EFG London Jazz Festival 2021 lineup revealed

EFG London Jazz Festival 2021 have released a new wave of shows and artists for the event.

The 29th EFG London Jazz Festival returns to live audiences with a programme of the highest quality live performances by an electrifying lineup of global stars, special collaborations, new commissions and the finest and freshest music from the UK.

The city-wide festival will return to a selection of venues, clubs, partnerships as well as creative engagement projects and talks.

Following on from a successful digital offering in 2020, the festival has promised to retain its commitment to a nationwide and global outreach through its digital work.

The festival has now revealed the second wave of artists joining us for the 29th EFG London Jazz Festival.

The line-up includes global jazz stars, celebrations of monumental moments of music and history, luminaries from jazz and contemporary music of today and some of the UK’s most celebrated jazz treasures. The festival also features new work from forefront UK artists featuring both rare partnerships and colossal orchestral collaborations and takes its inspiration from the vigour of the UK jazz scene, London’s inspiring venues, collectives and creative partnerships.

EFG London Jazz Festival 2021 lineup:

Friday 12 November

Jazz Voice | Royal Festival Hall

Joachim Cooder + Sam Amidon | Queen Elizabeth Hall

Julian Lage | Cadogan Hall

New Regency Orchestra | EartH Theatre

Saturday 13 November

Tony Allen: A Retrospective | Royal Festival Hall

Curated by Femi Koleoso, Remi Kabaka, Ben Okri and Damon Albarn

Bryter Layter: A Nick Drake Celebration | Queen Elizabeth Hall

Lakecia Benjamin | Cadogan Hall

Laufey | Purcell Room

Robocobra Quartet + Archipelago | Kings Place

Cherise | Ninety One Living Room

Sunday 14 November

Dave Holland and John Scofield | Cadogan Hall

Amadou & Mariam + Yugen Blakrok | Royal Festival Hall

Vijay Iyer, Linda May Han Oh, Tyshawn Sorey | Queen Elizabeth Hall

Cleveland Watkiss and Django Bates: Arts and Crafts | Kings Place

Sarathy Korwar with special guests | EartH

Lisbon Underground Music Ensemble | Purcell Room

Aynur | Barbican

Greg Foat + Kassa Overall | Colour Factory

Monday 15 November

Marcel Khalifé and Bachar Mar-Khalifé | Barbican

Damon Locks - Black Monument Ensemble | EartH

Shai Maestro + Ranjana Ghatak | Cadogan Hall

Tuesday 16 November

Avishai Cohen + Nikki Yeoh’s Café Oran | Barbican

Cécile McLorin Salvant | Cadogan Hall

Wednesday 17 November

Woodkid | Royal Festival Hall

Joey Alexander + Noemi Nuti | Cadogan Hall

London Sinfonietta + Laura Jurd, Elliot Galvin, Cassie Kinoshi | Queen Elizabeth Hall

Thursday 18 November

What’s Going On: Nu Civilization Orchestra | Queen Elizabeth Hall

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On

Anthony Joseph | Kings Place

Jasper Høiby - Planet B | Purcell Room

Kaki King | Kings Place

Friday 19 November

Yo La Tengo | Royal Festival Hall

Frazey Ford | Union Chapel

Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita | Queen Elizabeth Hall

Terje Isungset | Kings Place

Jaimie Branch | Jazz Café

Jason Yarde's ACOUTASTiC BOMBASTiC | Purcell Room

Soweto Kinch & London Symphony Orchestra: The Black Peril | Barbican

The Westbrook Blake| Cadogan Hall

Piazzolla x 100 with Daniel “Pipi” Piazzolla | Wigmore Hall

Wildflower | Space 289

Cassie Kinoshi & Anne Verheij - echo | Kings Place

Levitation Orchestra | Studio 9294

Saturday 20 November

Average White Band: Saturday Night Funk! | Royal Festival Hall

Bill Laurance & The Untold Orchestra | Union Chapel

Stefano Bollani | Queen Elizabeth Hall

Charles Lloyd + Nérija | Barbican

Take Five presents...| Purcell Room

Sunday 21 November

Zakir Hussain | Royal Festival Hall

Matt Calvert | Kings Place

Brad Mehldau | Barbican

Yazz Ahmed and the BBC Concert Orchestra | Queen Elizabeth Hall

EFG London Jazz Festival 2021 show descriptions:

Jazz Voice | Friday 12 November | Royal Festival Hall

The Festival's glittering opening-night gala features Guy Barker leading the EFG London Jazz Festival Orchestra in a glorious celebration of singer and song with specially invited guests. Past singers have ranged from Jacob Collier to Paloma Faith and Gregory Porter to Corinne Bailey Rae. The stars come later, but the tickets are available now.

