Saxophonist’s tribute to reggae icon at festival

THERE will be two chances to listen to saxophonist and polymath YolanDa Brown when she plays at this year’s Henley Festival.

The 42-year-old, who lives in London with her husband and their two daughters, Jemima, 11, and Adelphi, five, will be taking part in Playdate @ Henley Festival in the daytime, for a family audience, then performing her tribute show, YolanDa Brown — Bob Marley Songbook, in the evening.

She says: “We’ve got the YolanDa’s Band Jam Show first and then my mix of reggae, jazz and soul in the evening. I’m looking forward to it.”

The musician, who was awarded an OBE in the 2023 New Year honours list for services to music, music education and broadcasting, is passionate about making sure that every child has a chance to try their hand at music-making.

In 2019, she launched her CBeebies television show, YolanDa’s Band Jam.

The show invited children to come along and get involved in singing, dancing and playing music, and featured artists such as Dame Evelyn Glennie, Beverly Knight, the Lightning Seeds, Maximo Park and Feeder. However, she initially set out on a more business-oriented path.

“I was studying a PhD in management science at the University of Kent, 20 years ago now, when I made the decision to put it on the back burner and become a musician with the intention of coming back to it — and I’m still coming back to it later.

“It’s quite serendipitous actually because last year I was made the chancellor of the University of Kent, so that’s a lovely, full circle moment.

“Maybe I’ll shake my own hand and give myself a clap…”

YolanDa is a self-taught musician. “I started playing saxophone aged about 13 and I had about a year of lessons and I just didn’t like the grades and having to do the scales and then I went it alone.

“I didn’t study it and I think in terms of music education provision, maybe more could have been done for my style of learning, playing by ear, improvisation. I kind of fell off the end of music education, so that’s why I’m so passionate and charged to make sure that every young person has access to making music in the way that works for them.

“It is a creative experience and it’s so liberating. For some, that might be reading scores or arranging, for others it might be production, it might be composing. It might be so many different things, and I think we need to make sure the curriculum covers all of that.”

For Playdate @ Henley Festival, aimed at children aged three to 12 years, there will be lots of interaction and a chance for them to join in the fun.

“We play highlights of the songs from the two series, still leaning into music education, a little bit of learning even though they don’t know they’re learning,” says YolanDa.

“We play the recurring songs that happened across the two seasons.

“I talk to my band, the Band Jaminals, the audience are the Band Jammers, so they get to know things like how does the bass work and what does it feel like playing the piano, and of course getting the Band Jammers involved all the way through. So, make sure they have a good sleep before!”

The evening will feature YolanDa Brown — Bob Marley Songbook.

YolanDa says: “Bob Marley would have turned 80 in February and so I’m on another mission to celebrate his music, because it’s been a great inspiration for me. My natural music is a mix of reggae, jazz and soul.

“I’ve been doing my interpretations of Bob Marley since my very first concert 20 years ago.

“I’m releasing an album with Sony Masterworks called The Bob Marley Songbook, and so it’s all my interpretations of his music.

“Interpreting his music has led me to amazing places, even being invited by the King to play at Westminster Abbey and then recently to Windsor Castle to play for him and play Bob Marley at his request.

“It’s really lovely to be able to do that. It was a reception for people in music and communities. There were about 400 people there and they had a mini concert with him in attendance and then a reception afterwards where he, of course, worked the room magnificently.

“It was just really nice to be around musicians and some were in education, some orchestras, working in community, working with people with barriers to making music, be it disability or financial access. It was a really lovely event.”

YolanDa has played Henley Festival before and is looking forward to returning.

“I’ve got some friends who live there, right on the Thames and it’s a lovely area.

“I hope we get a sunny day because it really adds to the feeling.

“Both shows are full of energy, we love people to be up and dancing and singing along. It’s really interactive and we’re just having a whale of a time so we can’t wait.”

l YolanDa Brown’s Band Jam is at Playdate @Henley Festival, playing in Pure Heaven on Sunday, July 13 at 12.30pm. Then at 10.30pm, YolanDa will return to Pure Heaven to play the Bob Marley Songbook. For more information, visit henley-festival.co.uk