There’s nothing quite like walking around an art gallery with someone that really ‘knows their stuff,’ is there? You now have a superpower — X-ray vision — absorbing the artworks with a depth and insight that would have been impossible otherwise. It’s much like going to a foreign city as a tourist vs exploring it with an actual citizen (as I’m writing this I’m on tour in Italy with an Italian band.. non parlo Italiano, sono Inglese… yet I’m having an experience that a tourist can never have). So the foreign city (or art gallery) for today is Jazz, and I am a professional Jazz musician, here to give you an insider’s view on the programme for this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival.

I should start with the disclaimer that I have a vested interest in some of these concerts. I am performing in one band or another on almost every festival day, as well as presenting a series of concerts from some of my favourite UK bands at a much-loved Greenwich venue. However, below I’ve attempted to give you an honest insight into the living, breathing heart of the UK Jazz scene, drawing your attention to the lesser-known venues where the music thrives all year around. See me as your informed friend, giving you the marketing-free tips that you won’t be able to find in a newspaper.

1. Olivers Jazz Bar (9 Nevada St, London, SE10 9JL)

Let’s start things off with the programme that I’ve curated myself. As I’m the bloke that booked them it will come as no surprise that I consider these to be some of the most thrilling acts on the UK jazz scene today. At Olivier Revault’s popular Greenwich cellar bar, reminiscent of NYC’s ‘Smalls’, you will find musicians who have performed with acts as diverse as Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant, Techno pioneer Derrick May, Seamus Blake, and Pablo Held. These include: ‘Satori,’ a Japanese philosophy-inspired trio led by saxophonist Josephine Davies (★★★★1/2: Downbeat) who shift deftly and dynamically through various imaginative soundscapes (24/11; 5pm); Preston-Glasgow-Lowe (★★★★ ½ All About Jazz), a modern guitar trio who play contemporary post-jazz/fusion, combining relentless polyrhythmic energy, harmonic dystopia and virtuosic improvisations (21/11; 9pm); Parliamentary Jazz Award-winning saxophonist Sam Crockatt, noted by The Guardian for his ‘Haunting Lyricism,’ performing with his trio ‘Brouhaha,’ featuring the drummer Dave Smith (Robert Plant) (20/11; 9pm); saxophonist Alex Merritt (★★★★ ½ All About Jazz) with a new quintet influenced by contemporary classical music, John Coltrane, and Buddhism, and featuring award-winning German vocalist Miriam Ast (17/11; 5pm); hard-swinging bop-saxophonist Alex-Western King (‘One to watch in 2019 — Jazzwise) in quartet, presenting an exciting programme of unique arrangements, paying homage to the music of Cannonball Adderley, Johnny Griffin, and Charlie Parker (18/11; 9pm); and “one of the most in-demand jazz drummers in Europe” (London Jazz News), James Maddren, presenting a new band showcasing his “mind-boggling polyrhythmic drumming” (The Guardian) (19/11; 9pm). In the immortal words of Ira Gershwin, “who could ask for anything more?”

EFG London Jazz Festival programme at Olivers Jazz Bar, Greenwich

2. Kansas Smitty’s (Kansas Smitty’s 63–65 Broadway Market, London, E8 4PH)

Broadway Market’s ‘Kansas Smitty’s’ will be another hotspot to check out during the festival. Throughout the year they present a very diverse array of Jazz sub-genres, including Kansas City Jazz, New Orleans Funk, Trad, Swing, Blues, Bebop and Contemporary Jazz. The bar itself is themed around the swinging, hedonistic atmosphere of prohibition-era Kansas City. The brilliant Welsh pianist Joe Webb will be leading his trio with Tom Farmer on bass, and Shane Forbes on drums, on 19/11. Huw Warren has described his playing as ‘rare’ with ‘an unusual sense of delicate beauty.’ 17/11 sees clarinettist Adrian Cox take the stage to perform his new music, following up on the success of his international ‘Profoundly Blue’ tour. Something of a supergroup is presented on 15/11, featuring young lion Tom Barford (“a new star in the Jazz firmament”- Evan Parker), Stan Getz drummer Jeff Williams, and highly-regarded double bassist Dave Whitford. ‘Sax virtuoso’ (Jazzwise) Alex Hitchcock and award-winning vocalist Cherise Adams-Burnett showcase their new group on 22/11, performing driving contemporary swing and propulsive grooves. ECM pianist Kit Downes presents the international ensemble ‘Benvanemy,’ featuring Dutch saxophonist Ben Van Gelder playing alongside his fiery trio ‘Enemy,’ on 24/11. For this we can expect shapeshifting rhythmic structures, fluid melodies and lush harmonies. Over the past few years Kansas Smitty’s has established itself as an essential venue on the London Jazz map.

