EFG London Jazz Festival 2022 - Top Picks | Preview
This year marks EFG London Jazz Festival's 30th birthday.
As has become an annual Autumnal tradition, we're picking some of the performances and gigs which we're super excited about at Jazz Revelations ahead of the festival.
Taking place over 10 days - between the 11th and 20th of November - the festival hosts the hottest jazz talent, both established names, as well as some of the most exciting emerging talent.
Created in 1992 by live international music producers, Serious, the festival emerged from the long-standing Camden Jazz Week which was created in 1970; with the active support of the London Arts Board (now Arts Council England, London). The London Jazz Festival began to spread its wings by mixing international and British artists and a commitment to education activity. The aims of the festival still remain the same today; celebrating the place of jazz in a city which is at ease with its rich cultural diversity, and drawing in a multitude of venues across London.
With hundreds across the whole city, we've picked out some the gigs we're most excited about.
You can use our handy navigation menu to jump to which day/date you'd like to explore below:
FRIDAY 11 NOVEMBER 2022
Church of Sound present Surya Botofasina, Nate Mercereau, Carlos Niño + special guests
Surya Botofasina, Nate Mercereau and Carlos Niño have been playing and recording together extensively as a trio for the last year. Niño’s Extra Presence record was released this year, and features Mercereau heavily, while Niño and Mercereau can be heard on Botofasina’s debut album ‘Everyone’s Children’, which has just been released.
They will be gracing Church of Sound with an expansive performance, in which Niño’s exploratory percussion texturizations and Mercereau’s guitar synth and live sampling, will be shepherded by Botofasina’s spiritual keyboard playing - much inspired by his learnings from Swamini Alice Coltrane.
Binker Golding
Saxophonist Binker Golding will be playing music from his new album Dream Like A Dogwood Wild Boy, which was released on Gearbox Records earlier this year.
This album finds Golding moving towards a new sound that incorporates elements of blues, heart-land rock and Americana while remaining rooted in the jazz idiom. The songs explore themes of manhood, father and son relationships, friendship, love and sex, reflection, drinking, escapism, death, masculinity, and resilience. His quintet features some of the UK's most talented artists featuring pianist Sarah Tandy, guitarist Billy Adamson, double bass player Daniel Casimir and drummer Sam Jones.
Ishmael Ensemble
Over the past 5 years, producer, and saxophonist Pete Cunningham’s Ishmael Ensemble has gone from being a humble bedroom recording project to an integral part of the thriving U.K. Jazz scene.
The group's debut album A State Of Flow saw Cunningham explore an array of sonic scenery from lush cinematic soundscapes to raucous peaks of psychedelia that received high praise from listeners & journalists alike.
The group's follow-up record Visions of Light saw them further blur the lines between jazz & electronic music, taking the listener on an expansive journey in sound whilst flying the flag for their hometown of Bristol.
Even though it's sold out, absolutely try to get yourself a ticket, as Ally saw their 2021 London Jazz Festival performance, saying; "Without a shadow of a doubt, Ishmael Ensemble's performance was one of the high points of the festival".
Check out Ally's preview of their Dundundun remix here.
Jas Kayser + K15
One of the leading stars of London's vibrant Jazz scene right now, drummer Jas Kayser will be sharing new original material alongside music from her critically acclaimed 2021 debut album, Jas 5ive with a support DJ set from London’s own K15.
J to Z Late: Live from the EFG London Jazz Festival | FREE
J to Z returns for their legendary late night party from the opening night of the London Jazz Festival, broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. Joining host Jumoké Fashola at PizzaExpress Live (Holborn) is a top secret line-up of festival stars, including one of the world’s leading jazz vocalists, two of London’s most talked about young bands, and a piano virtuoso and Mercury Prize nominee [we can't guess who this is... Fergus McCreadie].
Although this late night performance is a free event, hurry as tickets are scarce...
SATURDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2022
Total Refreshment Centre presents: Rosie Turton and tyroneisaacstuart | FREE
Rosie Turton’s musical path is defined by her unwavering desire to explore new territories: sounds, cultures, textures and collaborations, she’s always open to discoveries. A mainstay of the new London Jazz scene, Rosie started the trombone at age 11 and later began playing with Tomorrow Warriors, which was instrumental in her development as a musician. In 2021, Rosie released EP Expansions and Transformations: Part I & II, an exploration of impermanence and evolution and how this intertwines music and mind.
Saxophonist, dancer and rapper tyroneisaacstuart honed his skills playing with Tomorrow’s Warriors while also dancing with Boy Blue Entertainment. Recipient of the Steve Reid Innovation Award in 2019-2020, he has since forged a practice where he is comfortable playing SXSW or Church of Sound one week, and dancing in Little Simz’ Brit Awards performance another.
CHICAGOxLONDON: Alabaster DePlume, Angel Bat Dawid, Ben LaMar Gay, Jeff Parker, and more…
EFG London Jazz Festival presents a special weekend at the Barbican focusing on generations of Chicago avant-garde redefining the future of jazz. The musical and spiritual connections of Chicago and London’s jazz scenes come together for a night of one-off collaborations and performances, bringing together a line-up made up of artists from Chicago label International Anthem’s incredible roster along with friends and family from London’s Total Refreshment Centre: Alabaster DePlume, the London-based Mancunian poet, saxophonist, composer, and mastermind of the legendary Peach series at TRC, hot on the heels of his critically lauded new album GOLD. Chicago’s spiritual jazz oracle Angel Bat Dawid also makes her third appearance at the EFG London Jazz Festival, putting together a one-off collaboration with some of her closest London-based friends and musicians in advance of her next album. Ben LaMar Gay – the versatile and prolific multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and composer – and his quartet performing his latest album Open Arms to Open Us, channelling a radical array of sound, colour, and space through the universal language of folklore. Guitarist Jeff Parker of Tortoise and Chicago Underground fame (amongst others) joins the bill with a delicate solo set to perform material from his beautiful latest album Forfolks Joining them will be a number of guests from both sides of the Atlantic.
CHICAGOxLONDON 2022 continues the beautiful spirit of cross-border collaboration that has been building so gloriously since its first iteration was presented by International Anthem & EZH at Total Refreshment Centre in 2017.
Check out Ally's review of Jeff Parker's Suite For Max Brown here.
SUNDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2022
The Northern Line: Presented by EFG London Jazz Festival & Jazz North
EFG London Jazz Festival & Jazz North are proud to present a collection of artists from Jazz North's talent development scheme - The Northern Line.
Yaatri (2pm-3pm) Yaatri is an award winning five-piece art-rock/jazz crossover group formed in Leeds in 2018. Their blend of complex composition and ethereal soundscapes captivates the heart as well as the mind. Influenced by the momentum of the rhythms of India, immersive timbres of electronic music, and the energy of rock and roll, their music has a strong sense of purpose and journey. Ni Maxine (4pm-5pm) Ni Maxine is a Neo-Jazz Singer-Songwriter; a black woman navigating the modern world and exploring themes of home, identity, self-esteem and belonging. Born in North London and raised in Bristol, Ni Maxine moved to Liverpool in 2019. Maxine’s childhood was steeped in the deep cultural reference points of black history. She recalls her father’s love of jazz, her mother’s love of funk and rare groove, as well week-days in front of MTV Base and Sunday mornings in a gospel church, where she first learned to sing. Hannabiell & the Midnight Blue Collective (6pm-7pm) A high-energy Afro Fusion Collective fusing powerful and upbeat Latin & African percussion, brass, vocal chants, Blues, Jazz, Afro-beat, Funk, and Reggae to create a unique sound and an invigorating party atmosphere that will get you up on your feet.
Bill Laurance
Bill Laurance, the four-time Grammy-winning pianist, composer and founding member of fusion powerhouse Snarky Puppy, returns to Kings Place for a special EFG London Jazz Festival solo show.
