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London ensemble Maisha return with their new single ‘Open The Gates’, a 16-minute epic that draws deep rhythmic and musical tangents out of a simple melody and bassline. It comes backed with a beautiful live recording of ‘Osiris’ (taken from 2018 album “There Is A Place”), where the band amp up the original’s energy even higher, the track’s lyrical refrain pushed to maximum effect.

The recording of ‘Osiris’ is taken from the band’s final show of 2019, in Lille, and sees bandleader Jake Long joined by the original line-up from the album sessions – Amané Suganami, Twm Dylan, Tim Doyle, Shirley Tetteh and Nubya Garcia (plus Al MacSween who has been touring frequently with Maisha over the last year). It followed a heavy period of touring where they played sell-out shows and festivals across the world. This included a series of shows with legendary saxophonist Gary Bartz, where they played a headline slot at Gilles Peterson’s debut We Out Here Festival and a show at Royal Festival Hall for the 2019 London Jazz Festival.

The band announced their arrival with 2018 debut album “There Is A Place”, praised in The Observer, The Wire, Uncut, MOJO and Clash, drawing them support from Mary Anne Hobbs and Gilles Peterson on BBC 6 Music, and live sessions on BBC Radio 3’s J to Z and for Red Bull Music. They recorded a 2020 album in collaboration with Gary Bartz that was released on Night Dreamer records.
These two new recordings draw from the larger community of musicians that have been touring with the band over the last few years. On ‘Open The Gates’ Binker Golding and Tamar Osborn were in the studio, bringing their unique styles to the recording. The live version of ‘Osiris’ is a document of how the way they play the song has grown and changed as they’ve toured and switched up the line-up.

Maisha are a London-based Ensemble led by drummer/producer Jake Long. Their music brings a fresh slant to the lineage of modal jazz from the 60’s and 70’s. Fusing these influences with music and cultures that inspires them, they cross between genres with a focus on genuine improvisation and expressive experimentation. Maisha have carved their place as a pioneering force in the London Jazz scene.