SOME of the world’s best jazz musicians will be descending in Dorset this weekend for the grand finale of this week’s Jazz By The Sea festival.

One of the headline acts at the World Jazz Jamboree at Poole Lighthouse on Sunday will be the Soothsayers.

The band took time out to talk to The Guide about what we can expect from their show.

Who are the Soothsayers – tell us a bit about yourselves?

Soothsayers are a collective of London based musicians led by Idris Rahman and Robin Hopcraft, brought together by a love of reggae, jazz, afrobeat and music that feeds the soul.

How would you describe your style of music?

Soothsayers’ music relies on real instruments and voices for its organic sound, combining heavy baselines and fat grooves with three-part vocal harmonies and dub sonics and delays. We’re influenced by reggae, afrobeat and jazz but believe it’s important to create music that is original and that reflects the time and the place in which it has been created.

Has there been a particular artist or band that has had a big influence on your work?

In the early days we were influenced by some of the great South African jazz pioneers including Abdullah Ibrahim and Hugh Masekela, as well as by some of the instrumental reggae stars to come out Jamaica, including Tommy McCook and Don Drummond who formed the legendary ska group the Skatelittes, as well as Rico Rodriguez who is best known for his work with the Specials. We have also been heavily influenced by vocal harmony groups such as the Abbysinians and Bob Marley and the Wailers. and our vocal harmony style has its roots in the reggae music of this period.

How did you come up with the name Soothsayers?

Soothsayers is a reference to the spirituality we try to achieve through music - music has traditionally been used as a fundamental part of healing rituals throughout all periods of human history, and through music it is still possible to revitalise and energise people, mentally, physically and spiritually, especially when combined with dance. A traditional ‘Soothsayer’ is a western version of a Shaman or traditional healer, whose through music and meditation helps unlock deeply held emotional and physical pain and therefore produce healing results.

Are there any of your songs that have a particular message or sentiment that stands out for you?

All our songs have a message - there’s one we wrote a few years ago about climate change called ‘human nature’ that seems more and more relevant every time we perform it - the message is ‘don’t close your eyes’ to environmental issues, and it seems particularly relevant this last couple of weeks considering Donald Trump’s recent pulling out from the Paris climate agreement.

Why did you decide to take part in the Jazz By The Sea festival?

We’ve played in Bournemouth many times before and it’s nice to be invited back to play at the Lighthouse, which is a really great music venue. There’s some great acts on the same day as we’re performing so it will be nice if we can catch a little bit of Omar Puente’s set and hopefully one or two of the other bands.

Have you played in Bournemouth or Poole before?

We’ve played many times in Bournemouth at various venues and festivals and done a number of workshops in local schools in the past. It’s always been a lovely vibe and we’re looking forward to sharing more of our music with the music lovers of Bournemouth.

What can the audience at Poole Lighthouse expect from your performance on Sunday?

Upbeat, positive, life-affirming music to dance to! Some stunning improvisation and some beautiful singing. We’ve just released an EP with our new label Wah Wah 45s, so we’ll be playing some tunes from that, and also we’ll be previewing a few new tunes from our forthcoming album, as well as a few tunes from our back catalogue.

See soothsayers.net and our Facebook page (facebook.com/soothsayersband)