Ash Walker Experience
Ash Walker Experience will headline the opening of Mama Shelter's Sunday Session on Sunday 13th November. Following his debut in 2015, this muti-instrumentalist and DJ has released three albums with sounds ranging from Jazz, Blues, Soul, Funk and Reggae. Walker is no stranger to iconic jazz venues, having played at the esteemed Jazz Café, as well as some of the UK’s biggest festivals.
Ash is joined by Ruby Francis and Josh Barry. Josh’s influences include James Brown, Otis Redding and Jimi Hendrix. He is known for his emotive vocal style which is as haunting against a backdrop of music, as well as acapella. He has won the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Contest and has toured as support to Rag N Bone Man. Ruby is a self-taught musician, with inspiration taken from Erykah Badu to Bjork.
Check out Ben's interview with Ash Walker and his review of Kennebec - Departure Remmixed.
Collocutor
Collocutor is a ground-breaking modal jazz ensemble formed and led by saxophonist/composer Tamar Osborn (aka Tamar Collocutor). Drawing on wide-ranging influences from electric-era Miles Davis to minimalism via Indian classical music and ethio-jazz, Collocutor’s approach reflects the meaning of their name: ‘a person taking part in a conversation’.
Over the course of three albums and an EP, the unique sound of the quintet (formerly septet) has matured into something exploratory, deep and compelling.
Sélène Saint-Aimé
The double bassist, singer and poet of Martinican and West African descent released her first album Mare Undarum to critical acclaim in 2020, navigating a unique path between contemporary jazz, Afro Caribbean rhythms and modern classical music. Her latest album Potomitan, was released in early 2022 to widespread critical acclaim.
Melanie Charles + Nadeem Din-Gabisi
Brooklyn-born Haitian singer, songwriter, producer, dancer, actress, flautist Melanie Charles is getting noticed for turning jazz on its head in more ways than one. Whether it is bringing a lifelong reverence to a back catalogue of jazz or calling out injustices in her co-hosted podcast ‘Make Jazz Trill Again’, Melanie Charles is a vocalist who ‘takes us on a journey that embodies the soul of jazz: exploration’ (NPR).
On her latest album on Verve, Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women, she flips the script by sampling the history of powerful Black women in jazz, and putting her own imprint on classics by Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter, and more.
MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2022
Amy Gadiaga | FREE
Amy Gadiaga is bassist-vocalist and composer from Paris based in London. Connecting the old-school jazz singer's tradition and modern bops of artists such as the Jackson’s, Amy’s band offers energetic performances that celebrate artistry and freedom.
Amy bridges the old-school jazz vocalist tradition of musicians such as Betty Carter and Wayne Shorter with the modern bops of artists such as D'Angelo and Kimbra. A fast-rising star of the London Jazz Scene and recently signed by Jazz Re:Freshed, Amy's band offers an energetic performance that celebrates art, freedom and black pride.
Sarah Tandy
Sarah Tandy has swiftly risen to become one of the most in-demand players of her generation, performing on keys for Jazz Jamaica, Mr Jukes, Yazmin Lacey, Binker Golding, Poppy Ajudha, Camilla George, Nubya Garcia, Nerija, Daniel Casimir, Binker Golding, Nu Civilisation Orchestra, Maisha and many more.
Her debut album was released on Jazz Re:freshed in 2019, and she was nominated for the Jazz FM Breakthrough Act the same year. In 2020 she was awarded the Parliamentary Jazz Award for Best Instrumentalist.
Sarah's live shows have an electric quality to them; watching the pianist in what appears to be a transcendent state as she and her band throw themselves into their performance is something of a marvel to behold.
Check out Ben's review of Sarah Tandy's Infection in the Sentence here.
TUESDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2022
Chiminyo | FREE
Chiminyo (Tim Doyle) is a drummer and producer from North London who, with his tech-heavy drum kit set-up, combines the raw, immediate live sound of percussion and the futuristic timbres of his electronic productions to create his own, daring soundworld. Via laboriously self-coded software, each cymbal crash and drum hit triggers a synth or sample, allowing Chiminyo complete control and freeing him of all loops, click-tracks and backing tracks. Every sound effect is performed live, producing an idiosyncratic kind of music
Native Rebel Recordings presents: The Brother Moves On, Chelsea Carmichael, CoN & KwAkE
Native Rebel Recordings – the record label from multi-reed player and cultural instigator, Shabaka Hutchings - is hosting a special evening at EartH (Theatre) in Hackney. With sets from three Native Rebel artists, The Brother Moves On, Chelsea Carmichael and CoN & KwAkE.
The Brother Moves On are part of a powerful lineage of South African protest music – the 'most important band in the country' according to SA publication Platform. The internationally acclaimed outfit's genesis as a DIY collective of visual and performance artists shines through in the creative way they draw from past, present and future, in their phenomenal live shows, and in masterful resistance music that heals and challenges in equal measure. TBMO are fronted by Siyabonga Mthembu, who is also part of Shabaka's Hutchings' Shabaka and the Ancestors. Their album Tolika Mtoliki made Apple Music's top releases for 2021. Saxophonist, composer and arranger Chelsea Carmichael is a warm and hypnotic player who brings subtle and considered improvisation to everything she does. As well as leading her own band, she plays with Neue Grafik Ensemble, Theon Cross and the Outlook Orchestra amongst others. Her debut album The River Doesn’t Like Strangers was the first release on Native Rebel Recordings in 2021. CoN & KwAkE is a partnership of Confucius MC and Kwake Bass. Confucius has been embedded in the UK hip-hop scene since the early 2000’s, rising above the noise and cutting through the clichéd conversations, while Kwake is the musical director for Sampha, Kae Tempest, as well as collaborating with the likes of MF DOOM, Dean Blunt, Mica Levi, Tirzah, and his own band the Speakers Corner Quartet. Melding together hip-hop elements to spoken word aspects CoN&KwAkE utilise the flexibility offered by jazz with an intimate, experimental quality on their forthcoming debut album Eyes In The Tower.
Abdullah Ibrahim
South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim returns to London - a mesmerising evening from a master musician. Any performance from Cape Town’s jazz hero is a journey through a lifetime’s experience; the musical melting pot of his upbringing (gospel and jive, American jazz and classical music, sacred and secular) and the music of his jazz heroes (Ellington and Coltrane amongst them) all skilfully embroidered by his free-flowing piano invention.
WEDNESDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2022
Tru Thoughts Takeover - Sly5thAve & Roberto Verástegui
Agua de Jamaica is the first collaborative project between producer, multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger Sly5thave and pianist and composer Roberto Verástegui.
Epitomising this fusion of sounds and collaborative talents, laced with nods to funk and hip hop, composer and arranger Sly5thave and pianist and composer Roberto Verástegui improvised a jazz reworking before taking it home to layer synths, piano and beats. With a constant backbeat and harmonic pattern courtesy of Sly5thAve, Roberto’s Hammond organ takes the experimental jazz centre stage.
Camilla George
This is Camilla George's first London show performing music from her new album Ibio-Ibio.
With a love of fusing African and Western sounds, her music is a delightful blend of Afrofuturism, hip hop and jazz. A star of the renowned Jazz Jamaica, she’s since gone on to produce two albums of critical acclaim in Isang and The People Could Fly.
Camilla's music is warm yet authoritative, relaxed yet imaginative.
Check out Camilla George's 'On Rotation' picks here.
Kinkajous
Kinkajous explores the space between jazz, orchestral and electronic music, in a compelling mix of tonalities and influences drawn from their London home. Led by drummer/producer Benoît Parmentier and saxophonist/clarinettist Adrien Cau, they have earned a reputation for conjuring up a powerful and cinematic sound.
