Dojo, Gaia Review

The reggae band who call themselves Dojo is a collective of jazz and reggae musicians from London, Paris, Nigeria, and Lebanon that have combined together to bring us an uncanny collection of melodies, harmonies and reggae feels that are rich in the heritage from African, European, and American. Dojo formed in 2014 when punk Hammond Organist for hire, Ben Cormack recruited Robin Porter, winner of the George Murphy Trophy for Jazz Saxophone, and V-Drum World Championship finalist Conor Bailey to produce the critically acclaimed debut EP, Descry, which built the nuanced melodies of jazz and soul on a bedrock of roots reggae and afrobeat. After signing to BBE Records, Dojo broadened their line-up to include Essex-based bassist, Alex Wheeler, Parisian vocalist Mileva Corenthin, guitarist Ollie Haycock, backing vocalists Comfort Emmanuel and Marwah El-Murad, and jazz soloists Rosie Turton (trombone) and Simon Dennis (trumpet). Dojo’s debut album, Gaia, showcases twelve songs that is filled with the band’s heightened sense of melodies, excellent singing and remarkable musicianship. That’s the short of it!