron by Brian Jackson & Yasiin Bey

Novelist, poet, and musician Gil Scott-Heron (1949-2011) left his mark on the history of twentieth-century popular music with a discography overflowing with classics in pure harmony with their time – starting with Pieces of a Man in 1972, his second album which included the hit “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”. Supple soul and spoken word with politics and poetry work wonders on this record, for which more than half the tracks were composed with producer, keyboardist and flautist Brian Jackson. The collaboration between the two men blossomed throughout the ‘70s, resulting in a good ten albums boasting a unique blend of jazz, soul, and blues, which ultimately set the scene for the birth of hip-hop. And on that note, it just happens to be with rap legend Yasiin Bey that Brian Jackson is collabing today to look back over Gil Scott-Heron’s exceptional repertoire, and in so doing highlighting the obvious shared ground between two artists who built up a jazz culture and political and social movement in an ever-shifting, incisive, and free body of work.