The event welcomesspecial guest singers Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Aynur, Ego Ella May, Georgia Cécile, and Sachal Vasandani to the show, also Lakecia Benjamin on saxophone and spoken word, plus more names to be announced soon

Joachim Cooder + Sam Amidon | Friday 12 November | Queen Elizabeth Hall

Joachim Cooder is known for his collaborations with his father Ry Cooder, and brings his album Over The Road I'm Bound to London in this show, which also features Sam Amidon, another great singer on the Nonesuch label. This is the London date on a full national tour that will be announced in June.

Julian Lage | Friday 12 November| Cadogan Hall

Newly signed to Blue Note records, guitarist Julian Lage has broken into the major league. Mentored by Pat Metheny and Jim Hall, Julian dug deep into his music while he toured the world with musicians from Gary Burton to John Zorn, developing what Jazzwise called ‘his dazzling array of emotional and technical control over his Fender Telecaster’.

Archie Shepp & Jason Moran: Let My People Go + Shirley Tetteh | Friday 12 November | Barbican

London premiere of this intimate interchange and chemistry between two jazz virtuosos. Saxophone player, composer, pianist, singer, musical and political mastermind Archie Shepp and modern jazz icon, pianist, composer and multidisciplinary artist Jason Moran bring their shared devotion for the African American cultural tradition, identity and history into this musical conversation.

In demand guitarist Shirley Tetteh (Nérija / Maisha) will be playing a rare solo set to open the London premiere of Archie Shepp & Jason Moran’s new collaboration ‘Let My People Go’

Daniel Casimir | Friday 12 November | Purcell Room

The award-winning bassist and Serious Take Five alumni Daniel Casimir has become a regular fixture across the UK jazz scene, providing his heavyweight upright sound for the likes of Nubya Garcia, Ashley Henry, Camilla George, and Binker Golding. His debut full-length album due out later this year is a celebration of Black British Culture and a critique of the genres, labels and stereotypes which have traditionally been placed upon Black musicians. Daniel’s EFG London Jazz Festival show will be shaped around this new music.

Gwenifer Raymond| Friday 12 November | Kings Place

Hailing from the Welsh valleys, guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Gwenifer Raymond brings her awe-inspiring technique and musicality to the Festival.

Black Midi + Moor Mother| Friday 12 November (10.30pm) | Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer

A special late-night Concrete Lates event as part of Pitchfork Music Festival London in collaboration with EFG London Jazz Festival. Live performances from breakthrough innovative London-based art-rock band Black Midi with support from the incomparable Moor Mother, plus DJs. Black Midi + Moor Mother| Friday 12 November (10.30pm) | Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer

New Regency Orchestra | EartH Theatre

New Regency Orchestra is a twenty-piece big band on a mission to take the music of the Afro Cuban musical saints and reinvent it through a 2021 London filter. Curated by Lex Blondin (Total Refreshment Centre / Church of Sound) the line-up features conducting from Nathaniel Cross, Tamar Osborn on saxophone, Yelfris Valdés on trumpet, and more.

Tony Allen: A Retrospective | Saturday 13 November | Royal Festival Hall

Curated by Femi Koleoso, Remi Kabaka, Ben Okri and Damon Albarn

Legendary Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen passed away a year ago, working on his new album for Blue Note There Is No End featuring a younger generation of artists, including Skepta and Sampa The Great.

Tony Allen’s long-time collaborator Damon Albarn, alongside UK jazz scene’s blazing drummer and new Gorillaz member Femi Koleoso, poet-novelist-storyteller Ben Okri, and Afro-rock percussionist from Gorillaz Remi Kabaka, curate and perform with an electrifying line-up to create, especially for the Festival, this star-studded and spectacular celebration of Tony Allen's life and music.

