The Voyage Out Myra Brownbridge

• 1 The Voyage Out 06:07
• 2 Weathering the Storm 07:19
• 3 Entangled 01:05
• 4 As Dreams Are Made 08:23
• 5 Sweeter Than Honey 03:03
• 6 The Joy of Being 05:49
• 7 Icarus 05:09
• Total Runtime 36:55

Info for The Voyage Out

Myra Brownbridge was drawn to music and creativity from a very young age, whether it was tickling the keys of a piano, singing, or plucking the strings on a guitar. Discovering a dusty old double bass in the corner of her school music department, she found herself delving into the world of Jazz and enveloping herself in the strong sense of community the London jazz scene has to offer.

Putting together a quartet of some of her favorite London musicians (Tom Ollendorff, George Garford and Matthew Holmes) her debut album is a collection of the personal stories, insights and experiences that have shaped her.

‘The Voyage Out’ is set to release on October 18th.

Firmly rooted in the jazz tradition, Brownbridge’s carefully crafted melodic writing draws on folk, upbeat swing, bossa nova, delicate ballads and afro-cuban rhythms to showcase her multifaceted musical identity as well as her quartet’s energetic, interactive approach to improvisation. From Ollendorff’s lush finger-plucked harmony, Brownbridge’s grooving bass lines and intimate folk-tinged vocals, and soaring melodies from Tony Kofi’s alto on a balladic feature, each piece highlights the ensemble’s uniquely personal musicality and modern perspective on the genre.

Named after Virginia Woolf’s first novel, ‘The Voyage Out’, Brownbridge draws parallels between her album and Woolfe’s early writing; the first steps on a long journey towards finding their own voices, absorbing the stories of the art, literature and people around them and pouring their insights into their personal creative expression.

Developing and honing her skills at the Purcell School, Christian McBride’s Jazz House Kids Summer School, Guildhall, Trinity Laban, and JazzDanmark’s Summer Sessions under the tutelage of mentors such as Jakob Bro, Midori Takada, and Billy Hart, the award winning bassist’s career has already seen her perform in London’s most prestigious venues with her own band as well as with British sax legend Tony Kofi, tour across Germany with Zara McFarlane, and play alongside the BBC Concert Orchestra, Tomorrow’s Warriors, NYJO and the Nu Civilisation Orchestra.

Tom Ollendorff, guitar
George Garford, alto saxophone
Matthew Holmes, drums
Myra Brownbridge, bass, vocals
Tony Kofi, alto saxophone (track 4)

Myra Brownbridge
has always been drawn to music and creativity whether that be singing, tickling the keys of a piano or plucking the strings of a guitar. However, when she discovered the dusty old double bass hidden in the corner of her school music department and the welcoming faces of the jazz band, led by Phil Meadows, she began to delve into the world of jazz and discovered the strong sense of community that jazz has to offer. Guided along the way by the wealth of jazz education programmes London has to offer and the new friends she made there, her musical exploration really began.

After less than a year studying the double bass, she was offered a place at the Purcell School for Young Musicians studying classically, she then followed on to Guildhall School of Music and Drama to study with Colin Paris. In the summer before starting at Guildhall, she was awarded a place at Jazz House Kids Summer school under the tutelage of Christian McBride and other legendary musicians and tutors such as Marcus Printup. Just like that, to quote Gary Crosby she “caught the bug” and thankfully, there is no cure. She transferred to study at Trinity Laban with Steve Watts, Calum Gourlay and Paul Westwood graduating in 2021. Upon graduating, Myra was awarded Trinity Laban’s Innovation Award and the Ed Renshaw Award to record her debut album with my band comprised of some of the UK's finest musicians: Tom Ollendorff, Matthew Holmes, George Garford and special guest feature, Tony Kofi. Myra's band have performed at respected UK venues including The Vortex, Jazz Live at the Crypt, Woolwich Works and The Spotted Dog.

Myra has been commissioned to write a new composition which premiered at Hull Jazz Festival 2022 written in collaboration with the young, talented members of the NYJO Humberside Academy. She finds working in music education and community workshops incredibly rewarding and is passionate about the key role music can play in connecting us to ourselves and our communities.

Some of her career highlights to date include performing with Tony Kofi in various Thelonious Monk projects at venues such as Ronnie Scott’s, Band on the Wall and Jazz Café, touring with Zara McFarlane in Germany, joining the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain for legs of their UK tour and a Tomorrow’s Warriors collaboration performing the music of Duke Ellington alongside the BBC Concert Orchestra and Nu Civilisation Orchestra.

This album contains no booklet.