Touching on ideas of certainty, belief and identity, their highly anticipated second album Being Waves was released at the end of 2021. With its blend of acoustic and orchestral instrumentation, analogue synthesis and sampling processes, there is an elaborate yet organic feel to the music.
Joined by Jack Doherty (synths), Maria Chiara Argirò (keys) and Andres Castellanos (bass), their live performances are exhilarating yet intimate, reflecting the band’s outstanding musicianship and versatility.
Check out Robbie's review of Being Waves here.
TRU THOUGHTS TAKEOVER - Late Late Show with Bryony Jarman-Pinto and DJ Nostalgia 77
Bryony Jarman-Pinto is an expressive and adventurous singer-songwriter, combining harmonious vocals and mesmerising jazz-fused melodies with personal and complex lyrics. Plus DJ sets from Nostalgia 77.
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Exploring a crossover of genres as she develops her style as an artist, Bryony Jarman-Pinto draws influence from the likes of Hiatus Koyote and Solange to Zara Macfarlane and Lianne La Havas. She finds herself increasingly merging elements of folk music with the jazz and world influences of her youth, for a sound that is truly her own.
Nostalgia 77 first burst onto the scene with his heavy, new-funk based sound in 2002. Also known as Ben Lamdin, his hard work and prolific creation process has seen many of his outstanding records being released on Tru Thoughts for over a decade.
THURSDAY 17 NOVEMBER 2022
KEEP ON MOVING X EFG LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL: ROMARNA CAMPBELL TRIO W/ DEMIMA
Romarna Campbell Trio are inviting London based Electronic soul soundscape artist DemiMa for this new series.
Romarna’s storytelling begins with the drums. The nomadic spirit of this exciting drummer, producer and composer lives in her jazz and hip hop-infused music.
Having honed her craft with Berklee College of Music, Tomorrow's Warriors and the Notebenders, Romarna stands on the shoulders of giants and is drawing inspiration from the view as she beats a path forward that is very much her own.
Daniel Casimir
Multi-award-winning bassist and composer Daniel Casimir who has become a regular fixture within the UK jazz scene, is back with his solo debut album Boxed In, a dynamic collision of pulsing modern jazz and orchestral instrumentation.
Nubiyan Twist ft. Disraeli, K.O.G, Ria Moran + special guests Secret Night Gang
Nubiyan Twist are a blend of virtuosic players, skilled producers and inspired composers who have joined forces under the leadership of multi-instrumentalist, and producer Tom Excell.
Drawing on jazz, hip-hop, afrobeat, Latin, soul, reggae and dance music, expect ultra-tight musicianship and an infectious and powerful 10-piece big band sound.
Special guests Secret Night Gang were handpicked by Gilles Peterson from Manchester’s vibrant live music scene. Newly signed to Brownswood in 2021, the main stage is set for them to breeze onto the scene as a multi-generational band breathing new life into the classic British street-soul sound.
Led by the soulful vocals of Kemani Anderson and featuring saxophonist Callum Connell’s pin-sharp orchestrations, Secret Night Gang is a joyful slice of summer-soul goodness that nods to the vibrant history of jazz-inflected soul, while reflecting today’s genre blending sensibilities in a heady mix of souljazz, R&B, gospel, and more.
Also joining the bill will be session keys and vocalist Ria Moran, the multi-dimensional creative force that is K.O.G and rapper and multi-instrumentalist Dizraeli.
Check out Ben's interview with members of the group here.
FRIDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2022
Mark Kavuma presents Banger Factory Records
A night to celebrate Banger Factory Records, trumpeter and band leader Mark Kavuma’s new label, featuring Zaitz & Kavuma, The Banger Factory and Kinetika Bloco with an all-star cast of musicians and special guests from the London jazz scene, including Sheila Maurice Grey, Theon Cross and Deschanel Gordon.
Banger Factory Records burst on to the scene in 2021 and has rapidly established itself as a label where veterans of British jazz rub shoulders with young lions to release music that encapsulates the sound, the look, the language, and the swagger of jazz music, spreading love and good vibes and ultimately shaping the future of music beyond genres, gender and borders.
