Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Radio 1 show has been enjoying its 10th anniversary in 2009, and the celebrations continue with his favourite Japanase jazz sextet, Soil & "Pimp" Sessions. Following two massive live Worldwide gigs this year (Q-Tip at the Roundhouse, and Mulatu and the Heliocentrics at KOKO – Brownswood hopes to score a hat trick of sold out shows in the capital on July 9th.

Soil & "Pimp" Sessions is an explosive jazz band comprised of Shacho (agitator, spirit), Tabu Zombie (trumpet), Motoharu (sax), Josei (piano), Akita Goldman (bass) and Midoryn (drums). Together they are a ferocious force of livewire showmanship.

"We always felt that in the world of jazz, there was an unwritten rule that the musicians were to concentrate on their techniques and the audience were simply there to admire, like a transmitter/ receiver relationship. We wanted to break away from that and create exciting jazz with far more interaction between the players and the audience."
Soil & "Pimp" Sessions

Their first UK gig at Cargo in August 2005 saw the band tear the roof off, winning over a new legion of UK fans. After playing for him at the 2006 Worldwide awards at KOKO, then the Roundhouse last year, Gilles has invited them over for a third time. This July date will follow their appearance at the Worldwide Sete festival in the South of France where on July 3rd, the band play at the Theatre de la Mer, a beautiful outdoor ampitheatre set against a backdrop of the Mediterranean sea. 

Soil & "Pimp" Sessions met at a club event in Tokyo in 2001. Their first album "Pimpin" won rave reviews, attracting jazz, club and rock fans alike, and was creditted as being one of the most influential releases of the year. In February 2005, they released their first full album, "Pimp Master', which, unusually for an instrumental group, was playlisted on the main FM stations. 

On a trip to Japan Gilles Peterson was slipped a CD by his friend and fellow music fiend Toshio Matsuura (UFO). Gilles was hooked, and last year, his label Brownswood Recordings released Soil & "Pimp" Sessions in the UK.

"How many great young jazz bands are out there that really kick-ass? The first time I saw these crazy dudes on stage I realised they were actually brilliant jazz musicians, and I knew I had to sign them."
Gilles Peterson

"The cult Japanese group have a genuinely fresh and invigorating quality. The melodies, simple but effective, boast a raw energy that has drained away from much contemporary improv. No wonder Gilles Peterson is an admirer."
Sunday Times