Theon Cross Explained

Theon Cross
Birth Place:London, England
Genre:Jazz
Instruments:Tuba
Label:New Soil, Gearbox
Associated Acts:Sons of Kemet, Nubya Garcia, Moses Boyd, Steamdown

Theon Cross is a British tuba player and composer.

Life and career

Born and raised in London, England, to a Jamaican father and Saint Lucian mother,[1] he began taking tenor horn lessons at the age of eight, then switched to tuba when he was in his mid-teens,[2] discovering jazz through the Tomorrow's Warriors music education programme. He studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Cross is a core member of the jazz band Sons of Kemet. He has also worked with Moses Boyd and Nubya Garcia in his solo projects.[3] [4] Other collaborators include Jon Batiste, Emeli Sandé, Kano, Lafawndah and Makaya McCraven.

His solo releases include the 2015 EP Aspirations and the 2019 studio album, Fyah.[5] On 29 October 2021, Cross released his sophomore studio album Intra-I.[6]

Discography

Studio albums

!Title!Details
Fyah
Intra-I

Extended plays

Collaborative albums

!Title!Details
Lest We Forget What We Came Here to Do
(as part of Sons of Kemet)
Your Queen Is a Reptile
(as part of Sons of Kemet)
Black to the Future
(as part of Sons of Kemet)
Five Fruit
(as part of Steam Down)
London Brew
(as part of London Brew)

Singles

!Title!Year!Album
"Forward Progression II"2021Intra-I
"The Spiral"
(featuring Afronaut Zu and Ahnansé)
"We Go Again"

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Theon Cross Is Bringing Tuba Back to Jazz's Center. Shteamer. Hank. 28 March 2019. Rolling Stone. en-US. 6 April 2020.
  2. Web site: About. Theon Cross. en. 6 April 2020.
  3. Web site: Aspirations EP, by Theon Cross. Theon Cross. 6 April 2020.
  4. Web site: Fyah, by Theon Cross. Theon Cross. 6 April 2020.
  5. Web site: Jones . Andrew . Tubist Theon Cross Unique Vantage Point Sparks Debut, Fyah . . 6 April 2020 . 4 January 2019.
  6. Web site: Theon Cross: Intra-I . 2022-06-09 . Pitchfork . en-US.