Looking ahead to the 2024 EFG London Jazz Festival, with programmer Pelin Opcin

Celebrating its 32nd edition with 350 gigs over 10 days across the length and breadth of London, from tiny clubs to cavernous concert halls, when the EFG London Jazz Festival comes to town it seems the entire city takes notice. “Each year, we have a huge list of music to showcase and so many varied themes to highlight,” Director of Programming Pelin Opcin says. “From jazz legends to rising stars, musicians from around the world and local talent, there’s so much we care about and it always produces 10 days of gigs that are entirely new.”

Amid the overwhelming range of programming, spanning free family-friendly shows to 50-piece concert orchestras, Opcin spotlights several strands featured throughout the festival that exemplify its honouring of jazz’s diversity. One particularly exciting focus is a celebration of the 30th year of democracy in South Africa through several gigs showcasing the country’s youthful jazz scene. A capella group The Joy kick off proceedings with their take on Zulu singing tradition during their show at Milton Court on 17 November, while Blue Note pianist Nduduzo Makhathini brings his blend of emotive melodic phrasing and spiritual vocalisations, and drummer Asher Gamedze's explosive, free improvisations. On the programme’s closing night, the festival pays tribute to South Africa’s improvisatory avant garde, featuring an all-star roster of players including pianists Thandi Ntuli and Bokani Dyer.

“We’ve been so inspired by South Africa’s improvisers exploring their country’s musical heritage alongside jazz tradition to produce music rich with tension and joy,” Opcin says. “It’s exciting, fresh artistry that is going to take the world by storm and we’re very happy to highlight it here.”

From cutting-edge avant garde explorations in South Africa to the birthplace of jazz in New Orleans, the festival is equally committed to highlighting all aspects of this journeying music’s storied identity.

“Jazz began as a vital expression of hope and creativity, putting the African American experience of injustice into a new artform,” explains Opcin. “We’re honoured to pay tribute to these origins with a series of shows, from our Take Me To The River celebration featuring legends like Cyril Neville and Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr, to party-starters The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and our free stage at the Southbank Centre, The Big Easy, where passers-by can get a taste for the New Orleans flavour via Orphy Robinson’s Big Easy Big Band featuring amateur players and youth group Kinetika Bloco. This is music for dancing, so I challenge anyone not to once they hear it live!”

The free stages are another key aspect of the EFG London Jazz Festival’s identity, producing showcases at the Southbank Centre’s Clore Ballroom and in the Barbican FreeStage of new music for all ages.

“Free stages are so important to inspire younger audiences and to remove barriers to get the next generation interested in this music,” Opcin says. “It’s also a great opportunity for musicians to experiment in front of a crowd they might not normally find.”

Much of the homegrown talent on this year’s bill has previously performed on the festival’s free stages, from rising star saxophonist Emma Rawicz to violinist Alice Zawadzki and trumpeter and record label head Mark Kavuma.

“The past decade has seen the London jazz scene gain massive notoriety on the world stage and we’re so happy to have our share to showcase at a festival that so many of these acts started at,” Opcin continues. “It’s been inspiring to see someone like Emma go from the free stages to winning Parliamentary Jazz Awards and now playing a headline show at Kings Place, while Mark Kavuma’s Banger Factory label is putting on a fantastic showcase of the artists he has developed over the years, including guitarist Artie Zaitz and Blue Lab Beats member David Mrakpor.”

Monthly jazz jam Moment’s Notice is also taking centre stage with organiser George Nelson programming an evening of first meeting improvisations at Islington’s Union Chapel and featuring a unique band comprised of Courtney Pine, bassist Petter Eldh and a series of secret special guests.

“We’re always jamming behind the scenes to come up with fresh ideas and we wanted to co-create with a fellow programmer to bring something different to the stage this year,” Opcin explains. “It’s all about unique collaborations that are unannounced, so watch this space...”

While the jazz combo is a steady feature of the 10-day festival’s repertoire, there are also a range of shows challenging standard instrumental formats to include global sounds like the ney flute and the setar, as well as vast orchestral backings for performances celebrating everything from John Coltrane’s repertoire to drummer Billy Cobham’s 80th birthday.

“Jazz is a music that has always responded to what’s happening globally, so it’s a serious responsibility for us to reflect that in our Beyond Borders series of events and host artists like Faraj Suleiman and Avishai Cohen from around the world,” Opcin says. “We’ve also been lucky to work with the BBC Concert Orchestra and they have always had an appetite to tap into creative music outside of the classical music tradition. We develop ideas together with orchestras to produce the Billy Cobham and John Coltrane celebrations, as well as the Britten Symphonia playing new work with Tim Garland and the LSO returning to perform a new composition from Cassie Kinoshi.”

Ultimately, from Pat Metheny and Charles Tolliver concerts at the Barbican, to a student showcase from the London College of Contemporary Music, the 2024 festival is covering all bases.

“It’s FOMO central over these 10 days,” Opcin laughs. “Even I’ll be missing out as there’s so much incredible music to see. You just have to be here!”

The EFG London Jazz Festival runs from 15 to 24 November – for more info visit www.efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk

This article originally appeared in the November 2024 issue of Jazzwise. Never miss an issue – subscribe today