Nubya Garcia

Nubya Garcia isn’t an artist you can easily classify. Is it jazz? Sure, the London-born saxophonist,composer and bandleader grew up studying the genre under the noted pianist Nikki Yeoh at CamdenMusic. But it isn’t until you listen to albums like 2020’s Source and 2024’s Odyssey that you hearbroader creativity shining through: It’s jazz, classical, dub, R&B and whatever else Garcia wants toconvey. It all comes from a place of exploration and self-study, of wanting to do all the things across all disciplines while ignoring arbitrary boxes that don’t fit.

Garcia’s sophomore album Odyssey, out in September 2024 via Concord Jazz, is a majestic feat onwhich she blends orchestral arrangements with R&B, jazz, broken beat and dub, resulting in a grand,nuanced record that feels airy and celestial without sacrificing the groove. It’s a deeply personal offering about her trek to falling back in love with musical composition over the past four…