We are thrilled to announce that three outstanding musicians – Ashley Henry, Jas Kayser and Sans Soucis – have become our new Abram Wilson charity ambassadors.
All of the artists have a previous association with the charity – from graduating its Career Development Programme and leading its Future Sound schools programme, to playing fundraiser gigs.
Jennie Cashman Wilson, CEO, the Abram Wilson charity says:
“We’re super grateful to Ashley, Jas and Sans Soucis for their support and delighted that such talented and exciting musicians are representing our charity. We know that they will be instrumental in supporting our mission to help inspire, connect and open doors to the music industry so that minoritised young talent has an equal chance to realise their creative potential.”
Ashley, Jas and Sans Soucis join our existing ambassador Reuben James and patrons Jools Holland and Nitin Sawhney in supporting the Abram Wilson charity.
Ashley Henry says:
“I’m excited to be joining the Abram Wilson family and embarking on this new journey – sharing knowledge and mentorship has been such a huge part of my growth as a musician and artist, so I’m very much looking forward to working with the next generation.”
Jas Kayser says:
“I love working with the Abram Wilson charity because I resonate so much with their ethos and of course it always feels amazing to be supported as an upcoming artist and educator. They invited my band and I to lead their Future Sound programme for a term at the Mossbourne Community Academy in Hackney, and it was such a special couple of months. It was so rewarding to bond with the students and see them develop as musicians. It was a great opportunity for us to practice leading workshops and to share our personal sounds and insight into working in the music industry.”
Sans Soucis says:
“I am so excited to be able to give back to the Abram Wilson charity, which is my first family in London. I hope to support the vibrant community of aspiring musicians who might need the same help I needed when I moved to London seven years ago. We don’t always know where we are going, until we stop and take time to observe, soundboard, and ask for the help we need in order to get closer to our authentic voice. I’d love to give back all the support the charity gave me throughout these past years and be able to help other aspiring musicians with some of the experience I was lucky enough to have in this industry.”
About Ashley Henry
Ashley Henry is a pianist born and raised in South London, one of a new generation of musicians raised with a wide range of influences. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 2016 going on to perform and collaborate with jazz legends including Jason Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, Jean Toussaint and Robert Glasper. At the age of 25, Henry was commissioned as resident Musical Director for both Jazz Café and Ronnie Scott’s in London, and won the Jazz FM Live Experience Award. In 2018/19, he toured with Christine and the Queens, and supported Loyle Carner’s 2019 featured tour. Ashley’s debut EP Beautiful Vinyl Hunter (Sony Music), which saw him nominated for BBC 6 Music’s Album of the Year, is available now.
About Jas Kayser
Jas Kayser has been picked up as an artist by Paiste Cymbals and Yamaha Drums and is winning an international following thanks to her eclectic adventures in sound which have taken her to Panama, Boston and the heart of the exciting London scene, where she is now based.
When Lenny Kravitz invites you to perform a drum duet you say yes. Since her 2018 cameo in the rock legend’s ‘Low’ video, drummer, composer and band leader Jas Kayser hasn’t looked back. Jas has won Jazz FM Breakthrough Act 2021 and Parliamentary Jazz New Comer 2021 as well as being nominated for the MOBO Awards Best Jazz Artist 2022.
An alumni of the prestigious Berklee College of Music, Jas has found herself playing alongside her mentors Terri Lyne Carrington, Danilo Perez and Ralph Peterson plus London artists such as Shabaka Hutchings, Alfa Mist and Nubya Garcia. She is steadily carving out her own niche, with a little help from an ever-expanding collective of musical ‘chums’.
About Sans Soucis
Sans Soucis (she/they) makes music that invigorates the soul. Born out of a desire to reconnect with the uninhibited joyfulness and authenticity of childhood that all of us lose as we grow older, their music is a radical act of reclamation. Free from the constraints of genre and with a wide gamut of sonic touchstones – from the effervescent electronics of Little Dragon, Solange Knowles’s alt-R&B, the emotional edge of Joni Mitchell and the robust pop melodies of Rihanna – Sans Soucis’s world is one overflowing with vibrant musical textures pertinent lyrics and refreshing dose of hopefulness.
Sign up to our mailing list to keep up-to-date on our latest news.