The post A Jazz Musician’s guide to the EFG London Jazz Festival 2021 first appeared on UK Jazz News.
]]>When Sam Leak wrote his first ‘Jazz Musician’s guide to the EFG London Jazz Festival’ for LJN (UKJN) in 2019 he described his role as akin to that of a tour guide – ‘to walk you around the festival programme and let you know what a Jazz musician might choose to watch’. This preview focuses on the grass roots jazz venues that are the pulsing heart of the scene all year round.
VORTEX JAZZ CLUB
The Vortex is a staunch favourite of Jazz musicians. Some highlights from their programme are Allsopp-Edwards-Forbes (12/11), the Leo Richardson Quartet (18/11), and the Shirley Smart Sextet (19/11).
PIZZA EXPRESS
Pizza Express will be presenting a staggering array of music at their venues in Dean Street (Soho), Holborn, and The Pheasantry (Chelsea).
THE 606 CLUB
Chelsea’s 606 Club will also play host to some astonishing talent.
RONNIE SCOTT’S / SPICE OF LIFE
Soho is in many ways the home of Jazz in London. Ronnie Scott’s Jazz club has a rich history and a reputation as one of the best jazz clubs in the world, and it has put together a fantastic programme for this year’s festival.
The focus of this tour is on home grown talent so I’m going to draw your attention to two gigs in particular.
Just around the corner at The Spice of Life you can catch some incredibly burning performances from the likes of the Gareth Lockrane Big Band (14/11) and the Quentin Collins Sextet (15/11).
THE JAZZ SANCTUARY IN ST. MARGARET’S / KARAMEL IN WOOD GREEN
Twickenham’s ‘Jazz Sanctuary’ is a new venue that, as a point of personal interest, just so happens to have cropped up next door to my primary school. They’re presenting a nicely varied programme of concerts including pianist Alex Webb’s ‘Quintet Blue’ featuring Denys Baptiste and Nigel Price (14/11, support from Alice Auer), the Kielan Sheard Quintet (17/11), and the exploratory saxophone trio ‘Partikel’ (18/11).
Over in Wood Green you can catch the acclaimed singer-songwriter & guitarist Rosie Frater-Taylor performing original music that blurs the lines between jazz, folk, pop & soul, with influences ranging from Joni Mitchell to George Benson (18/11). On 21/11, Soft Machine guitarist John Etheridge and Vimala Rowe will be performing music from their album ‘Out to the Sky,’ described by the Sunday Times as ‘a rare mix of visceral emotion and jazzy intelligence’.
THE GREEN NOTE IN CAMDEN TOWN
Camden’s ‘The Green Note’ played host to my first London Jazz Festival gig (I won’t try to remember which year that was in..). It’s an intimate venue with a great listening crowd. The stage is barely big enough for the band to fit on, but the vibe is amazing. Standout concerts from their programme include vibraphonist/multi-instrumentalist David Mrakpor & guitarist Nick Costley White double billed with Glasshopper (14/11), and the Dave Storey Trio (featuring James Allsopp) double billed with Howl Quartet (19/11).
THE CRYPT IN CAMBERWELL
Over in Camberwell, The Crypt are presenting guitarist James Kitchman’s new quartet playing stark and refreshing music with influences from classic jazz, to chamber music, to contemporary folk (19/11). On 20/11 Larry Bartley, Shaney Forbes, Jean Toussaint and Jason Yarde will come together to play music underpinned by a commitment to pushing the boundaries of interaction and composition (20/11).
TOULOUSE LAUTREC IN KENNINGTON
Kennington’s Toulouse Lautrec is another important venue on the London Scene, presenting music from Jas Kayser, Daniel Higham and Jay Phelps (17/11), and Georgia Mancio (19/11), as well as improvisation workshop from trumpeter Charlotte Keeffe and saxophonist Lara Jones (21/11).
HAMPSTEAD JAZZ CLUB
Another spot to check out is Hampstead Jazz club, with a performance from the brilliant pianist Jamie Safir Trio a particular highlight (12/11). I will also be performing there myself with my trio on 15/11.
BULLS HEAD / CRAZY COQS / CADOGAN HALL FOYER/ 91 LIVING ROOM
Those with a taste for straight ahead Jazz may want to check out some of the music scheduled at Barnes’ ‘The Bull’s Head,’ Piccadilly’s ‘Crazy Coqs – Live At Zédel,’ and the Cadogan Hall Foyer.
The Cadogan Hall foyer will feature swinging trios from the likes of Gabriel Latchin (16/11) and Nick Costley White (17/11).
The Bull’s Head will see performances from UK Jazz legend, and former orthopaedic surgeon, Art Themen (12/11), and the Jessica Radcliffe Quintet playing the music of Burt Bacharach (14/11).
At Crazy Coqs you’ll be able to see the incredible vocal talents of Sara Dowling (18/11) and Liane Carroll (19/11), as well as an exploration of the evolution of jazz piano music from Ronnie Scott’s house pianist James Pearson (17/11). Pearson will delve into the realms of Ragtime, Stride, Boogie Woogie, and more.
On 20/11, Brick Lane’s “Ninety One Living Room” will present alto saxophone star Rachael Cohen and popular trumpeter Mark Kavuma, playing alongside an all-star band.
OLIVER’S IN GREENWICH / SAM LEAK PRESENTS
This leads me onto a programme of music that I’ve put together myself. The ‘Sam Leak Presents’ series at Greenwich’s ‘Oliver’s Jazz Bar’ will feature the following acts:
• 13/11: The Liberation Suite (a dedication to the ‘Liberation Music Orchestra’) – Sam Leak/George Crowley/Miguel Gorodi/Simon Read/Jon Scott
• 15/11: Helena Kay
• 16/11: Turnt Tuesdays: The Huw Williams Trio double billed with Gwilym Jones’ Teimlad
• 17/11: Gareth Lockrane’s “Grooveyard Unplugged”
• 21/11: Jason Brown featuring Orrin Evans (formerly of The Bad Plus)
It should go without saying that I am a big fan of all of these musicians. It’s a lovely experience to have a yearly opportunity to provide a platform for some of my favourite acts to perform at the festival.
Club owner Olivier Revault has also programmed his own excellent series, which includes Francesco LoCastro (12/11), Nicholas Meier (14/11), Maciek Pysz (19/11), and Robert Castelli (20/11).
So there we have it – we’ve completed our tour through the astounding array of performances that will be taking place at this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival. Obviously there are lot of concerts that I haven’t been able to mention, so I do also recommend having a look at the full programme for yourself. It’s going to be a very music-filled ten days!
ABOUT SAM LEAK
Sam Leak is a London-based Jazz pianist described by JazzFM’s Helen Mayhew as ‘One of the brightest stars in the Jazz piano galaxy, a heavenly improviser, and a brilliant prospect for the future.’ This EFG London Jazz Festival he will perform:
• 13/11: The Liberation Suite – Oliver’s Jazz Bar, Greenwich (9pm)
• 15/11: The Sam Leak Trio – Hampstead Jazz Club (8pm)
• 20/11: Samuel Eagles’ Spirit – Southbank, The Purcell Room (3pm)
• 20/11: House trio for the Pizza Express (Holborn) Jam Session (9pm)
The post A Jazz Musician’s guide to the EFG London Jazz Festival 2021 first appeared on UK Jazz News.
]]>