Jean-Phi Dury and Prabhu Edouard: Sound Profiles

Tomorrow Comes The Harvest (TCTH) is not a band, nor a project. It's a phenomenon that occurs every time its musicians coincide in time and space. There are no rehearsals, studio sessions, or a discography to revisit. What exists is simply the opportunity to witness what happens when this space of trust opens up, where Jeff Mills, Jean-Phil Dary, and Prabhu Edouard unleash sounds that can only be summoned when they are together.

Therefore, conjuring up TCTH requires a little more than aligning international schedules. The location and context are equally important elements in generating the state of being that these performances transform into.

Thus, each session has the magnetism of an original. Even the lineup is unique. The seed planted by Tony Allen (†), Jeff Mills, and Jean-Phi Dary in 2018 has reaped a transformation: between 2020 and 2022, following Allen's departure, TCTH brought in Grammy-winning producer Divinity Roxx on bass and distinguished flautist and producer Rasheeda Ali, adding a funkier touch to the Afrobeat foundations of its beginnings. Its most recent iteration is a convergence of Jeff Mills's original techno, Dary's Afro-Caribbean sensibility on synthesizers, and Prabhu Edouard's renewed tradition on tabla.

On the eve of their arrival at the Anahuacalli Museum next Thursday, October 9, we take a closer look at the careers of Jean-Phi Dary and Prabhu Edouard, who, along with Mills, continue the sonic evolution of this fleeting magic called Tomorrow Comes the Harvest.

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Jean-Phi Dury: Afro-Caribbean kaleidoscope

Jean-Phi Dary's fresh and imaginative aura as a keyboardist has made him a key figure in the contemporary Afro-Caribbean sound. Born in France of Guyanese descent, he has also traveled the world as a producer, composer, and arranger of impressive versatility. From his time in various African music ensembles with Touré Kunda, Alpha Blondie, and Pepa Wemba to experimenting with electronica, jazz, and reggae while collaborating on projects such as Phoenix and Hopen Collective, Jean-Phi moves like a true contemporary audionaut.

A close friend of Tony Allen for decades, together they recorded eight albums that include diverse collaborations with artists such as Damon Albarn, Jamaican guitarist Ernest Ranglin, and the beloved Jeff Mills. After recording the seminal EP Tomorrow Comes the Harvest (2018) together, Dary and Mills began their own journey with The Paradox, a dynamic and elegant exploration of electro jazz.

In addition to making room for the cosmic jam of TCTH, Jean-Phi is currently developing African Avant Garde, a solo project where he mixes traditional African instruments with modular synths and lots of keyboards.

We recommend listening: Psyco On Da Bus, 2004 release with Doctor L, Tony Allen, Jean Phi Dary, Jeff Kellner and Cesar Anot.

Prabhu Edouard: clásico y aventurado

It is the cosmopolitan and experimental nature with which Prabhu Edouard approaches ancient instruments such as the tabla (composed of different traditional Indian drums made of wood and metal), the kanjira or the cajón, which has made him a brilliant ambassador of the ancient sounds of India in the movements of jazz, orchestral music, fusion of traditions and electronics.

Although Prabhu grew up in France, he returned to his native India to train in Calcutta as a disciple of Pandit Shankar Ghosh, a renowned tabla master. Since then, Prabhu has lived as a sonic nomad, dividing his time between performing and composing.

In addition to intense improvisational sessions with other traditional musicians such as Nguyen Lê and Mieko Miyazaki and more radical explorations with dance projects, Prabhu's practice has a strong academic component, focusing on Indian classical music and contemporary composition techniques. It is precisely from a more classical perspective that Prabhu Edouard and Jeff Mills met, participating together in a series of Mills' orchestral concerts in France.

This year, Prabhu is sharing his talents between an international tour with Tomorrow Comes The Harvest, performances with the Paris Philharmonic, music consulting for Inia at the École Supérieure de Musique in Burgundy, and shows with his trio Cavacalde, alongside Mathias Duplessy and Jérémy Jouve.

We recommend listening: Kôlam (Lokanga/Quart de Lune, 2016) Prabhu's solo album reflects his cosmopolitan and traditional soul. Recorded between Paris, Leeds, Mumbai, and Calcutta, it draws influences from jazz, Arabic sounds, and a touch of electronic fusion.