Bryter Layter: A Nick Drake Celebration | Saturday 13 November | Queen Elizabeth Hall

Alasdair Roberts and Emily Portman celebrate the 50th anniversary of Nick Drake's legendary album.

Orphy Robinson (vibraphone, marimba and percussion) and Rowland Sutherland (flute) join folk luminaries Emily Portman and Alasdair Roberts and their band to celebrate Nick Drake’s seminal album Bryter Layter, one of Rolling Stone’s Greatest Albums Of All Time, for its 50th anniversary. In recent Festivals, Orphy and Roland's stunning shows around Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks and Pentangle’s Basket of Light have received standing ovations.

Lakecia Benjamin | Saturday 13 November | Cadogan Hall

Charismatic saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin presents her new album Pursuance: The Coltranes, which pays homage to John and Alice Coltrane. The album brings timeless compositions of the Coltranes into the present day.

Robocobra Quartet + Archipelago | Saturday 13 November | Kings Place

The award-winning UK trio Archipelago return to the Festival following the launch of their new album Echoes to the Sky. Fronted by composer and multi-instrumentalist Faye MacCalman and completed by John Pope and Christian Alderson, Archipelago hails from North East of England’s creative underground music scene.

Comprising of Tom Taboroi and Peter Howard on saxophone, Nathan Rodgers on electric bass and drummer-vocalist Chris Ryan, Robocobra Quartet’s music is described as “A cunning marriage of jazz, spoken word and punk" by Quietus. Their unmatched live performances channel moments of joy and playfulness, and periods of intense fury.

Laufey | Saturday 13 November | Purcell Room

Singer-songwriter Laufey blends sophisticated jazz melodies and slow-burning R&B grooves. Inspired by a musical family, she took up piano and cello early on. Her teenagerhood muses were Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday.

During her prestigious Presidential Scholarship at the Berklee College of Music, she began writing her own songs and performing a mix of originals and vintage classics on online platforms, earning support from Billie Eilish and Willow Smith.

Cherise | Saturday 13 November | Ninety One Living Room

A truly multi-faceted vocalist, Cherise is fast proving herself to be one of the most fiercely talented young musicians on the scene. The night opens with DJ Jake Snakestone Zaitz spinning an eclectic set.

Dave Holland and John Scofield | Sunday 14 November | Cadogan Hall

Guitarist John Scofield and bassist Dave Holland join forces to present audiences with a new conversation, playing original compositions each have contributed to their repertoire, with a selection of jazz standards added to the mix. Those familiar with their individual artistry can expect nothing less than a compelling meeting of their musical minds – virtuosity, enjoyment, and depth.

Amadou & Mariam + Yugen Blakrok | Sunday 14 November | Royal Festival Hall

The great ambassadors of Malian music return to the Royal Festival Hall. Amadou & Mariam have released a string of acclaimed albums, with Welcome to Mali nominated for a Grammy Award. Working with producers like Manu Chao and Damon Albarn, they create joyous music that inspires great live shows and wild remixes.

Vijay Iyer, Linda May Han Oh, Tyshawn Sorey | Sunday 14 November | Queen Elizabeth Hall

Innovative composer and pianist Vijay Iyer collaborates with Pat Metheny's bassist and EFG London Jazz Festival 2020 performer Linda May Han Oh and drummer Tyshawn Sorey in their new ECM release UnEasy which has had roaring success and was Guardian’s Jazz album of the month.

Cleveland Watkiss and Django Bates: Arts and Crafts | Sunday 14 November | Kings Place

Cleveland Watkiss and Django Bates have travelled independent paths for the past forty years, each imparting purpose and direction to their craft. They unite for the first time at the Festival where they will explore from Armstrong to Bowie and from Bates to Watkiss, making songs of love and hope, songs of art and craft.

