Norwich Arts Centre, 10 Dec 2026
Ancient Infinity Orchestra, a spiritual jazz ensemble who unfurled in the North of England. Their joyous large ensemble has communal music-making at the heart of everything they do. Their new work, ‘Always About Liberation’ is a celebration of musics depth and it’s importance that is often overlooked or temporarily forgotten, a reminder to the bands self and it’s listeners that music/art is to continue as a central part of human culture, and not merely entertainment (far from it!).
There is a sense of weight throughout the work, not heaviness for its own sake, but the gravity that comes from taking responsibility, and moments of congregation and togetherness, seriously. Music here is not treated as escapism, for audience or performer, but as something capable of reaching further than distraction or temporary release. The album further celebrates the interconnection of combining cultures, and what a privilege it is to live in a time where we can find so much information and music from around the globe to draw inspiration from, sonically. Featured instruments on the album include the mbira from Zimbabwe, the kaval, from the Balkans, Anatolia and East Asian traditional musics, and also the donso ngoni, from the Wassoulou cultural region, deeply rooted in the history of the Mali Empire.
Live performance sits at the heart of the orchestra’s approach, performances are shaped not as gigs, but as gatherings, immersive, grounded, and unforced, where the line between performer and audience gently softens.
A small, independent, award-winning venue. The heart of Norwich’s cultural community
51 St Benedicts Street, Norwich, NR2 4PG
01603 660 352 / None