Album of the Month: Theon Cross – Affirmations (Live At Blue Note New York)

There are performances that feel incendiary even through speakers, and Theon Cross's US debut at Blue Note New York is precisely that kind of recording. Released in July 2025 on New Soil as a gorgeous gatefold 2LP, this live album captures what happens when one of London's most innovative jazz voices brings his genre-defying sound to one of the world's most prestigious stages.

The Power of the Tuba Redefined

Born and raised in London to a Jamaican father and Saint Lucian mother, Cross discovered jazz through the Tomorrow's Warriors music education programme, eventually joining the acclaimed Sons of Kemet where he made his name. But this isn't your traditional jazz tuba playing. Cross has transformed the instrument into a 21st-century sound system powered by breath, moving seamlessly between jazz, dub, grime, soca, and Afrobeat, with the tuba as both foundation and frontman. On this recording, Cross leads a formidable quartet featuring saxophonist Isaiah Collier, drummer James Russell Sims, and guitarist Nikos Ziarkas. The chemistry is immediate and visceral. Collier provides spectacularly spiralling solos, but never threatens to steal the spotlight from the leader, while the rhythm section creates a foundation that's both rock-solid and wildly flexible.

A Journey Through Sound

The album's 12 tracks span over 83 minutes of unrelenting creativity. Opening with "Greetings" and moving through familiar favourites like "We Go Again" and "Wings", the set builds to its centrepiece, the 14-minute title track "Affirmations". This sprawling composition captures the full dynamic range of Cross's vision, from meditative passages to explosive collective improvisation.

Particularly striking is "Candace of Meroe", a piece that originally appeared on Cross's acclaimed 2019 album Fyah. Here, it takes on new life in the live setting, the interplay between Cross's deep, resonant tuba lines and Collier's saxophone creating moments of genuine transcendence.

Why This Matters

This is one of the first jazz albums recorded at Blue Note in over two decades, making it a significant moment for both Cross and the venue. But beyond the historical footnote, this album succeeds because it captures something essential about contemporary jazz: the fearless blending of traditions, the embrace of electronic textures alongside acoustic instruments, and the understanding that groove and experimentation aren't opposites.

Cross displays not only the chops, but the imagination to take the tuba places where it's never been. Whether adding bottom-end weight in the instrument's traditional role or essaying blazing solos augmented with electronic effects, he proves the tuba can be as flexible and expressive as any horn.

The Vinyl Experience

This New Soil pressing is impeccable. The gatefold 2LP format gives the recording room to breathe, and the mastering captures both the intimacy of the Blue Note space and the raw power of the performance. You can hear the audience's energy, the room's natural reverb, and every nuance of the interplay between these four musicians.

If you've been following the explosive London jazz scene of recent years (think Nubya Garcia, Moses Boyd, Shabaka Hutchings), Theon Cross has been a central figure. This album is your chance to hear why. It's essential listening for anyone interested in where jazz is heading, and it's an absolute joy from first note to last.

Available now at Lush Life Records on 2LP vinyl.

Key Details:

• Artist: Theon Cross
• Album: Affirmations (Live At Blue Note New York)
• Label: New Soil
• Format: 2LP Gatefold Vinyl
• Released: July 2025
• Runtime: 83 minutes across 12 tracks

Listen if you like: Sons of Kemet, Shabaka Hutchings, Nubya Garcia, Moses Boyd, contemporary UK jazz, genre-blending improvisation, innovative brass playing.