Biography
Ubunye is a Leeds, UK-based Afro-jazz collective whose name translates from Zulu as "Oneness" or "Unity." The group was founded by keyboardist and lead songwriter Dave Evans after he encountered South African baritone vocalist Xolani Mbatha at the Garforth Arts Festival in Leeds. The band blends the voice and rhythms of KwaZulu-Natal's traditional Isigqui Zulu music with a UK jazz rhythm section, creating a deeply collaborative sound that bridges South African and British musical cultures. Their debut self-titled album was released in 2022 on 33 Jazz Records, earning them the Best UK Jazz Ensemble award at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2023.
Their second album, Tell Me The Truth Or Don't Tell Me Anything (November 2025, 33 Jazz Records), expanded the ensemble with guest horn players Idris Rahman (saxophone) and Robin Hopcraft (trumpet) from the London Afrobeat/dub collective Soothsayers — credited on the recording as "the Soothsayers horn section." This is the origin of the Spotify artist credit "Ubunye, Soothsayers Horns." Additional guests on the album included cellist Maja Bugge and Leeds poet Michelle Scally Clarke. The Soothsayers themselves are a veteran London (Brixton) band founded in 1998/2000 by Rahman and Hopcraft, known for fusing Afrobeat, dub, reggae, and jazz, and have collaborated over the years with artists such as Rico Rodriguez, Jerry Dammers, Ayub Ogada, and Maxi Jazz.
To celebrate both bands' simultaneous album releases, Ubunye and Soothsayers held joint launch shows in October 2025 at Brudenell Social Club in Leeds, underscoring the organic creative kinship between the two groups. The combined Spotify credit "Ubunye, Soothsayers Horns" thus represents a specific collaborative recording context rather than a single permanent act. Ubunye's core sound remains rooted in the interplay of Zulu vocal traditions and contemporary jazz harmony, while Soothsayers' horn contributions add a Afrobeat-inflected urgency that is central to the second album's party-starting energy.
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Fun Facts
- The name 'Ubunye' is a Zulu word meaning 'Oneness' or 'Unity,' reflecting the band's cross-cultural founding between a British keyboardist and South African vocalists from KwaZulu-Natal.
- Ubunye won Best UK Jazz Ensemble at the 2023 Parliamentary Jazz Awards — a prestigious honor voted on at the UK's Houses of Parliament.
- Robin Hopcraft of Soothsayers (whose horns feature on the Ubunye collaboration) served as musical director for the London run of the Fela Kuti biographical musical Fela! at the National Theatre in 2011.
- Ubunye and Soothsayers held simultaneous, back-to-back album launch shows at Brudenell Social Club in Leeds in October 2025, with both bands releasing new records in the same week.
Musical Connections
Mentors/Influences
- Zulu / Isigqui Music Tradition - Traditional KwaZulu-Natal Zulu musical tradition is a primary stylistic foundation for Ubunye's vocal arrangements and rhythmic sensibility [foundational]
Key Collaborators
- Soothsayers - Soothsayers horn players Idris Rahman (saxophone) and Robin Hopcraft (trumpet) guest on Ubunye's 2025 album, credited as 'Soothsayers Horns' (Tell Me The Truth Or Don't Tell Me Anything (2025))
- Xolani Mbatha - South African baritone vocalist and founding member of Ubunye, whose encounter with bandleader Dave Evans at Garforth Arts Festival sparked the group's formation [2020s]
- Jerry Dammers - Soothsayers collaborator; co-founder of The Specials and architect of the 2-Tone movement [2000s–2010s]
- Rico Rodriguez - Legendary Jamaican jazz/ska trombonist who collaborated with Soothsayers [2000s–2010s]
External Links
References
Heard on WWOZ
Ubunye, Soothsayers Horns has been played 1 time on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.