Double bassist Dr Gary Crosby OBE was a founding member of Jazz Warriors and is the founder/leader of multi award-winning bands, Gary Crosby’s Nu Troop and Jazz Jamaica, with whom he has toured extensively. With Janine Irons OBE he co-founded the award-winning creative producer and talent development company, Tomorrow’s Warriors and the independent jazz label Dune Records, focusing on black jazz talent, female musicians and those facing socio-economic barriers to pursuing a career in the music industry.
Janine Irons OBE is the Chief Executive of Tomorrow’s Warriors, a pioneering talent development agency, music educator and creative producer specialising in jazz co-founded by Janine with Dr Gary Crosby OBE in 1991. Tomorrow’s Warriors develops, champions and provides a platform for a community of artists, audiences and musical leaders, with a particular focus on black and female musicians, and those who face financial or other barriers to pursuing or developing successful, sustainable careers in music. The organisation also manages two orchestras: Nu Civilisation Orchestra, which evolved from Tomorrow’s Warriors’ artistic programme and Gary Crosby’s ensemble, Jazz Jamaica All Stars.
Highlights
Input must equal output so I was always aware of that.
I was always so aware that the jazz community didn’t like money and didn’t understand it, hence why we always had managers or agents looking after us.
I never considered myself an educator, I share and I help others but I’m not an educator.
As long as the art of improvisation, jazz improvisation survives and develops, I’m happy.
It’s about not having ego.
I think that was one of the most important things, to have somebody championing you.
We want Tomorrow’s Warriors to be about all of us.
Finding Gary and then sort of him helping me find me and what I was really good at, which was championing other people.
Once I had somebody else to promote, to champion, I found it so much easier and it made me feel great because I could see others really benefitting from something I could do and seeing them start to excel.