Sarathy Korwar with special guests | Sunday 14 November | EartH

US-born, India-raised and London-based tabla player Sarathy Korwar has established himself as one of the most original and compelling voices in the UK jazz scene. He leads UPAJ Collective, has collaborated with the likes of Shabaka Hutchings, Arun Ghosh and producer Hieroglyphic Being. His album More Arriving on The Leaf Label was voted Mojo’s Jazz Album of the year and he explores rebalancing spiritual jazz and classical Indian music on his latest release with UPAJ on Night Dreamer records.

Lisbon Underground Music Ensemble | Sunday 14 November | Purcell Room

Lisbon Underground Music Ensemble is an experimental big band project composed of some of the most experienced Portuguese jazz and classical musicians, created and led by the composer Marco Barroso.

L.U.M.E.’s music combines written composition with improvisation, and reaches from funk to textural music, from boogie woogie to impressionist environments… with a Zappa-esque twist! They are undoubtedly one of the most exceptional big bands in Europe today and EFG London Jazz Festival is extremely proud to present their debut performance on these shores.

Aynur | Sunday 14 November | Barbican

Aynur is the most prominent Kurdish singer of our times. Her impressive voice and extraordinary musical narration represent the music heritage of her cultural roots to the world.

Aynur’s success has led to her collaborating with a wide range of acclaimed artists including Yo-Yo Ma, Kayhan Kalhor, Javier Limón, Kinan Azmeh and the NDR Big Band.

Greg Foat + Kassa Overall | Sunday 14 November | Colour Factory

New sounds of ground-breaking jazz in this future-facing double bill.

Versatile jazz musician Greg Foat moves from soul-jazz to cinematic, haunting compositions and pastoral acid folk.

Singer, producer, drummer, and MC Kassa Overall melds avant-garde experimentation with hip-hop production, reflecting a panoramic musical background from West Coast G-Funk to the sounds of the New York underground.

Marcel Khalifé and Bachar Mar-Khalifé - Mahmoud, Marcel and I | Monday 15 November | Barbican

Marcel Khalife and Bachar Mar-Khalife join together in performance to celebrate Marcel Khalife's lifetime of music and his work on Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish.

Bachar Mar-Khalifé is a French Lebanese singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist. Born in war-torn Lebanon, he is the son of the revered oud virtuoso and composer Marcel Khalifé, an Arab cultural icon. Bachar has collaborated on many projects that fuse jazz, Arab musics, electronica and hip-hop with artists as diverse as Bojan Z, Carl Craig, Francesco Tristano and Murcof.

Damon Locks - Black Monument Ensemble | Monday 15 November | EartH

The music and dance collective Black Monument Ensemble present their new album NOW on International Anthem, in their highly anticipated first London show.

Galvanized by Chicago-based multi-media artist/activist Damon Locks’ conceptualizing, poeticizing, and guiding vision, Black Monument Ensemble is a vibrant collective of artists, musicians, singers, and dancers from all facets of the diverse wellspring of Black artistic excellence in Chicago, bringing their unique perspectives and experiences to uplifting, anthemic, and highly animated musical performance.

Shai Maestro + Ranjana Ghatak | Monday 15 November | Cadogan Hall

Opening the show is singer and bandleader Ranjana Ghatak, who grew up within classical Indian vocal music but has evolved a glorious style of her own that’s all about contemporary Britain, juxtaposing the beauty of sacred Indian vocal music with the driving improvised rhythms of contemporary music.

She’s worked with Akram Khan, Nitin Sawhney, and London Philharmonic Orchestra, and played with Seb Rochford from Polar Bear and beatboxer Jason Singh.

Avishai Cohen + Nikki Yeoh’s Café Oran | Tuesday 16 November | Barbican

Following a sold-out show in EFG London Jazz Festival 2018, we’re delighted to welcome back the internationally acclaimed bassist and composer Avishai Cohen.

Avishai has his reputation as one of the world’s sought-after bassists; but it is as a composer that his musical statement has grown extensively, attracting large live audiences, listeners and passionate fans. With this new trio line-up featuring pianist Elchin Shirinov and drummer Noam David, Avishai will be presenting his latest trio album ‘Arvoles‘.

The opening set will feature Nikki Yeoh’s Café Oran trio project which celebrates the music of Maurice El Médioni, combining his music with her own compositions.

