Jazz breaking news: Ready, Steady Go: EFG London Jazz Festival kicks off 10 hectic days and nights across the capital
Friday, November 15, 2013
The 21st edition of the EFG London Jazz Festival kicks off tonight, celebrating its milestone year across 10 hectic days and nights of massively diverse music making.
The capital’s biggest citywide music event reaches out via 280 gigs and events taking place in over 60 venues showcasing the sheer strength of both the homegrown British and wider global jazz scenes in one its strongest line-ups in years. While headline concerts include Wayne Shorter, John McLaughlin’s Remember Shakti, Courtney Pine and Archie Shepp and Jazzwise cover stars ACS – the stellar trio of Geri Allen, Terri Lyne Carrington and Esperanza Spalding (pictured) – just about every other strand of contemporary jazz is represented across the festival.
Produced by Serious and sponsored by Jazzwise, this year’s festival expresses the diversity, excitement, elegance and experimentalism of this most famous of music capitals – especially through an extensive jazz club and freestage programme that’s packed with hot names and rising stars. In addition there are Jazz for Toddlers events, jazz workshops and master classes at the free stages and function rooms at the Southbank, Barbican and Kings Place concert hubs – not to mention some amazing free entry gigs at the Clore Ballroom, Front Room and Barbican freestages.
Among the many divergent musical threads of jazz represented are several highlights all worthy of note. These include Bolton-bred now London-based clarinettist Arun Ghosh (pictured) whose fiery style of streetwise Indo-jazz spiked with urban grooves has been a highlight of the UK scene in recent years. Ghosh’s dynamic style has matured of late as heard on his latest album, A South Asian Suite, but he’s set to reprise his Arkestra Makara suite, which was originally commissioned as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. He’ll be performing this at the Albany Theatre, south east London (24 November), where he’ll be joined by musicians from Japan to China via Singapore, Malaysia and the Indian Subcontinent, alongside his core band of Chris Williams, Liran Donin, Rastko Rasic and Pat Illingworth.
By way of a complete contrast experimental label Rare Noise records unleash two of their most ferocious artists in the form of a double header from free-noise grunge-meisters Berserk! and powerful prog-edged power trio InterStatic complete with eye-popping visuals at XOYO (20 Nov). Italian trio Berserk! appear in ‘Movie Formation’ with guest Norwegian guitarist Eivind Aarset alongside core members Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari (vocals) and Lorenzo Feliciati (bass guitar) who will perform a set of immersive soundscapes to visuals by video artist Alessandra Pescetta. 
At the other end of the musical spectrum, but also featuring a compelling visual element, is Celebrating Jazz at the Philharmonic, a sumptuous and swinging evening’s music at Milton Court, Barbican (17 November) that recreates über-producer Norman Granz’s pioneering 1940s concept of taking jazz from the clubs and into the concert halls – in turn creating iconic jazz record label, Verve. Led by acclaimed pianist James Pearson (pictured left), the stellar musical cast of Peter King, Nigel Hitchcock, Alex Garnett, Byron Wallen, Jacqui Dankworth, Gary Husband and Sam Burgess, there's also a guest appearance by rising star French pianist Jacky Terrasson, all evoking the energy and excitement of the era complete with some never-before-seen footage of some of Verve’s founding artists.
Among the vast array of international names appearing at this year’s festival are versatile virtuoso Armenian pianist Tigran Hamasyan who appears in a special double bill with Swiss-Albanian jazz singer Elina Duni at the Queen Elizabeth Hall (19 November). The 26-year old pianist performs music from his latest album, Shadow Theatre; a deeply lyrical, melodically charged-set that combines his classical facility, native folk roots and atmospheric vocals with powerful jazz solos. Opening the concert will be beguiling vocalist Duni (pictured left) whose debut on ECM, Matane Malit, effortlessly mixes her folk heritage with contemporary jazz compositions all delivered by her talented Swiss jazz trio, which includes rising star pianist Colin Vallon for her first ever LJF festival performance.
Another Swiss musician set to fire up a cross-cultural fusion of Turkish and Metheny-esque jazz is stunning guitarist Nicolas Meier (pictured left) who appears at The Forge, Camden (22 November). Performing music from his latest album Kismet he appears with a super-charged band featuring six-string bass guitar prodigy Kevin Glasgow, percussionist Demi Garcia, exciting drummer Laurence Lowe and Istanbul-born fretless guitar star Cenk Erdogan – on an explosive set of Meier’s impassioned originals. These are just a handful of highlights among a myriad mix of countless others – so whatever you do, get out and immerse yourself in this life affirming music in the next 10 days.
– Mike Flynn
For full programme details visit www.londonjazzfestival.org.uk