LEVITATION ORCHESTRA
The 11-piece Levitation Orchestra lift-off with their barnstorming blend of spiritual jazz, classical, electronica, soul and spoken word.
Levitation Orchestra brings together multiple inspirations ranging across 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.
Lluis Domenech Plana on flute, James Akers on tenor saxophone, and Ayodeji Ijishakin on tenor saxophone complete the horn section, with Saskia Horton on violin, Beatriz Rola on violin, and Emma Barnaby on cello making up the strings.
Rhythm is available in handfuls from Hamish Nockles-Moore on double bass and Harry Ling on drums, complemented by Roella Oloro on keys, Maria Osuchowska on harp, and Paris Charles on guitar, with last but not least, Plumm and Dilara Aydin-Corbett on vocals.
Check out Ben's interview with the group here.
Lady Blackbird + DoomCannon
Lady Blackbird presents a wholly fresh take on the jazz vocal idiom and is an artist blessed with a bold, unmistakable voice. Get ready to be spellbound by her captivating performance.
Los Angeles-based, Lady Blackbird (aka Marley Munroe) embodies musical inspirations such as Billie Holiday, Gladys Knight, Tina Turner and Chaka Khan in her work whilst possessing a style and emotional intensity that is very much her own.
DoomCannon is a London-based composer, producer & multi-instrumentalist spearheading a plethora of forward-thinking, improvised jazz-inspired outfits. Exhibiting free jazz compositions with a new contemporary flair, unveils DoomCannon’s trailblazing sensibilities. Signed to Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings, he released his debut album Renaissance this year.
See Ally's interview with Lady Blackbird here.
Makaya McCraven
Makaya McCraven is a beat scientist. The bleeding edge drummer, producer, and sonic collagist is one of Chicago’s savviest cultural players and a multi-talented force whose inventive process and intuitive, cinematic style defies categorisation.
See Ben's review of Universal Being E&F Sides here.
Air Anatolia: A journey into the Future of Turkish Psychedelia
A special project inviting trailblazers and contemporary connoisseurs of the Anadolu Pop phenomenon to join forces with artists from UK music scene. Get ready to witness a great new project with members of Mogollar, Islandman, Hey! Douglas meeting UK talent led by Al MacSween (Maisha, Kefaya).
Commonly known as Turkish Psychedelia, the distinctive and authentic psych-rock and Anatolian Pop scene which developed on the late 1960s and 1970s in Turkey was a hybrid of western pop and local Turkish Anatolian folk, taking its influences from similar sounds of the era, originating in the US and UK.
With the musical direction of VEYasin (ModeXL, Hey Douglas), Tolga Böyük (Islandman) and Al MacSween (Maisha, Kefaya) the project creates a super-band with Cahit Berkay of Moğollar at the centre, as well as bringing together Ahmet Güvenç, Dunja Botic, Jake Long, Melike Şahin, Muhlis Berberoğlu , Murat Ertel (BabaZula), Okay Temiz, Tamar Osborn, Thodoris Ziarkas, Tolgahan Çoğulu, Tony Kofi & Yazz Ahmed.
Air Anatolia, aims to unite both cities by integrating the rhythmic, melodic and improvisational attributes of Anadolu Pop, with the dynamism and creativity of UK jazz, and its openness to non-western influences and fusion and in turn serving as an example of the bond between countries.
Vertaal
Ajit and Theo form Vertaal, spiritual nu-jazz duo, that shares a love of groove & improvisation, forming musical ideas, Dilla-esque hip-hop, broken beat & neo-soul.
Coming from different social backgrounds albeit from the same town, Ajit Gill and Theo Howarth might have never crossed paths had it not been for a chance meeting when both were working as techs on tour. Finding a shared love of groove, nu-jazz, and broken beat quickly found them writing and recording together. The resulting burst of shared musical ideas traversing spiritual nu-jazz, Dilla-inspired hip-hop and neo-soul, gave birth to Vertaal, the duo developing a passion for the freedom and raw expression of the music.
