Members
Select a Kokoroko band member to check out the music gear they use live and in the studio.
About
Kokoroko is a London-based jazz and Afrobeat ensemble centered on a rich horn-led sound and a deep connection to the city’s modern jazz scene. The group is led by Sheila Maurice-Grey (trumpet) and features Anoushka Nanguy (trombone), Onome Edgeworth (percussion), Tobi Adenaike (guitar), Yohan Kebede (keyboards), Duane Atherley (bass), and Ayo Salawu (drums). Their music blends Afrobeat, jazz, highlife, and soul, balancing expansive improvisation with groove-focused arrangements and warm, communal ensemble playing.
How to Sound Like Kokoroko
Kokoroko’s sound is warm, rhythmic, and spacious rather than abrasive—built less on distortion or flash than on interlocking grooves, soft-edged horn harmonies, and patient dynamic movement. To get close, think clean guitar tones with a rounded, lightly reverberant feel, electric piano or keyboard parts that sit deep in the pocket, and a rhythm section that prioritizes bounce, restraint, and syncopation over heavy attack. A semi-hollow guitar such as a Gibson ES-330 into a warm tube combo like a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III, with subtle ambience from a TC Electronic Hall Of Fame Reverb, fits that mellow, fluid character well. The real key, though, is the conversation between percussion, bass, drums, keys, and horns: every part should feel relaxed but precise, leaving room for melody to bloom over a steady Afro-jazz pulse.