Broadway Market’s ‘Kansas Smitty’s’

3. The Spice of Life (6 Moor Street, London, W1D 5NA)

Ronnie Scotts’ promoter Paul Pace has been promoting Jazz at the ‘Spice of Life’ for over 20 years, providing a platform for both established acts and future Jazz stars to present their new projects. More recently the burning bop-Saxophonist Alex-Western King has joined the team, providing his insight into other pockets of the scene. Based in Soho, this is always a popular venue for London Jazz Festival concerts. They have an annual tradition of presenting top-drawer big bands for their weekend slots, and this year is no exception with a programme including: Gareth Lockrane (24/11; 1.30pm), Trevor Mires (a regular with the Chaka Khan band — 24/11; 7.30pm), the Patchwork Orchestra (featuring BBC New Generation Artist Misha Mullov-Abbado — 17/11; 7.30pm), and Matt Roberts (18/11). Throughout the weekdays they are delivering a similarly exciting programme of ‘non-big bands’ (including a gig by a certain hammond organist (cough cough.. me) on 21/11, featuring the burning guitar-and-drums team of Nicholas Costley-White and Joel Barford, and themed around the music of Larry Goldings).

Soho’s ‘Spice of Life’

4. The Con Cellar Bar (42 St Pancras Way, Camden, NW1 0QT)

‘The Con Cellar Bar,’ at The Constitution pub in Camden, is a night that is close to the hearts of a lot of UK Jazz musicians. It was set up by the exceptionally talented trumpeter, composer, and promoter Richard Turner, and a great many of the most important bands to have come out of the London scene cut their teeth there. Consequently this venue feels like ‘home’ to a lot of us. After Rich’s sad and sudden death in 2011, a team of Jazz musicians (including saxophonist George Crowley) stepped up to keep the night running. The venue has continued to go from strength to strength, and anyone interested in the UK Jazz scene should definitely make a pilgrimage to it at some point. In my opinion it is one of the most important jazz venues in London. For this year’s festival, on 15/11 they are presenting fantastic bands led by saxophonist Alice Leggett (Mark Lockheart) and drummer Sam Jesson (playing the first date of his national tour), as well as a solo set of live electronics and saxophone from Crowley himself.

‘Fly’ at the Con Cellar Bar

5. The Oxford (256 Kentish Town Rd, London, NW5 2AA)

Whilst still at music college, I found myself weekly going to ‘The Oxford’ (in Kentish Town) in order to check out bands from, and presented by, ‘The Loop Collective.’ Here I had the opportunity to watch the likes of Robin Fincker, Jim Hart, Ivo Neame, and James Allsopp, playing some of the most incredible gigs that I’ve ever seen — all in the upstairs room of a pub! The promoter’s hat was later passed onto George Crowley, under whom it continued to be a great success until the venue made the sad decision to stop the gigs to accommodate a renovation. Fortunately ‘The Oxford’ has recently reemerged as a Jazz venue, run by a new team of younger promoters. It now has a more ‘straight-ahead’ vibe (as a student I mostly saw contemporary Jazz and experimental music there) but is equally fantastic in that vein. This year’s EFG London Jazz Festival offering includes gigs from ‘remarkably self-assured’ (Downbeat) Scottish saxophonist Helena Kay, in quartet with guitarist Will Arnold-Forster (20/11), and Crowley himself presenting an evening of forward-thinking, electronically-tinged jazz and improvised music alongside the current BBC New Generation artist, guitarist Rob Luft (18/11).

Helena Kay, who will perform at The Oxford on 20/11

6. Cafe OTO (18–22 Ashwin street, London, E8 3DL)

Cafe Oto has got to be one of the hippest venues in London. If you want to hear some incredible music that might take you a bit out of your comfort zone then this is the place to go. Their 2019 EFG London Jazz Festival series includes a very interesting-looking concert from the French double-bassist Joëlle Léandre (19/11), in collaboration with Alexander Hawkins, and Roger Turner. Léandre has performed with some of the most important names in improvised music, including Derek Bailey, Anthony Braxton, Evan Parker, William Parker, Steve Lacy, and John Zorn. I’ve found a lot of people to be somewhat scared of the idea of improvised music until they have the chance to actually experience it (then the penny drops!) — a whole world of new sounds are waiting for you if you can open yourself up to them, give it a try.

Joëlle Léandre

7. Servant Jazz Quarters (10A Bradbury Street Dalston, London, N16 8JN)

This year’s Jazz festival features a concert from Joshua Blackmore’s ‘SiZE’ (15/11). I’ve been lucky to know and play with Joshua for many years, and he truly is an incredible drummer. He has performed and collaborated with high profile acts including Troyka, Strobes, Tiny Beast, Squarepusher, Marius Neset and Bill Laurance. You can expect an energetic set of brand new material, with gnarly bass, crunchy synthesizers, and dizzying beats.