Cécile McLorin Salvant | Tuesday 16 November | Cadogan Hall

Two-time GRAMMY Award-winner Cécile McLorin Salvant returns to the Festival with her new quintet featuring Marvin Sewell on guitar, Glenn Zaleski on piano, Keito Ogawa on percussion and Alexa Tarantino on alto saxophone.

Cécile McLorin Salvant is regarded as a singular and fearless voice in music today. With her remarkable vocal technique and on-stage persona, she performs rich interpretations of familiar songs and rare treasures. Shai Maestro | Monday 15 November | Cadogan Hall

Following the release of his sixth album Human on ECM, with drummer Ofri Nehemya, bassist Jorge Roeder and trumpeter Philip Dizack, pianist and composer Shai Maestro brings his inspiring sound to the EFG London Jazz Festival. With his unique personal identity and musical fluidity Maestro is taking the music forward while also respecting its sense of tradition.

Avishai Cohen + Nikki Yeoh’s Café Oran | Tuesday 16 November | Barbican

Following a sold-out show in EFG London Jazz Festival 2018, we’re delighted to welcome back the internationally acclaimed bassist and composer Avishai Cohen.

Avishai has his reputation as one of the world’s sought-after bassists; but it is as a composer that his musical statement has grown extensively, attracting large live audiences, listeners and passionate fans. With this new trio line-up featuring pianist Elchin Shirinov and drummer Noam David, Avishai will be presenting his latest trio album ‘Arvoles‘.

The opening set will feature Nikki Yeoh’s Café Oran trio project which celebrates the music of Maurice El Médioni, combining his music with her own compositions.

Cécile McLorin Salvant | Tuesday 16 November | Cadogan Hall

Two-time GRAMMY Award-winner Cécile McLorin Salvant returns to the Festival with her new quintet featuring Marvin Sewell on guitar, Glenn Zaleski on piano, Keito Ogawa on percussion and Alexa Tarantino on alto saxophone.

Cécile McLorin Salvant is regarded as a singular and fearless voice in music today. With her remarkable vocal technique and on-stage persona, she performs rich interpretations of familiar songs and rare treasures.

Woodkid | Wednesday 17 November | Royal Festival Hall

Film director Yoann Lemoine made his name with videos for artists including Lana Del Rey, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift, before turning the camera on himself and recording an album under the name Woodkid. He’s become known for his spectacular live shows, including a dramatic live broadcast from the Eiffel Tower. This is his only British concert, based around his new album Goliath on Polydor, and it promises to be a truly epic production.

Joey Alexander + Noemi Nuti | Wednesday 17 November | Cadogan Hall

Pianist/composer Joey Alexander is the youngest jazz artist ever nominated for a Grammy. His first album for the legendary Verve label Warna follows four Motéma albums that garnered him three Grammy nominations and critics and readers poll victories in DownBeat and JazzTimes. Noemi Nuti has received wide critical acclaim headlining festivals and singing in Andrew McCormack’s Graviton. Her album Venus Eye fuses influences from Joni Mitchell to Esperanza Spalding.

Ichiko Aoba | Wednesday 17 November | Kings Place

Rising Japanese guitarist and songwriter Ichiko Aoba makes atmospheric folk music with intricate arrangements, primarily performed on classical guitar, and lyrics inspired by her dreams. She has released several albums, from intimate acoustic recordings to the cinematic dream pop of Windswept Adan where she submerges her music in ambient strings and electronics.

London Third Stream: London Sinfonietta | Wednesday 17 November | Queen Elizabeth Hall

The energy of jazz meets the virtuosity of contemporary classical: four stars of the London jazz scene premiere new, genre-defying ensemble pieces. Evoking the “third stream” which lies between classical and jazz, exciting new commissions by Shabaka Hutchings, Cassie Kinoshi, Elliot Galvin and Laura Jurd combine the explosive unpredictability of improvisatory jazz with the rich and versatile timbre of the London Sinfonietta ensemble, conducted by Geoffrey Paterson.

