Line-up:
Roella Oloro – Alto Saxophone and Piano
Ezekiel Ajie – Bass
Andee Liu – Drums
Roella Oloro is a British composer and multi-instrumentalist of Nigerian and Jamaican descent. Her early musical home was in the Pentecostal Church playing piano in regional gospel choirs around south west England, teaching her to play piano by ear alongside her classical training in piano, clarinet, alto saxophone and bass guitar. She became inspired by jazz in her early teens after hearing the virtuosic brilliance of Oscar Peterson. She first moved to London in 2017 to study at Trinity Laban and quickly got involved with London’s vibrant scene, performing with bands like the Tomorrow’s Warriors Female Frontline, as well as regularly attending jams at Ronnie Scott’s, The Haggerston, Troy Bar and Steamdown among others.
After spending summer 2018 at Berklee College of Music under the mentorship of renowned drummer Terri Lyne-Carrington, she was offered a full scholarship to study there. After a rigorous fundraising campaign that saw communities come together to help her raise £23,000 in 4 months, Roella was able to take up her place at Berklee and has been studying there since September 2019. As a composer she has written for a variety of different ensembles, one of her first pieces for big band ,”Cruisin'” was played at the Royal Albert Hall.