Theon Cross is a British tuba player and composer.

Theon Cross
Cross performing live on Druga godba festival in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on 30 May 2015
Cross performing live on Druga godba festival in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on 30 May 2015
Background information
BornLondon, England
GenresJazz
InstrumentsTuba
LabelsNew Soil, Gearbox
Websitetheoncross.com

Life and career

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Born and raised in London, England, to a Jamaican father and Saint Lucian mother,[1] he began taking tenor horn lessons at the age of eight, then switched to tuba when he was in his mid-teens,[2] discovering jazz through the Tomorrow's Warriors music education programme.[1] He studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Cross is a core member of the jazz band Sons of Kemet. He has also worked with Moses Boyd and Nubya Garcia in his solo projects.[3][4] Other collaborators include Jon Batiste, Emeli Sandé, Kano, Lafawndah and Makaya McCraven.

His solo releases include the 2015 EP Aspirations and the 2019 studio album, Fyah.[5] On 29 October 2021, Cross released his sophomore studio album Intra-I.[6]

Discography

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Studio albums

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Title Details
Fyah
Intra-I

Extended plays

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  • Aspirations (2015)

Collaborative albums

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Title Details
Lest We Forget What We Came Here to Do
(as part of Sons of Kemet)
Your Queen Is a Reptile
(as part of Sons of Kemet)
Black to the Future
(as part of Sons of Kemet)
Five Fruit
(as part of Steam Down)
London Brew
(as part of London Brew)

Singles

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Title Year Album
"Forward Progression II" 2021 Intra-I
"The Spiral"
(featuring Afronaut Zu and Ahnansé)
"We Go Again"

References

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  1. ^ a b Shteamer, Hank (28 March 2019). "Theon Cross Is Bringing Tuba Back to Jazz's Center". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  2. ^ "About". Theon Cross. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  3. ^ "Aspirations EP, by Theon Cross". Theon Cross. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Fyah, by Theon Cross". Theon Cross. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  5. ^ Jones, Andrew (4 January 2019). "Tubist Theon Cross Unique Vantage Point Sparks Debut, Fyah". DownBeat. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  6. ^ "Theon Cross: Intra-I". Pitchfork. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
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Official website