Making Music With Mark Kavuma

Penhaligon’s may be purveyors of fine perfumes, but we’re more than prepared to dip our toes into other promising pursuits. So, when we were concocting our latest fragrance, The Dandy – inspired by endless nights at the speakeasy – we couldn’t help but ask musician Mark Kavuma to step into The Dandy with us and compose original jazz music one could dance all night to in haze of glitter and mischief. The result? A temptingly toe-tapping quartet of terrific tracks!​

Mark Kavuma, Musician Marvel​

Composer. Bandleader. Trumpeter. These are just a few words to describe music extraordinaire Mark Kavuma, leader of The Banger Factory, a collective known for their soulful sound and distinctive enthusiasm. Mark, born in Uganda, discovered music at the age of 13 when he started to play the trumpet. His early influences included South African Jazz and Gospel, and Kavuma integrated himself into the nu-jazz music scene and produced his first tracks in his early twenties. Now, Mark leads an ensemble band with monthly residencies in London and has released six albums with The Banger Factory.​

In The Studio​

Penhaligon’s asked Kavuma and his band to create some original music inspired by The Dandy fragrance, a woody amber scent with notes of whisky, raspberry and cedarwood. The results? Four soulful songs sprinkled with jazzy solos, all invoking what it would feel like to spend a night at The Dandy (if The Dandy were a real place. Which, to Penhaligon’s, it is). ​

We sat down with Mark to discuss his passion for music, as well as the inspiration behind the jazz tracks for The Dandy – which one can watch below: ​

Ears burning? One can listen to the rhythm of jazz here:

The Dandy 100ml

The Dandy 30ml