Joshua Blackmore

8. Toulouse Lautrec Jazz Club (140 Newington Butts, Kennington, London, SE11 4RN)

Kennington’s ‘Toulouse Lautrec’ is the home for ‘straight-ahead’ Jazz at this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival. If you love Bebop then their ‘BopFest,’ curated by Allison Neale and Nat Steele, is the place to be! Although I’m largely trying to focus on representing the UK Jazz scene in this article, special mention has to go the Italian Jazz brothers Pasquale and Luigi Grasso, who are both stunningly talented musicians (on guitar and alto saxophone respectively). Pasquale (“the most significant new guy I’ve heard in many, many years” — Pat Metheny) plays on 19/11, and the two play together on 18/11. Of Steve Fishwick, Wynton Marsalis has said, ‘I can’t think of another trumpet player that can do what he does.’ He has the respect of the entire London Jazz scene, and is worth catching at any opportunity. On 23/11 he will be presenting a nonet with the great NYC pianist Michael Weiss, playing music from the classic 1967 McCoy Tyner Blue Note album ‘Tender Moments.’ Alex Bryson (24/11) is one of my favourite straight ahead pianists in London. He has a particular interest in the 1950s school of swinging bop, and is noted for his block-chord style of playing. The billing at Toulouse Lautrec isn’t entirely ‘straight-ahead’ — it also features a gig from guitarist Ant Law, described in The Guardian as “an innovator” and “a gamechanger.” His music is as brilliant as it is difficult (and given that it took me an entire two weeks to learn one of his tunes for a tour that we did, that’s saying something).

Pasquale Grasso

9. Hackney Empire Bar (291 Mare St, London, E8 1EJ)

Austrian guitarist Hannes Riepler’s weekly jam session, at the ‘Hackney Empire Bar,’ is a mainstay of the London Jazz scene. Many of the UK’s most incredible musicians can be witnessed performing there, having ‘popped along for a play.’ Hannes is also an excellent musician in his own right, and before he hosts the jam sessions he will be leading his quartet through a set of melodic and driving original tunes. These two EFG London Jazz Festival special editions of the jam (on 17/11 & 24/11) will almost certainly feature some very special guests from other gigs in the festival.

Hannes Riepler

10. Vortex Jazz Club (11 Gillett Square, London, N16 8AZ)

The London Jazz scene wouldn’t be a shadow what it is without the Vortex. Oliver Weindling’s Dalston venue has been singled out by Downbeat as one the top 150 jazz venues in the world, and in 2013 it won the Live Jazz Award category at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards. For twenty-five years the club has been serving as a platform for jazz, improvised and experimental music. It has been instrumental in launching the careers of acts such as the Mercury-nominated Polar Bear, and Portico Quartet. Saxophonist Evan Parker has described the club as his ‘spiritual home.’ The Vortex is run by passionate volunteers, so it’s fair to say that it is really, truly all about the music! This year’s programme features gigs from the saxophonist Riley Stone-Lonergan’s quartet (“his sincerity, and his affection for the material, impress as much as his comprehensive technique” — Jazzwise, 20/11), the futuristic saxophone and drum duet ‘JZ Replacement’, and the award-winning bassist Calum Gourlay’s big band.

11. Final mentions.

‘Crazy Coqs — Live At Zédel’ (20 Sherwood Street, London, W1F 7ED) will be presenting some fantastic gigs, with some highlights being ‘Vula Viel’ (“Dance to it, make love to it, consume it, listen to it, stare at the clouds to it!” Iggy Pop; 18/11) and ‘Partikel’ (“one of the most exciting trios in improvised music” — Podium; 19/11). At Karamel (Chocolate Factory 2 Coburg Road, Wood Green, N22 6UJ) you will have the chance to see a series of concerts from acts including the brilliant Samuel Eagles’ ‘SPIRIT’ (“the future of Jazz” — Jazz Journal; 16/11), and one of my favourite emerging young pianists, Noah Stoneman (who will be leading a jam session after performing a set of material; 20/11).

You can book tickets for all EFG London Jazz Festival shows here: https://efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk/

#WEAREJAZZ

For the EFG London Jazz Festival, Sam Leak will be performing “The Craft Of Sound” with his piano trio (feat. Simon Read: bass, and Will Glaser: drums) at ‘Pizza Express Live’ (21/11: 1pm). He will also perform with his Hammond organ trio “Little Green Men” (feat. Nicholas Costley White: guitar, and Joel Barford: drums) at the ‘Spice of Life’ (21/11: 8pm).

“Multi-faceted and smart as a pin, this is poetic chamber Jazz of a very high order” — MOJO Magazine.

Sam Leak Trio

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