London-born saxophonist, composer and bandleader David Kayode will bring a sound shaped by Yoruba tradition, Afro-diasporic rhythm and contemporary jazz to the Barbican on Saturday, 21 November 2026, in a double-bill showcase that places cultural inheritance at the centre of a new generation of British music.
The performance, part of the EFG London Jazz Festival, is scheduled for 5pm at The Pit, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London. Doors will open at 4.30pm. Kayode will share the programme with steelpan player, composer and arranger Marlon “The Pannist” Hibbert, with both musicians appearing as alumni of the Serious Take Five artist development programme.
The Barbican programme describes the concert as a meeting of two distinctive contemporary jazz voices. Kayode brings saxophone-led compositions drawing on Yoruba musical traditions and African diasporic rhythms, while Hibbert combines jazz, calypso and modern fusion through the steelpan.
A London sound with Yoruba roots
Kayode’s work is particularly significant for audiences interested in the ways Yoruba culture travels, changes and remains recognisable across generations. Rather than treating heritage as a decorative reference, he places rhythm, communal energy and ancestral memory inside the structure of his music.
In a June 2026 interview with Jazznewblood, Kayode said: “I have Celtic and Yoruba heritage. My music focuses on the Yoruba / West-African side.” He explained that Yoruba drum traditions and the wider cultural functions of music inform his approach to jazz.
That outlook also appears in his description of his own work. On his Bandcamp page, he presents his music as a blend of Yoruba tradition, carnival energy and contemporary jazz, creating what he calls a distinctly London sound. It is a useful description of a creative identity that is neither confined to a single place nor detached from its roots.
Kayode began learning piano at the age of seven and saxophone at eight, according to the same Jazznewblood interview. His jazz education later developed through mentorship from saxophonist Camilla George and Tomorrow’s Warriors founder Gary Crosby, alongside contact with musicians associated with the organisation.
The Manchester Jazz Festival, where Kayode opened the 2026 festival, says he is a graduate of Tomorrow’s Warriors and has collaborated with artists including Osibisa and Moses Boyd. It also identifies him as the founder of Purple Collective, an artist-led platform built around diasporic creativity, collaborative performances and community gatherings.
Two diasporic traditions in conversation
The Barbican showcase places Kayode alongside Hibbert, whose work extends the programme’s conversation about heritage. Hibbert is the founder of the Endurance Steel Orchestra and a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. The festival says he was the first musician to graduate from the school performing on steelpan.
Bringing saxophone and steelpan-led musical worlds into the same bill creates more than a contrast in instrumentation. It allows audiences to hear how African and Caribbean histories continue to shape contemporary British jazz through rhythm, improvisation, migration and community memory.
The EFG London Jazz Festival listing says Kayode’s work explores ancestry, migration and cultural continuity, while Hibbert combines jazz with calypso and modern fusion. Both approaches reflect the role of diasporic artists in expanding the language of jazz without dissolving the traditions that inform it.
Why the performance matters
For the Yoruba diaspora, cultural continuity is often discussed through language, festivals, clothing, food and family ceremonies. Music offers another powerful route. It can carry tonal memory, rhythmic ideas and social functions into new settings, while remaining open to collaboration with other traditions.
Kayode’s emergence also illustrates the importance of artist-development institutions and grassroots creative networks. His journey connects childhood music education, specialist mentoring, live performance, independent recording and community organising. That combination matters in an industry where talented musicians must often build audiences and infrastructure while developing their art.
The concert comes during the EFG London Jazz Festival, which runs from 13 to 22 November. Standard tickets for the Barbican showcase are listed from £19, including the transaction fee, while discounted Young Barbican tickets are advertised for eligible people aged 16 to 25. Access tickets and companion arrangements are also available through the venue’s access scheme, subject to availability.
Audiences planning to attend should confirm current ticket availability and accessibility arrangements directly with the Barbican before travelling. For Yoruba communities in Britain and readers following the global movement of African culture, the showcase offers an opportunity to hear how tradition can remain active, inventive and unmistakably contemporary.
