Artist News Gigs & Festivals

London Jazz Festival kicks off tonight

By CMU Editorial | Published on Friday 12 November 2010

So, the London Jazz Festival kicks off in, well, London, later today, with ten days of concerts in venues around the capital which may extend the definition of “jazz” somewhat, but which look rather fine all the same.

Worthy of particular mention in the first few days are Manu Katche and Eric Legnini, who kick things off with a co-headliner concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall this evening. Meanwhile, Polar Bear will be bringing some post-jazz experimentation to the Westminster Reference Library of all places, playing there at 8pm tomorrow and Sunday.

Also recommended are Brad Mehldau, premiering songs from his new album ‘Highway Rider’ at the Barbican tomorrow night, the legend that is Herbie Hancock at the Royal Festival Hall tomorrow and Sunday, and Jeremy Monteiro – the Singapore king of swing – who plays the Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho on Monday night at 8.30pm.

For the stingy/hard-up, there are free events too. Ibrahim Electric, a thunderous Danish mood band, and Little Red Suitcase, a crazy-cute female duo also from Denmark, will play a free gig at the Clore Ballroom at the Southbank Centre on Sunday at 3pm, while three breakthrough bands, Crowe, Høiby and Waldmann, will all play Foyles book shop on Charing Cross Road on Tuesday at 6pm.

And if you wonder how we’re so well informed on all this, well we’ve asked the guy who leads the coverage of the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival for our sister media ThreeWeeks to review London’s jazz fest too. You’ll be able to check out his coverage here online in the reviews section.

More on the festival at www.londonjazzfestival.org.uk