EFG LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL – JULY ANNOUNCEMENT

This month’s announcement sees yet more world-class talent heading to London in November.
With a particular focus on the strength of the European scene, we present Rusconi, Jef Neve, Alexander Hawkins and Marcin Masecki - pianists pushing at the boundaries of traditional piano-led jazz.
The integral place occupied by UK artists within this scene is highlighted with large-scale produced projects from Nikki Iles with the Royal Academy of Music Big Band, Phil Meadows’ stunning new Engines Orchestra,
Robert Mitchell’s Invocation – including Panacea, the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and Goldsmiths’ (Big) Strings – and a special celebration of 100 years of the life of Coleridge Goode, led by Gary Crosby.
Two new family friendly matinees are announced – Supersonics and Family Jazz All Stars featuring Juliet Kelly.
Our announcement is completed by four heavyweight jazz masters Charles Lloyd, Henri Texier and a special Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas tribute to Wayne Shorter.
Alexander Hawkins Brendan Reilly Charles Lloyd Dave Douglas Gary Crosby Henri Texier
Jef Neve
Joe Lovano Marcin Masecki Michèle Drees Nikki Iles Omar Puente Rusconi Tori Freestone

Shows onsale this week include

Alexander Hawkins, Brendan Reilly, Charles Lloyd, Dave Douglas, Gary Crosby, Henri Texier, Jef Neve, Joe Lovano,  Marcin Masecki, Michèle Drees, Nikki Iles, Omar Puente, Rusconi, Tori Freestone

Shows already announced include

Marcus Miller, Robert Glasper + Jason Moran, Dave Holland, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Bill Frisell, Abdullah Ibrahim, Kris Bowers, Ibrahim Maalouf, John McLaughlin, Dedication Orchestra, Chucho Valdés, John Surman, Kenny Barron, Bugge Wesseltoft, Henrik Schwarz, Dan Berglund, Regina Carter, Leszek Możdżer, Jane Monheit, Vinicio Capossela, The Bad Plus, The Hot Sardines, Sam Amidon, Snarky Puppy, Stefano Bollani + Hamilton de Holanda, Tomasz Stanko, Trish Clowes, Zara McFarlane

Alexander Hawkins & Marcin Masecki
Purcell Room, Friday 14 November, 10pm
First outing for a new duet that brings together two of Europe’s most individually gifted pianists. A leading figure on Poland’s independent music scene, Masecki’s music veers from jazz and free improv through the dance and brass band sounds of his native country, to re-interpreting classical music in often unusual settings. Hawkins has become an essential presence in today’s avant-jazz as composer, instrumentalist and broadcaster, with a plethora of projects and collaborations under his own name and with Louis Moholo-Moholo, Mulatu Astatke and many more.
Hearing each other play at the recent 12 Points Festival, the next step was to play together – a double act that’s bound to create musical fireworks. Both musicians have been participants in Serious’ Continual Professional Development programmes, Marcin as part of Take Five Europe, and Alexander on Take Five, which is now in its ninth year.

Supersonics
Purcell Room, Saturday 15 November, 2pm
Supersonics are pioneering explorers of sound, who spent time working in Norway to create this special show for children from 5 upwards. Through improvisations, supersonic technology and sheer willpower, Petter Frost Fadnes (sax), Chris Sharkey (guitar) and Ståle Birkeland (drums) create exciting, mind-blowing music ranging from strange sounds to beautiful melodies and hefty beats. The three musicians playfully negotiate a whole array of styles and genres, presenting a performance where noise, sounds, timbre, melodies, rhythms, and even moods, blend together in improvised, supersonic style.
Approximately 60 minutes, no interval.

