Theon Cross

2019 was the year he released his debut album Fyah, which topped the UK jazz and blues charts, hit #23 on the Billboard jazz chart, and garnered praise from major publications. He’s been preparing to take the instrument into the spotlight since his mid-teens, when he traded the tenor horn for the tuba and attended several London workshops that included Kinetika Bloco, a Brazilian-style Carnival group, and Tomorrow’s Warriors, a group led by bassist Gary Crosby (a founding member of London’s hugely influential 1980s Jazz Warriors group).

This essential training set him on the path to building up his masterly technique and daunting stamina, while also providing an improvisational toolkit and familiarity with an array of styles. Since graduating from the prestigious Guildhall School of Music & Drama he’s helped bring the tuba back into jazz’s mainstream, working with leading artists such as Jon Batiste, Emile Sande, Kano, Makaya McCraven, and Courtney Pine.