Goya Gumbani Sells Out London’s Jazz Cafe on His “Warlord of the Weejuns Tour” [Show Review]

Self-proclaimed Prince of Loafers, Goya Gumbani, returns to his second home for the final stretch of his Warlord of The Weejuns tour, with help from Brian Nasty and TYSON. Last month, the Brooklyn-born, South London-residing wordsmith released his eagerly anticipated and most cohesive project yet, Warlord of the Weejuns. Goya elevates this already rich record by incorporating live instrumentation from the likes of Ezra Collective’s Joe Armon Jones and Franky Bones. WOTW is a beautiful amalgamation of everything Goya has been building towards for the past few years, which makes this evening a very special one.

North London-based rapper Nasty Brian was trusted to warm the crowd. This young artist brings a refreshing R&B-forward take on UK hip-hop. Frequent Dean Blunt collaborator TYSON provided a more unconventional take on the soulful R&B theme of the evening.

On stage with Goya, his four-piece band ‘The Weejunites,’ tasked with bringing this progressive-jazz infused hip-hop masterpiece to life. Goya invites Will Stowe on stage to open the show by performing his powerful spoken word introduction, which quickly transcends into a fiery Warlord of the Weejuns chant. The band seamlessly transitions into Track 2, “Beautiful BLACK,” which finds Gumbani treading the line between Amiri Baraka and Gil Scott Heron, when reciting the track title over a Coltrane-esque solo.

Pulling inspiration from the works of Miles Davis and the late great Roy Ayers, Goya blends contemporary jazz and Neo-Soul, with help from the likes of Pearl De Luna and Jadonclover, in order to create a stylish backdrop for his introspective lyricism. Just like the album, this night was packed with special guests including Lord Apex, Joe Armon Jones and The Hotel who made this homecoming show one for the books.

Goya Gumbani, photo by Charles Mensah

Not long ago, I caught Goya opening for the legendary Roc Marciano at the Jazz Cafe—now, just a year and a half later, he’s sold out the venue himself. Marci’s influence on Goya’s sound is incredibly evident especially in his earlier work. However, Tonight Goya traded his trusty Roland SP404 for a four-man band. Tracks like “First Dates” and “Lizards/Dancing With The Devil” hint towards Gumbani’s Traditional loopy drum Machine production, yet cleverly reconstructed by the band.

Goya showed his overwhelming appreciation for everybody in attendance by screaming into the air at any given opportunity.