What’s Going On: Nu Civilization Orchestra (NCO) | Thursday 18 November | Queen Elizabeth Hall

NCO celebrate the 50th anniversary of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On. NCO led by Peter Edwards is a world-class ensemble brought together by Tomorrow’s Warriors’ artistic director Gary Crosby OBE. The show begins with a prelude based on Gaye’s Trouble Man, that creates the cultural setting for the album through music, projections and spoken word. The second part focuses on the genius of What’s Going On - a homage to a legend that inspired and connected generations.

Frazey Ford | Thursday 18 & Friday 19 November | Union Chapel

Vancouver artist Frazey Ford is revered for her soulful voice, captivating live shows, and immersive, lyrical storytelling. She returns to the UK with new album U Kin B the Sun. Frazey first became known to UK audiences as a founding member of Canadian alt-folk band The Be Good Tanyas.

Anthony Joseph | Thursday 18 November | Kings Place

Award-winning Trinidad-born poet, novelist, academic and musician Anthony Joseph has released eight critically acclaimed albums. He has collaborated with Archie Shepp, Shabaka Hutchings and Meshell Ndegeocello. In 2018 he curated the Windrush Celebration collaborating with Jason Yarde on compositions. He is returning to the festival with a new show featuring Jason Yarde, Denys Baptiste, Rod Youngs and Andrew John.

Jasper Høiby - Planet B | Thursday 18 November | Purcell Room

Over the past decade, Danish double bassist Jasper Høiby has become renowned for his fearlessly expressive sound, charismatic stage presence, and distinct compositional prowess – with his power trio Phronesis, his group Fellow Creatures and most recently new trio Planet B with young British saxophonist Josh Arcoleo and adventurous French drummer Marc Michel.

Planet B’s new music takes Høiby’s compositional skills into uncharted territory, combining the dynamism and warmth of his acoustic tones with expansive electronic soundscapes.

Kaki King | Thursday 18 November | Kings Place

Brooklyn-based composer and guitarist Kaki King is considered one of the world’s greatest living guitarists, known both for her technical mastery and for her constant quest to push the boundaries of the instrument.

Yo La Tengo | Friday 19 November | Royal Festival Hall

Iconic indie rock band Yo La Tengo make their London return with a special show for the Festival. For nearly thirty years Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew have enjoyed success entirely on their own terms – playing the world’s best concert halls, museums, and dives, dominating critics’ lists, doing a Simpsons theme, playing the Velvet Underground in I Shot Andy Warhol and sharing stages with some of the most important musicians of our time.

Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita | Friday 19 November | Queen Elizabeth Hall

Legendary Cuban pianist Omar Sosa and Senegalese kora master Seckou Keita join forces for a special collaboration which Songlines described as “beautiful, rhapsodic and spiritual”. They play the Festival together to celebrate the release of their second collaboration Suba and will be joined onstage by Venezuelan percussionist Gustavo Ovalles.

Terje Isungset | Friday 19 November | Kings Place

Terje Isungset marks 20 years of “ice music" with an international collaboration featuring Terje Isungset on ice instruments, Sami singer Sara Marielle Gaup Beaska and video artist Anastasia Isachsen; Swedish ECM artist Anders Jormin on double bass; Inuit throat singers Pauyungie Nutaraaluk and Beatrice Deer plus Tuvan throat singer and member of acclaimed band Radik Tyulyush.

Jaimie Branch | Friday 19 November | Jazz Café

Chicago trumpet player Jaimie Branch returns to London following her new live recording Fly or Die Live, released this Friday on International Anthem. A pillar of the Chicago jazz scene, the avant-garde trumpeter has contributed to a wide range of projects not only in jazz but also punk, noise, indie rock, electronic and hip-hop with her “ghostly sounds”. The eclectic fusion on her new album feels like it bears the weight of both that specific pocket of time, and a prophecy for all that was soon to come, and she will carry this sound into her Jazz Café show.

Jason Yarde's ACOUTASTiC BOMBASTiC| Friday 19 November | Purcell Room

ACOUTASTiC BOMBASTiC is a large ensemble featuring some of the UK's finest multi-instrumentalists and musical mavericks. Helmed by composer, arranger, producer and Musical Director Jason Yarde

Within the ranks of the ensemble lurks a saxophone quartet, a string ensemble and a choir, that can collectively groove, float, swing and potentially travel the globe from one measure to the next. They will be premiering new explorations as a 10+ piece ensemble with a host of collaborators to be revealed.

