Dave Holland plays Kings Place

IT’S that tense time of year again. The EFG London Jazz behemoth is rolling into town and bringing with it a multitude of artists playing across town and stressful decisions as to which show to see, given that there are multiple gigs every night from November 13-22 – more than 300 performances in total.

Choosing can be overwhelming for an indecisive Libran like me, especially with so many clashes. But the following shows, mostly local, are definitely in my diary. I think.

So, on November 18 I shall be heading to see Rymden at the Jazz Café in Parkway. This is an exciting one because it features two-thirds of the much-missed EST trio – bassist Dan Berglund and Magnus Öström on drums – but with Bugge Wesseltoft on keys. The latter is no simple stand-in for the late Esbjorn Svenson, the Norwegian was a pioneer of electronic-heavy “nu-jazz” of the 90s and Rymden’s music ranges from symphonic, cinematic synths, through pensive lyricism reminiscent of EST, to rock-like riffing. It is a true Scandi jazz supergroup. Just don’t go into Ryman’s by mistake. Tickets: https://thejazzcafe.com/event/rymden/?

On the same night (see what I mean?) Rosie Turton is at the Green Note, just down the road from the Jazz Café. I first came across Rosie playing fine trombone with the pioneering band Nerija and she has since added modular synths to her armoury (and acquired an alias for some projects – Nomieye). At the Green Note she’ll be performing with Swedish-Somali vocal artist Miryam Solomon, showcasing the ambient/improvised music from their impressively immersive album maar. Details: www.greennote.co.uk/production/efg-london-jazz-festival-presents-rosie-turton-miryam-solomons-maar/

Kings Place at King’s Cross has a number of EFG LJF shows. On November 22 the brilliant and still prolific bass legend Dave Holland is there to launch the Vital Spark album, which features music written by the stellar flugelhorn/trumpet player Kenny Wheeler as settings to poems by Stevie Smith, Lewis Carroll, William Blake and Langston Hughes (settings by Pete Churchill, vocals by Norma Winstone and the London Vocal Project). Wheeler (1930-2014) was one of the most self-effacing yet influential figures in British jazz and his legacy continues to grow. Other shows at Kings Place include Emma Rawicz, Kaidi Akinnibi x Mackwood, Olivia Cuttill, Dreamscapes and Fergus McCreadie. More on: www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/efg-london-jazz-festival/

On November 15 in-demand producer/songwriter/guitarist Dave Okumu takes to the stage at Islington’s Union Chapel with a programme called “Music That Changed the World”. It will range from Nina Simone through Sly Stone to Prince, D’Angelo, and Kendrick Lamar, all refracted through a jazzy, contemporary lens, with a choir led by ESKA and Alice Hill swelling the ranks. Okumu, incidentally, has a done a brilliant production job on singer NAO’s new soul/jazz album, Autumn, bringing along his best guitar chops too.

Another fine guitarist is Luca Boscagin, who performs as part of Irene Serra’s ISQ project, which she describes as “alt pop, noir jazz and electronic textures”. She has been recommended to me by none other than Ian Shaw, a premier jazz singer and mentor/tutor to many a vocalist. She has a highly engaging new album out, The Silence is Deafening, which explores her own backstory (a mother who left Sicily for Milan – where Irene was born – and then Copenhagen when Irene was two and who played Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Mina and other classic Italian singers on heavy rotation) as well as universal themes of identity, migration and womanhood (see https://www.isqmusic.com). Irene brings ISQ to the Cufford Room at Cadogan Hall on November 19 as part of the festival and the Hall’s fine “Out to Lunch” series. Underpinning Irene’s tunes is Richard Sadler on double bass, a very lyrical yet incisive player who was a founder member of the Neil Cowley Trio in its first incarnation. Note the stage time of midday and that a standing is free, seating is a fiver. Book on: https://cadoganhall.com/whats-on/otl-isq/book/1366234/

In the Big Ticket category of the festival, I have previously mentioned the Branford Marsalis/Dianne Reeves concert at the new British Airways ARC concert hall at Olympia, where they are re-interpreting the 1963 John Coltrane/Johnny Hartman album to mark the former’s centenary. That was before I heard the actual record (called Dedicated to You), which is quite masterly. The gender-reassignment of Hartman to Reeves works brilliantly and Marsalis is on top form, never simply aping the master. There are still tickets for the show on November 21 – https://www.britishairwaysarc.co.uk/event/branford-reeves/

However, if you fancy hearing the Coltrane/Hartman material in a more intimate setting than the ARC, Marvin Muoneké and saxophonist Mark Lockheart are bringing their much-lauded version of the original Impulse! album to the cosy Crazy Coqs on Sunday November 15, presented by Spice Jazz. For it and the venue’s other festival shows see https://www.brasseriezedel.com/calendar

Marvin is also one of the featured vocalists in Jazz Voice, the festival’s opening gala, alongside the fabulous Tyreek McDole (who is also playing the Lower Third on November 16), Emma Smith, Lizz Wright and many more, all presented by Jumoké Fashola. As always the show (on November 13 at the Royal Festival Hall) is masterminded by arranger and trumpeter Guy Barker, although this year he also has a gig of his own in the splendid setting of Smith Square Hall (formerly St John’s Smith Square), a Grade I-listed 18th century Baroque masterpiece in Westminster. There, on November 19, he will be conducting the Spirit of Django suite, his orchestrations of themes by guitarist Martin Taylor and explored by the Guy Barker Big Band and the Sinfonia Smith Square along with Taylor himself. It features tunes Django would have played, those he might have played if he were around today, and a charming (musical) guest appearance by Jacques Tati’s M. Hulot. It’s far more than swinging gypsy jazz – although that features of course – and packs an emotional punch in the section dedicated to Taylor’s late son. See www.sinfoniasmithsq.org.uk/event/spirit-of-django/

Ronnie Scott’s (https://www.ronniescotts.co.uk) also has a swathe of concerts as part of the festival, including masterly drummer Steve Gadd (November 13), spiritual jazz saxman Chip Wickham (November 14), all-female supergroup Artemis (November 17th), the ebullient piano-vocal pairing of Natalie Willaims/Jamie Safir (November 18 ), funky mixmasters Blue Lab Beats (November 21) and more. There is also an intriguing showcase in the club’s Upstairs room linked to another festival, K-Music (https://uk.korean-culture.org/en), an annual autumnal event which celebrates Korea’s cultural and musical breadth.

On November 23 pianist and composer Jisu Jung brings her Baroque in Blue project to Ronnie’s, a concert that seeks to fuse the formality of baroque with the swinging, freewheeling spirit of bebop (specifically Charlie Parker). A Korean pianist playing Afro-American music in the European classical tradition? Now that’s what I call a melting pot. It’s actually the closing performance of the K-Music 2026 festival but watch out for it next year. More on www.ronniescotts.co.uk/find-a-show/jisu-jung-baroque-in-blue

Back at the LJF, one of my favourite parts of the festival for the past couple of years has been hanging out at the Jazz Social, near the Barbican. It opens on November 9 (ie, before the official launch) and hosts a pop-up Blue Note record store, live concerts, DJ sets, radio broadcasts, and entertaining jazz-themed talks. The latter include “Five Essential Blue Note Albums” (November 10) and, on November 12, “The Magic of Live” – what makes a great live album? See https://efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk/thejazzsocial