Camilla George saxophone quartet with Sarah Tandy piano Daniel Casimir double bass Rod Youngs percussion

Camilla George, MOBO-nominated saxophonist and star of acclaimed group Jazz Jamaica, is regarded as one of the leading lights of British Jazz. A celebration of the jazz tradition, from its African roots through to its modern forms, her music is an exciting and energetic blend of African, Caribbean and modern jazz influences.

Born in Eket, Nigeria, Camilla was interested in music from an early age and grew up listening to Fela Kuti, Jackie McLean and Charlie Parker. She began playing the saxophone at just 11 years old when she won a music competition where the prize was saxophone lessons.

In 2009 Camilla joined award winning band, Jazz Jamaica and in 2013 they were nominated for a MOBO award for Jazz Performance. She became a member of Courtney Pine’s Venus Warriors, an all-female group, in 2014 and in the same year founded her own ensemble the CGQ (Camilla George Quartet) showcasing some of London’s finest young players. After successfully releasing their EP, Lunacity in 2014, Camilla signed to Ubuntu Music in January 2017.

Dubbed “The Golden Girl of Jazz” by The Evening Standard, Camilla’s debut album, Isang (pronounced E-SANG which means journey in Ibibio, her native language) received huge critical acclaim. The ensemble’s follow up album, The People Could Fly was released in 2018 and featured special guest Omar as well as superb guitarist Shirley Tetteh. The album received impressive 4-star reviews from the Financial Times and Jazzwise and has appeared on key playlists such as State of Jazz and Tidal’s British Jazz playlist. Camilla recently received the Momentum Award (PPL) in support of her third studio album, Ibio Ibio which is a tribute to her tribe, the Ibibio people of South Eastern Coastal Nigeria.

Camilla and her band have appeared at EFG London Jazz festival, Love Supreme and the Cheltenham Jazz Festival. Jazz Journal described their Purcell Room concert at EFG London Jazz festival as “truly memorable”, marking them out as “Jazz superstars in the making”, while the London Jazz Review referred to Camilla’s “mature and imaginative compositions” and “sublime saxophone solos”.

Camilla has studied with many jazz greats such as saxophone giant, Jean Toussaint (of Art Blakey fame), Julian Siegal and Martin Speake at Trinity College of Music where she gained a Masters in Jazz Performance and was awarded The Archer Scholarship for Outstanding Performance.

"There’s an immediacy about George’s music that is capable of appealing to a younger, broader constituency, while keeping hardcore jazz fans onside... one of the rising stars of contemporary British jazz.” - The Jazz Mann