EFG London Jazz Festival 2024: 10 Must-See Gigs To Book Now
The capital's biggest annual music event, the EFG London Jazz Festival , runs 15 - 24 November and tickets are selling fast. Headliners will include Jamie Cullum, Pat Metheny, Dianne Reeves, Robert Glasper, Meshell NdegeocelloCarmen Lundy and Dave Holland, among others who will join emerging talent like Cherise, Kyra, Mark Kavuma, Amy Gadiaga and Olive Jones.
The festival takes over more than 60 London venues, with 300 shows and over 2000 artists, at major venues like Cadogan Hall, the Barbican and Koko, as well as at numerous jazz clubs and independent venues including Ronnie Scott's and the 606 Club. As in previous years, the Festival offers a number of free, unticketed events, taking place each weekend of the Festival in the Barbican's foyer and in the Southbank Centre's Clore Ballroom.
And new for this year is The Jazz Social , a pop up space that will serve as a festival hub and hangout from 11 - 24 November. This brand new space, located in Citypoint near the Barbican, will be feature a pop-up jazz cafe and bar, with intimate live music, special events, exclusive merchandise, records, live radio broadcasts and more.
Here are ten gigs in this year's festival to book now before they sell out.
High praise from Robbie Vincent, Jazz FM who says "Meshell Ndegeocello is not to be missed. Her beats are bad, matched by seriously impressive lyrics that are inspired by watching and listening to the life around her."
The Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter is a visionary musician, whose deeply jazz-influenced sound has captivated audiences across the globe. Fans have come to expect the unexpected and follow her on sojourns into soul, R&B, jazz, hip-hop, rock, all bound by the search for love, justice, respect, and resolution. Those sonic investigations have defied and redefined the expectations for women, for queer artists, and for black music for over 30 years.
Rising star Cherise was named by Clash magazine as "one of the women raising the bar for Soul and Jazz in the UK." Her EP Remedy (2021) made her one of the most sought after emerging young Soul singers and songwriters in the UK and she's collaborated with established artists like Omar, Gregory Porter and Nubiyan Twist.
In a career that has kept her at the top of her game for over forty years, Carmen Lundy is a vocalist who focuses on singing all her own work. For this gig she'll be performing music from her latest album Fade to Black. She will be joined by Andrew Renfroe, guitars; Luciano Minetti, piano; Darryl Hall, bass and Terreon Gully on drums.
Grammy award winning pianist Robert Glasper is known for his innovative blend of jazz, R&B, hip-hop and electronic music. Glasper has consistently pushed the boundaries of jazz, collaborating with a diverse array of musicians including Herbie Hancock, Kendrick Lamar and Erykah Badu. Whether performing with his band or as a solo artist, Glasper's ability to blend complex harmonies with soulful melodies has made him one of the most influential musicians of his generation.
Gabi Hartmann, 19 November, Cadogan Hall, ChelseaWe're in for a real treat from French trumpet player Airelle Besson who has both classical and jazz training with her major influences being Bach and Keith Jarrett. Winner of the Django-Reinhardt prize of the Académie du Jazz and awarded the Victoires du Jazz in the "French Instrumental Revelation of the Year" category, Airelle Besson is as much a sought-after side-woman as well as a leader and an established composer. And not to be missed will be support from singer, songwriter Gabi Hartmann whose first album out last year was the number one jazz record in France for months.
Legendary pianist Kirk Lightsey will be joined by fellow Paris residents, the great US drummer Sangoma Everett, UK bassist Steve Watts and the brilliant British saxophonist Alex Hitchcock. Detroit-born Lightsey performed and recorded with Dexter Gordon and Chet Baker. Deep roots and a feeling for the blues, together with a richly developed sense of harmony characterise his playing and make his concerts uplifting and joyful occasions.
Highly anticipated is this gig by one of South Africa's finest jazz musicians, the pianist and composer Nduduzo Makhathini. Makhathini's music is influenced by church music, local jazz legends like Bheki Mseleku, Moses Molelekwa and Abdullah Ibrahim, and American jazz greats like John Coltrane and Andrew Hill. Sarah Ward at Jazz FM says we can expect an evening of spirits, myths and magic where this pianist and composer digs deeply into his Zulu heritage with a mesmerising flow of music capturing spirits and filled with hope.
Koko, CamdenGrammy-nominated, Afro-Cuban musician Erik Alejandro Iglesias Rodríguez (Cimafunk) is redefining Cuban music with his unique blend of funk, afrobeat and hip hop. This show with La Tribu, his nine-person band from Havana will no doubt be a lively, unforgettable sonic experience.
Three giants of American and Indian music: Crosscurrents Trio is an international supergroup of musicians who individually have played vital roles in pioneering advances in Jazz, developing and nurturing the cultural and musical connections between East and West.
American bassist and experimental musician, Dywane Thomas, Jr from Memphis, Tennessee, is known for his presence on YouTube playing bass guitar and being one of the last people to work with Prince. He is also a Grammy Award winning artist. The opening act should be interesting too. the London-based duo of baritone saxophonist Joe Henwood and drummer Tash Keary. The duo encompass everything from cathartic dancefloor drops, to junglist breakbeats, intricate jazz lines, and sludgy, menacing doom metal.
