In a career stretching back to the early days of British jazz-funk and the heady days of the Jazz Warriors and the explosion of British jazz talent in the 1980s, Orphy Robinson has emerged as a thought-provoking and far-sighted composer, with a musical palette that uses extravagant electronic and percussion textures alongside spectacular instrumental and rhythmic skills – his vibes playing is one of the great musical sights and sounds.

In this show, especially commissioned for Passage of Music, Orphy takes a background of oral history – the personal stories, observations, struggles and ultimate survival of enforced migration – to chart an ancestral journey from slavery into emancipation through today’s language of acoustic and digital soundscapes. Celebrated poets Adisa and HKB Finn, fellow percussionist Corey Mwamba, and electronics artist Pat Thomas are his key collaborators.

Routes Through Roots will be given its first performance at Orphy’s regular free Sunday lunchtime event at the Millfield Theatre in Enfield, and then plays the Ballroom at the Royal Festival Hall. Both performances are free events which form part of the London Jazz Festival in association with BBC Radio 3.