Freedom Road Reimagined

Conceived and led by Artistic Director, creative producer and jazz vocalist Sabina Désir, Freedom Road Reimagined is an ambitious immersive performance bringing together live music, photography, film, spoken narrative and visual storytelling to explore the cultural legacy, resilience and creativity of Black Britain.

The work was first conceived in 2020, inspired by an exhibition exploring resistance and the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. Since then, Freedom Road has evolved considerably. What began with a focus on U.S. civil rights has developed into a much more personal exploration of Black British experience — and of the creativity, resilience and joy that exist alongside struggle.

Rather than presenting history as something to simply observe, Freedom Road Reimagined creates space to encounter it through music, image, memory and lived experience. Not simply a story of protest, but a celebration of presence, the work explores identity, belonging, community and the enduring human capacity to create, connect and find joy.

At the heart of the production is an artist-led commitment to creating multiple creative access routes into the work. Music, photography, film and live performance offer different ways for audiences to encounter and connect with the material — through sound, image, narrative and emotion.

A central element of this experience is the extraordinary photography of Charlie Phillips OBE and Vanley Burke, whose work has documented generations of Black British life. Their photography is not presented simply as visual accompaniment to the music, but as an active presence within the performance, entering into a creative conversation with the live score.

At the heart of Freedom Road Reimagined is an invitation to slow down and spend time with the image. Audiences have the opportunity to sit with these photographs, look closely, absorb them and allow the stories within them to unfold alongside the live music.

Although the work is rooted in Black British experience, the human experiences captured within these images — family, belonging, love, resilience, identity, joy and community — are universal. By bringing image and music together in this way, Freedom Road Reimagined creates space for audiences to recognise something of themselves, regardless of their background, and to find connection through our shared humanity.

The musical journey of Freedom Road Reimagined draws on works from the U.S. protest canon, reimagined through a deep soul jazz lens.

The repertoire has been chosen not simply for its historical significance, but for its emotional resonance: music that speaks to injustice, longing, belonging, resilience, transformation and hope. Under the Musical Direction of pianist and long-term creative collaborator Jessica Lauren, the score moves through gospel and spiritual traditions, reggae, blues, soul, deep soul jazz, modal and spiritual jazz, improvisation and contemporary influences.

Rather than presenting a collection of protest songs, the performance explores the human experiences carried within them, allowing familiar works to speak afresh through exceptional live musicianship.

The production features:

Sabina Désir — Vocals / Artistic Director / Creative Producer
Jessica Lauren — Keyboards / Musical Director
Jason Yarde — Woodwinds
Ivan Hussey — Cello
Winston Clifford — Drums
Jason Simpson — Bass
Taariq Forder — Voice & Script

Désir and Lauren are celebrating ten years of creative collaboration in 2026. Their previous project, Afro Blue, received a sold-out presentation at the 2024 EFG London Jazz Festival at Rich Mix. They return to the EFG London Jazz Festival with Freedom Road Reimagined, their most ambitious collaboration to date.

For Désir, the evolution of the work reflects both artistic growth and a deepening sense of purpose:

“Freedom Road has evolved considerably since I first conceived it in 2020. What began with a focus on U.S. civil rights has developed into a much more personal exploration of Black British experience — and of the creativity, resilience and joy that exist alongside struggle.

“I’ve always wanted the work to be meaningful without being didactic. I want people to encounter the music, the photography and the film in their own way, and ultimately to experience the extraordinary musicianship and the humanity within the work. For me, that’s what makes this iteration so exciting.”