Alfa Mist

A sure thing on the current British scene, pianist Alfa Mist cultivates his own language of introspective jazz fusion that is above all emotional.

Like many young boys born in England, Alfa Sekitoleko, from a family of Ugandan immigrants, dreamed of a career as a footballer. Later, like many teenagers growing up on the streets of East London – in the multicultural district of Newham to be precise – he fell into the cauldron of the hip-hop and grime scene. He composed his first verses, dissected the beats of his favorite albums… and their jazz samples. Hip-hop is his gateway to jazz. Alfa is bewitched by the trumpet of Miles Davis and is also passionate about film music. He started learning the piano at the age of 17 as a self-taught musician. Under the name of Alfa Mist, he surprised the jazz world with a first album in 2015 that accumulated several million views. With five albums to his credit, the latest of which is being released this year, this Robert Glasper heir cultivates a universe behind his Fender Rhodes that mixes melancholic climates, jazz, neo-classical and alternative hip-hop. With his accomplice Kaya Thomas-Dyke, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, Alfa Mist proposes his own language, that of an introspective jazz fusion that is above all emotional.

Photo credit © Johny Pitts