Rusconi: History, Sugar, Dream + Jef Neve
Kings Place, Saturday 15 November
Ten years on from their first steps as an unconventionally brilliant improvising trio, Rusconi return to memories of childhood and discovery – a time, as they describe it, of untrammelled playfulness and experiment. With reference points that swing wildly from Sonic Youth to Keith Jarrett, and from Bonnie Prince Billy to Jason Moran, the trio are ‘a gang of little rascals from Switzerland – for them, jazz is not a museum, but an adventure playground’ (Die Zeit).
Jef Neve has long been admired as a tirelessly inventive pianist and composer who has reached an audience far beyond his native Belgium – straddling the worlds of jazz and classical music, he writes for dance, TV and film, and marks the release of a new solo CD, recorded at Abbey Road earlier this year. His solo concerts roam freely between familiar songs from Monk, Strayhorn and Joni Mitchell. ‘A fascinating universe where audacity and sensibility were one’ (Le Soleil, Canada)
 
Henri Texier - The Hope Quartet + Tori Freestone Trio
Purcell Room, Sunday 16 November
Henri Texier is a hero of world jazz. In a career stretching back to the 60s, he’s played bass with American pioneers Bud Powell and Don Cherry, and with his peers in the evolution of a European jazz aesthetic – Michel Portal, Louis Sclavis are just two.
His own groups are infused with a fascination with jazz as a global music – and his most recent band, The Hope Quartet, with saxophonists Francois Courneloup, Sebastien Texier and drummer Louis Moutin is a warm mix of filmic drama, fanfare, circus and swing.
‘All jazz history lives within him, with a flavour of something wonderfully exotic – a Corsican square, a North African party – thrown in.’ (Daily Telegraph)
The opening set from the Tori Freestone Trio, who are making waves on the British scene, showcases three highly experienced and eclectic musicians at their very best, with new album In The Chop House getting great reviews. ‘Her musicality and broad experiences have stirred all that input into an imposingly original sound’ (**** The Guardian)

Omar Puente
artsdepot, Sunday 16 November, 4pm
Omar Puente's quartet is a unique combination of sounds and styles for all tastes and ages – drawing on years of experience playing with musicians like Tito Puente, Eddy Palmieri, Courtney Pine, Rubén González and Wynton Marsalis.
In this concert Puente will perform pieces from his forthcoming new album Best Foot Forward. The rhythmic mixture of jazz, along with strong Afro-Cuban roots, will drive the hard beat of this classic quartet composed of piano, bass, drums and electric violin.

Michèle Drees Jazz Tap Project
artsdepot, Tuesday 18 November
Michèle Drees is the rhythmic bedrock of the London Tap Jam at Ronnie Scott's. For last year’s Festival she created a dance spectacular as one of the Festival’s 21st Birthday Commissions.
This year, Michèle will develop the project– featuring incredible special guest tap dancers alongside Michèle and her own band, showing just how thrilling live tap can be!

Brendan Reilly
artsdepot, Thursday 20 November
Best-known as the voice of Basement Jaxx, London-based Brendan Reilly is an American singer-songwriter of jazz, soul, pop, and dance music. He has toured the world with Basement Jaxx, and worked with artists such as Florence and the Machine, Duffy, and Rita Ora.
Tonight’s concert presents music from his eagerly awaited debut album, a soulful return to his jazz roots.
 
Coleridge Goode: A celebration
Purcell Room, Friday 21 November
Fellow bassist Gary Crosby hosts the celebrations for the 100th birthday of a much-loved bastion of the British jazz scene.
From Django Reinhardt to Joe Harriott, from Leslie “Jiver” Hutchinson to Michael Garrick – and taking in the Goon Show on the way, Coleridge Goode occupies a unique place in jazz history.
Never bound by style or genre, he made a crucial contribution to Joe Harriott’s free jazz experiments, and continues to be a source of inspiration to successive generations.

Royal Academy of Music Big Band featuring Nikki Iles
Purcell Room, Saturday 22 November, 2pm
Nikki Iles is a pianist at the forefront of the British jazz scene and also a composer of some of the most beautifully melodic compositions that have quietly become modern standards amongst younger players.
Here her work has been arranged for the Royal Academy of Music Big Band, a group that features some of the most promising and skilled young players on the scene.

