Romarna’s storytelling begins with the drums. A resolutely proud Brummie with roots reaching from her Caribbean homelands of St Kitts and Jamaica to Cuba and USA, the nomadic spirit of this exciting drummer, producer and composer lives in her jazz and hip-hop-infused music.
Romarna’s innate curiosity and irrepressible energy can be heard on songs like ‘Inherently Political’,
a super-charged sonic collage critiquing individual and systematic racism. The B:Music commissioned-
piece immediately won favour with Anne Frankenstein, Jazz FM’s Tony
Minvielle, as well as Jamz Supernova who crowned her ‘New Name of the Week’.
The suitably titled ‘Stream of Consciousness’ takes us deeper into her world of resonant
frequencies and conscious vibrations. It features on ‘25 Songs For My 25th Birthday’, an
independently-released project which she wrote, arranged and performed alongside guests
including Soweto Kinch, Tomeka Reid, Sumi Tonooka and Lady Sanity.
International performances with leading lights Billy Childs, Courtney Pine, Ralph Peterson’s
GenNext Big Band and Denys Baptiste and a growing global online following (thanks to
virtual performances for Jazz Re:Freshed and Berklee College of Music’s #BerkleeAnywhere)
serve as a testament to Romarna’s relentless work ethic.
Having honed her craft studying with Berklee College of Music, Tomorrow’s Warriors and
the Notebenders, she counts the likes of Gary Crosby, Terri Lyne Carrington, Neal Smith and
Billy Kilson amongst her mentors. Standing on the shoulder of giants, Romarna is drawing
inspiration from the view and beating a path forward that is very much her own.
Romarna drums for Fever Ray & Benjamin Clementine, and is musical director for Ni Maxine as well as performing with her own CHAOS Trio.
A new live record is set for release in 2024 – a recording of her 2023 CHAOS TRIO performance at B:Music (Symphony Hall).