Tom Skinner
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Biography
Tom Skinner, born on January 26, 1980, in London, United Kingdom, is a British jazz musician known for his roles as a drummer and producer. He began playing drums at age nine, absorbing influences from jazz, reggae, Afrobeat, and electronic music, and quickly established himself as a versatile and inventive player. Over the years he has been involved in numerous projects that cross the boundaries between genres. He emerged in the London jazz scene, collaborating with notable artists. He first gained attention as a founding member of Sons of Kemet in 2011, alongside saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings, tuba player Theon Cross, and fellow drummer Seb Rochford, with the bandâs polyrhythmic energy and Afro-Caribbean influences earning international acclaim, releasing four albums before their disbandment in 2022. Skinner has also collaborated with Hutchings in other contexts, including the ensemble Shabaka and the Ancestors, and he has been part of the influential UK collective centered around the Total Refreshment Centre in London. In addition to his role in jazz, Skinner became known to a wider audience as the drummer for The Smile, the project formed by Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead with producer Nigel Godrich, where his flexible and textured drumming brought a distinctive character to their sound. He has also worked with a wide range of artists across jazz, rock, and experimental music, including Mulatu Astatke, Zed Bias, and Matthew Herbert. Skinner's solo career includes his debut album under his own name, Voices of Bishara, released on November 4, 2022. The album features jazz musicians such as Shabaka Hutchings and Nubya Garcia, with the first single "Bishara" released in September 2022. He then followed with Kaleidoscope Visions, issued on September 26, 2025.
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