Tomos Williams returns to his home town of Aberystwyth with the second iteration of his Cwmwl Tystion project.

Internationally renowned musicians Soweto Kinch and Orphy Robinson join young Welsh vocalist Eady Crawford and the top-class rhythm section of Aidan Thorne and Mark O’Connor, alongside live visuals from Simon Proffitt for an immersive live performance entitled Cwmwl Tystion II / Riot!

The band will perform a newly composed Suite incorporating elements of jazz, hip-hop, the avant-garde and Welsh folk music.a

The name Cwmwl Tystion is derived from a poem by the great Welsh poet Waldo Williams, while the themes for each movement will be drawn from various riots in Welsh history.

Deeply inspired by the work of Wadada Leo Smith, Matana Roberts and Don Cherry, issues of race and identity will also be explored in the music.

The premier performance in Theatr y Werin at Aberystwyth Arts Centre will kick off a tour that will take in all corners of Wales and one performance at Cafe OTO, London.

Tomos, originally from Aberystwyth but now based in Cardiff said: “It’s very exciting to be bringing musicians of the quality of Soweto Kinch and Orphy Robinson to play in Aberystwyth and to tour Wales.

“They’ll be coming to Aber on the back of headline concerts at the Barbican as part of the London Jazz Festival just the weekend before and I look forward to hearing them play as much as to performing with them!

“Soweto is a multiple MOBO winner and is an unique artist in that he is as comfortable wailing on his sax as he is at rapping, while Oprhy’s contribution to British Jazz has seen him being awarded an MBE.

“It’s so important to bring musicians of this quality to Aberystwyth, I remember vividly the impression made on me when I was a teenager in Aber back in the ‘90s, when I had the chance to see Lee Konitz, Harry Becket, Loose Tubes and others live in Aberystwyth Arts Centre.

“I’ve admired Eady Crawford for a while, and it was important that a young Welsh voice was represented in this current iteration of Cwmwl Tystion, and I look forward to hearing Aidan Thorne and Mark O’Connor, my rhythm section of choice for years, burning with both Soweto and Orphy.

“Simon Proffitt’s creative live visuals will once again make each performance an unique and immersive experience.

“I am very grateful to Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Dafydd Rhys and Louise Amery in particular, for consistently supporting my Cwmwl Tystion vision, as they did in 2019, and we’ll be rehearsing at Theatr y Werin for two days before our first performance.

“The performance will be followed by a Q&A session with members of the band to discuss some of the issues which I hope will have been raised by the music.”

Cwmwl Tystion II/Riot! is on Wednesday, 24 November at 7.30pm at Aberystwyth Arts Centre.