Check out Ben's review of Paradigm Shifting (Extended Edition) here.
Ruby Rushton + Dennis Ayler (DJ Set)
The Tenderlonious-led jazz quartet Ruby Rushton are one of the leading, most forward-thinking and prolific bands to emerge from London’s thriving jazz scene.
They have been at the forefront of the UK jazz scene since the release of their debut album
Two For Joy back in 2015, an album credited with introducing a new generation to
jazz music in the U.K. Their music is rooted in the spiritual concepts of jazz heroes
such as John Coltrane and Yusef Lateef, whilst adopting influences from hip hop,
Afrobeat, bebop, jazz-funk and sounds of the U.K. underground. In 2019 the band
released their fourth studio album and most successful to date Ironside.
Check out Ally's review of Tenderlonious' HARD RAIN here.
SATURDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2022
Printworks Takeover: The Hydra x EFG London Jazz Festival
Alongside EFG London Jazz Festival marking its 30th birthday, The Hydra is celebrating its 10th birthday, so to celebrate the joining of these forces there's one hell of a takeover taking place at the iconic Printworks.
Spanning House, Techno, Electro, Bass, Hip Hop, Jazz, Experimental – a little bit of everything, all in one place.
Highlights include multi-instrumentalist artist Bonobo playing a special DJ set, Danilo Plessow’s (MCDE) return to Printworks after three years, NTS Radio resident Zakia, Mafalda and many more.
Press Halls:
Bonobo - DJ Set
Danilo Plessow's Motor City Drum Ensemble
Mafalda
Joe Armon-Jones & Maxwell Owin - DJ Set
Tenderlonious & Lorenzo Morresi - DJ Set
Zakia
Inkwells – curated by Dialled In Festival:
Ahadadream
Discostan
DJ Ritu
Esk
Naina
Nikki Nair
Rude Kid
Sanasesh & Rishy
Surya Sen
Talvin Singh
Jitwam
With his roots in Assam, northeast India, and his hustle now based in Brooklyn, the psychedelic soul-savant has cemented his reputation as a world-class DJ, live performer and label head at The Jazz Diaries.
Following his Detroit Swindle collaboration Coffee In The Morning and his Back To My Place outing on Darker Than Wax, his new EP Sun After Rain, with French producer Folamour is a keys-driven dance floor groover, complete with triumphant brass stabs and a rock solid rhythm section.
Jitwam has firmly cemented his place in the global dance scene, whilst also flexing his talent in the world of jazz and beyond.
BBC Young Jazz Musician Final
A chance to see the next generation of jazz talent as BBC YOUNG JAZZ MUSICIAN 2022 reaches its final stage.
Presented in association with the EFG London Jazz Festival, the concert will see 5 exceptional young performers compete for the title in front of a panel of leading jazz names. Joining the finalists on stage the competition’s house band who will also welcome back 2020 winner Deschanel Gordon for a very special performance.
The evening will be filmed for broadcast on BBC Four on Sunday 20 November 2022.
Dhafer Youssef with Ballaké Sissoko, Eivind Aarset and Adriano Dos Santos: Digital Africa + Zoe Rahman Trio
Together with two masters of their instruments and boundary-breakers, Dhafer Youssef explores his African roots with a new and modern perspective.
Oud master, vocalist and composer Dhafer Youssef, whose music resists categorisation, is at the vanguard of a movement in contemporary music that brings East and West together. One of the most inventive oud players, he has succeeded in freeing the instrument from its traditional role and bringing it into jazz.
Ballaké Sissoko’s kora playing echoes Dhafer’s approach to the traditional instrument: at the same time grounded in its history and deeply personal. They met in 2016 during a residency at the Musée des Confluences in Lyon and bonded over this similar vision of their respective instruments.