Engines Orchestra
Kings Place, Saturday 22 November, 3pm
Twenty-something strong, and packed with young players from the city’s massively talented new generation, the Engines Orchestra mark the launch of their brand new CD, Engines of Creation.
Fronted by this year’s Parliamentary Newcomer of the Year award-winner, saxophonist/composer Phil Meadows; the combined forces of banks of strings, woodwinds and brass built around Meadows’ core quintet of Laura Jurd, Elliot Galvin, Conor Chapman and Alex Roth power their way through a heady mix of soaring melodies, intense grooves and a splash of freedom.

Robert Mitchell – Invocation
Panacea + Bournemouth Symphony Chorus + Goldsmiths (Big) Strings +
Avonbourne School Chorus
Queen Elizabeth Hall, Sunday 23 November, 2pm
Robert Mitchell draws together the mighty resources of two choirs, chamber ensemble and his own jazz quartet Panacea to create a heartfelt tribute to the transforming guidance of inspirational teachers the world over.
With performers of all ages, including key collaborators Eugene Skeef and vocal soloist Deborah Jordan and the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, the London premiere of Invocation marks a further step in the musical evolution of one of this country’s most singular musical talents.
‘Robert Mitchell creates chamber jazz of astonishing beauty - a lyricist and a thinker, and British jazz is far richer for his presence.’ (Metro)

Charles Lloyd – Wild Man Suite + Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas: Sound Prints
Barbican, Sunday 23 November
A tremendous double bill sees a new project from master saxophonist Charles Lloyd – recipient of a prestigious NEA Jazz Masters Award this year - which combines traditional Greek and Hungarian instruments with the delicate textures and grooves of his jazz quartet. All About Jazz had this to say about the premiere performance in Wroclaw in 2013 – ‘Positively triumphant; a clear chemistry that blended traditional jazz with textures from antiquity’
The dream team of Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas explore and respond to the enduring inspiration of an iconic figure in today’s jazz, Wayne Shorter, playing the music from the maestro’s seminal recordings as well as performing new music stimulated by Shorter’s visionary compositional voice.

Family Jazz All Stars featuring Juliet Kelly
Purcell Room, Sunday 23 November, 2pm
Join an all-star line up featuring the fabulous vocals of Juliet Kelly and some of the UK’s finest jazz musicians in a fun- filled family afternoon, as they lead you through a tribute to jazz singers past and present. Including songs from Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone and Astrud Gilberto, this show will be a perfect introduction to best-loved jazz classics from down the years.
‘An original talent rare amongst those who would call themselves jazz singers’ (Jazzwise)
Perfect for all ages - from toddlers to grannies - bring the whole clan and enjoy an energetic, music packed show like no other!
Approximately 60 minutes, no interval.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES


Please contact Sally Reeves +44 (0)1223 864710 | +44 (0)7790 518756 | sallyreeves@btinternet.com
Issued by Piers Mason at Serious +44 (0)20 7324 1880 | piers.mason@serious.org.uk
For information on all EFG London Jazz Festival shows please go to efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk
Fb: /londonjazzfestival, Tw: @londonjazzfest  #EFGLJF, Web: efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS


The EFG London Jazz Festival is produced by Serious, one of the UK’s leading producers and curators of live jazz,
international and new music. Serious produces events that range from major concerts, festivals and national and international tours through to learning and participation programmes, conferences and specially commissioned bespoke events. Alongside its core role as a live music events producer, it works in artist and rights management. Alongside this exists the registered charity, Serious Trust, which has been established to support the next generation of artists and audiences through our artist development, learning and participation and commissioning programmes. serious.org.uk

The London Jazz Festival was 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). Serious – who had for some years produced the Camden Jazz Week, engineered a transition that saw the evolution of the Festival. Taking a mix of international and British artists and a commitment to education activity, the London Jazz Festival began to spread its wings. 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 who present the music, week in, week out, throughout the year. efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk

EFG International is a global private banking group offering private banking and asset management services, headquartered in Zurich. EFG International's group of private banking businesses operates in around 30 locations worldwide, with circa 2,000 employees. EFG International's registered shares (EFGN) are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. It is represented in the UK by EFG Private Bank, which offers a range of wealth management services in the UK (with offices in London and the Midlands) and Channel Islands.
Practitioners of the craft of private banking.
efginternational.com