The Westbrook Blake - settings of the poetry of William Blake by Mike Westbrook | Friday 19 November | Cadogan Hall

We celebrate Mike Westbrook's 85th birthday year by bringing back to the concert hall what the IoS called "perhaps the greatest work in all British jazz".

The Westbrook Blake (also known in different versions as Glad Day and Bright As Fire) is one of Mike Westbrook's most joyous and powerful works. This concert features the two original singers, Kate Westbrook and Phil Minton: Mike Westbrook leads his own band with a choir directed by Paul Ayres.

Piazzolla x100 Quartet with Daniel “Pipi” Piazzolla| Friday 19 November | Wigmore Hall

An authentic homage to Tango luminary Astor Piazzolla's legacy, on the occasion of his first centenary, Piazzolla x100 is more than a tribute, a celebration of his music.

Featuring his grandson Daniel "Pipi" Piazzolla on drums, project’s musical director Federico Lechner on piano, Claudio Constantini on bandoneon and additional arrangements, and Antonio Miguel on double bass, this concert unleashes the jazzy soul of the Argentinian genius, taking Tango through improvisation and exquisitely crafted rework.

Soweto Kinch & London Symphony Orchestra: The Black Peril | Friday 19 November | Barbican

One year on from the Armistice Declaration in 1918, episodes of civil unrest erupted across the western world. What should have been a moment of triumph and social cohesion, disintegrated into violent disorder and racial conflict. From Liverpool, Glasgow, Cardiff and South Shields and the ‘Red-Summer’ across the US, city streets were set ablaze by race riots.

The Black Peril is a dynamic work by Soweto Kinch, inspired by the sounds of ragtime, proto-jazz, West Indian folk music and the classical works of black composers of the period. It revisits a time of momentous social change, also exploring connecting strands to modern forms of dance music including hip hop and trap.

Breathing new life into historic and often neglected musical forms, the performance will feature a jazz ensemble with some of the most skilled performers of the UK jazz scene, and London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lee Reynolds. It's a powerful artistic reflection on this history of racial conflict - exploring cultural anxieties which in many ways are just as prescient in today's world.

The premiere of this new work took place in EFG London Jazz Festival in 2019 as a co-commission by Serious, London Symphony Orchestra and supported as a part of Help Musicians UK’s Giant Steps scheme and Cockayne Grant for the Arts. The new orchestral version arranged and developed by Soweto Kinch and LSO will be premiered on this occasion.

Wildflower | Friday 19 November | Space 289

Idris Rahman (saxophone), Leon Brichard (bass) and Gene Calderazzo (drums) create freely improvised waves ranging from powerful climaxes to hauntingly beautiful breath-like passages, influenced by spiritual jazz pioneers such as John and Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Yusef Lateef and Sun Ra and whose compositional influences range from Gnawa music to modal jazz to Bengali folk music.

Cassie Kinoshi & Anne Verheij - echo | Friday 19 November | Kings Place

Experience echo, the new immersive film installation from long-time collaborators composer Cassie Kinoshi and visual artist Anne Verheij. The installation is a sonic and visual exploration of our connection with ourselves and each other in London. This 20-minute show also has two viewings on Saturday 20 November.

Levitation Orchestra | Friday 19 November | Studio 9294

Join the 11-piece band to celebrate the release of their second album 'Illusions & Realities', mixing spiritual jazz, classical, electronica, soul, spoken word, M-Base, and no-holds-barred free improvisation. With trumpeter Axel Kaner-Lidstrom (Cykada, Gary Bartz) as musical director, the collective comprises some of London's most promising young musicians, who together play in or with the likes of Alabaster de Plume, Shunaji, Nihilism, PÆN, and Nardedey.

Vocalist and keys player Feeo and DJs from Social Record Society warm up the evening, and after DJ/producer Maxwell Owin will take the early hours.

Average White Band: Saturday Night Funk! | Saturday 20 November | Royal Festival Hall

A funking great Saturday night! Back in the 70s, British jazz-funk fired up dancefloors and concert halls worldwide. Average White Band led the way – and their energy, soul and irresistible command of the groove remains unsurpassed. This concert sees them play The White Album in the first half, and then all their other dancefloor hits in the second round.

