Jonathan Enser's Matters Unknown EP Launch 29/01/25 @ The Attic

Longtime Leeds jazz/world music promoter Lubi Jovanovic (DJ Lubi) is proud to announce his first ever live show at The Attic on Sheaf Street in Leeds. It's on January 29th 2025, and is the EP launch for London jazz group Matters Unknown, led by Nubiyan Twist trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Enser

London trumpeter Jonathan Enser (Nubiyan Twist) releases his new EP "Silhouettes: A Dream Sphere Journal" with his Matters Unknown jazz group in mid-January 2025. A poignant exploration of disability, decolonial practice, and artistic expression, the EP merges Enser’s personal journey with chronic pain and an impending amputation into a broader narrative on resilience and liberation. This record is drawing from African diasporic influences, improvisation, rap, classical arrangements, and experimental sounds, it challenges societal limitations on both personal and collective freedom.

A resident at East London’s Total Refreshment Centre, Enser crafted "Silhouettes" as both a catharsis and a manifesto for reimagining the world through a decolonial lens. The EP uses music to transcend hardship, question systemic boundaries, and celebrate the transformative power of creativity.

Enser’s career has spanned collaborations with musical icons such as Nile Rodgers, Mulatu Astatke, and Tony Allen. His work as a member of Nubiyan Twist has earned him recognition within the UK music scene, allowing him to gather top talents for Silhouettes, including members of Nerija, Emma Jean Thackrey, The Golden Mean, Olive Jones and Nubya Garcia’s bands. These collaborations fuse Afro-diasporic traditions with contemporary sounds, creating a rich, multi-layered sonic experience.

The EP features collaborations with Onipa (Kweku Sackey and Tom Excell), Cuban vocalist and percussionist Flavio Correa (New Regency Orchestra), and rising star NEONE the Wonderer. Each track reflects themes of confinement and liberation, encouraging personal reflection on healing, empowerment, and cultural reclamation.

This EP follows on from his well received debut album "We Aren't Just" from 2022, released on London's rising star jazz label new Soil. Here are a few quotes about the release from some well known musical tastemakers :

“Absolutely gorgeous this - sounds totally fresh” - Tina Edwards (Soho Radio)
“Dope!” - Tony Minvielle (Jazz FM)
"Absolutely brilliant" - Gilles Peterson (BBC 6 Music)
“Not only a great musician but proving himself to be a wonderful producer as well” - Jamie Cullum (BBC Radio 2)
“Exploratory material with an energised spirit and an organic live feel treated as if the brilliant, yet sadly late, Lee Scratch Perry was at the controls” - Blues and Soul Magazine

Jonathan Enser will be appearing live with the trio format of Matters Unknown, featuring Lyle Barton (Emma Jean Thackray, Golden Mean) on piano/keys,  Matt Davies (Olive Jones, Noya Rao) on drums and Enser on trumpet/tuba/samples.

Support comes from Leeds alto-saxophonist Nathaniel Taberner Quartet. The band plays a mix of contemporary straight-ahead and fusion jazz. Main inspirations for this project are Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Brian Blade, Dave Holland, Bill Frisell, Alex Hitchcock, Ari Hoenig and Miguel Zenon. The full line up is :
Nathaniel Taberner (tenor sax), Charlie Wilberforce (guitar), Austin Bowers (electric bass) and Billy Goulding (drums)