One of Dhafer’s long-time friends, Eivind Aarset displays his wide sonic palette, that stretches from Nordic influences to African rhythms. His textures on guitar bring an acoustic-electric blend that gives density and depth to the sound of the group.
TC & The Groove Family ft. MC Franz Von + Fehdah
TC & The Groove Family are a 10-piece collective whose music celebrates the coming together of cultures, and the unity that music can provide for everyone. Driven by drummer Tim Cook, their live shows are powerful and dynamic, exploring grooves and genres from the UK and around the world, including afrobeat, breakbeat, jungle, jazz and highlife. They'll be joined by MC Franz Von for a special performance.
The band recorded their debut album First Home with Tom Excell (Nubiyan Twist, ONIPA), and released it in June 2022 through Worm Discs. Summer 2022 saw them make a name for themselves on the UK festival circuit, with appearances at Glastonbury, We Out Here, Greenman and Kendal Calling topped with a crowning headline set on the Chai Wallah stage at Shambala.
Check out Ben's interview with TC & The Groove Family here.
Raquel Martins + Erica McKoy
Raquel Martins is an artist with a unique voice, at the intersection of modern soul and jazz, reminiscent of Nai Palm, Jordan Rakei or Oscar Jerome, with an added authentic Brazilian flavour that sets her apart.
The young singer-songwriter and guitarist moved to London when she was only 17. Raised under the sun in Portugal, she grew up listening to the endless classics from the Brazilian and jazz repertoire. It was only when she discovered the world of contemporary hip-hop, soul and jazz music that she realised she could create something new with all the sounds she had been absorbing over the years.
In only 4 years in the UK capital, she's already established herself as both a very solid side musician working for established UK jazz artists such as Poppy Ajudah, as well as an artist with a unique voice, at the intersection of modern soul and jazz, reminiscent of Nai Palm, Jordan Rakei or Oscar Jerome, with an added authentic Brazilian flavour that sets her apart.
Her self-produced EP The Way caught the attention of the UK scene.
SUNDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2022
J to Z’s Spiritual Jazz Sunday | FREE
Kevin Le Gendre hosts a special edition of BBC Radio 3’s J to Z from the FreeStage in the Barbican concourse, featuring some of the most exciting spiritual jazz artists on this year’s bill, including a South African piano star, a topflight harpist and two UK instrumentalists making waves.
Ed ‘Tenderlonious’ Cawthorne Quartet
22a label boss, multi-instrumentalist, producer and DJ, Ed ‘Tenderlonious’ Cawthorne is regarded as one of the most influential figures in the U.K.'s underground music scene.
His record label, 22a, is one of the most respected independent record labels in the UK, credited with influencing a generation of young musicians and producers in London as well as internationally. His music has proven him to be one of the most versatile and uninhibited artists in music today, blending genres and multi-instrumentation with style and ease. Whether it be jazz fusion with his band Ruby Rushton, Hindustani classical with Pakistani quartet Jaubi or deep house, electro-funk and ambient electronica in his solo studio productions, he has accumulated a back catalogue of releases and collaborations that unveil a musician who is continuously striving to evolve and push the boundaries of sound.
Check out Ally's review of Tenderlonious' HARD RAIN here.
Nduduzo Makhathini
From growing up in the lush and rugged hills of umGungundlovu in South Africa to touring the world as one of Blue Note’s most renowned artists, Nduduzo Makhathini is one of the most talented musicians of our generation.
Makhathini draws influence from the ancient tradition of the Zulu, whose warrior code is deeply reliant on music for motivation and healing, entwining such ideologies with the skills he has acquired from the legends of South African Jazz.
is 2017 album Ikhambi was the first to be released on Universal Music South Africa and won Best Jazz Album at the South African Music Awards (SAMA) in 2018. His Blue Note debut Modes of Communication: Letters from the Underworlds was named one of the “Best Jazz Albums of 2020” by The New York Times, and was followed by In the Spirit of Ntu in 2022.