Bill Laurance & The Untold Orchestra | Saturday 20 November | Union Chapel

Keyboardist and composer Bill Laurance, a founding member of Snarky Puppy. first joined forces with Manchester's Untold Orchestra to work on tracks from his album Cables. This partnership led to exploration of synthesisers and music technology and their relationship to a ground-breaking orchestra - hear the live fruits of their collaboration in the extraordinary acoustic of Union Chapel.

Stefano Bollani | Saturday 20 November | Queen Elizabeth Hall

Pianist Stefano Bollani playing solo is a musical torrent of improvisation and spontaneous humour, infused with the warmth of his Italian heritage. He’s renowned for his collaborations on the ECM label – his own bands and partnerships with legends from Chick Corea to his mentor Enrico Rava. Expect extracts from his subversive take on Jesus Christ Superstar and the full range of his own music.

Charles Lloyd + Nérija | Saturday 20 November | Barbican

Charles Lloyd is an essential leading light amongst the living jazz saxophone legends that includes Wayne Shorter and Sonny Rollins. He has spent his entire career on a journey to explore the spiritual realms of wonder and beauty. In his career spanning over six decades, he worked with jazz, blues and rock giants including B.B. King, Lucinda Williams, Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, Eric Dolphy, The Byrds and The Grateful Dead.

In this concert Charles Lloyd will be accompanied by a powerful band featuring Gerald Clayton on piano, Reuben Rogers on double-bass and Kendrick Scott on drums, he performs music from a career spanning over six decades.

Take Five presents... | Purcell Room

Showcasing the future of UK jazz as we present artists who have taken part in our Take Five talent development initiative. Artists include J Frisco, John Pope, Samuel Eagles, Romarna Campbell, Sarah Heneghan and more

Zakir Hussain | Sunday 21 November | Royal Festival Hall

Zakir Hussain’s spectacular tabla playing is the sound of a virtuoso at the very height of his creative powers. He played with Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan, and then made his name through a series of extraordinary collaborations. One bright thread running through Zakir's life is his work with John McLaughlin in the great acoustic group Shakti, but this concert is also inspired by Planet Drum, his ever-evolving collaboration with Mickey Hart from the Grateful Dead.

Matt Calvert | Sunday 21 November | Kings Place

Breaking from the high octane sounds of his bands Three Trapped Tigers, Strobes and Goldie’s live band, composer Matt Calvert showcases his entirely acoustic album Typewritten with a nine-piece ensemble of guitars, strings, drums, tuned percussion and keyboards, extending his previous work without using a single square wave, effects pedal, laptop, amplifier or programming.

Brad Mehldau | Sunday 21 November | Barbican

Over the last two decades, pianist Brad Mehldau has forged a path which embodies the essence of jazz exploration, classical romanticism, and pop allure. His unquestionable leadership across idioms has grown as he has transformed the paradigm of jazz and classical performance – performing here with his trio.

Showcasing his diversity and undeniable voice, Mehldau has also had notable collaborations with Pat Metheny, Anne Sofie von Otter, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Renee Fleming, Britten Sinfonia, Kevin Hays, Jeremy Denk and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. With his rigorous intellect feeding an inspired range of expression and intensity, Mehldau leaves his worldwide audience eager for his next foray.

Fusing Forces: Yazz Ahmed and the BBC Concert Orchestra| Sunday 21 November | Queen Elizabeth Hall

Trailblazing trumpeter Yazz Ahmed joins forces with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Festival.

The British-Bahraini performer and composer brings her boundless musical ingenuity to a collaboration with the orchestra and its Grammy-winning Principal Conductor, Bramwell Tovey. The concert presents new orchestrations of Ahmed’s evocative, colourful works, joined by the artist and her quintet.

When is EFG London Jazz Festival 2021?

The 29th EFG London Jazz Festival will take place between the 12th and 21st of November 2021.

When are tickets for EFG London Jazz Festival 2021 released?

Tickets for all of the shows listed above are on sale to the public now.

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• london jazz festival