The EFG London Jazz Festival takes a drip-feed approach to announcing its programme, and a first wave of shows has been announced. The release (reproduced below) has also confirmed the continuation of EFG’s title sponsorship of the festival through to 2026.
The big jazz names so far announced on this press release are Ron Carter (Cadogan Hall – tickets booked for the 2022 cancelled show are still valid so it is more or less sold out), Marcus Miller (RFH), Charles Lloyd (Barbican), plus “The Symphonic Music of Wayne Shorter” with the Philharmonia Orchestra, and featuring Ravi Coltrane, Esperanza Spalding, Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci and Terri Lyne Carrington (RFH).
A check on the websites of some of the festival venues points to other events which are not officially “announced” in this press release but which are clearly happening during the festival, such as Marius Neset and the London Sinfonietta at the QEH – actually on the LJF’s own website – (LINK) or Vijay Iyer at Wigmore Hall (LINK).
“First Wave” announced concerts as per the press release. (All links in the list below are booking links straight through to the venues.)
Friday 10 November
GOAT | Kings Place Hall 2
Sunday 12 November
Marcus Miller + Camilla George | Royal Festival Hall
Monday 13 November
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder with Adam O’Farrill, Hadrien Feraud and Gene Coye | Barbican
Cory Henry | HERE at Outernet
Catrin Finch & Aoife Ni Bhriain + Angeline Morrison | Union Chapel
Wednesday 15 November
Sergio Mendes | Barbican
2 duos: Sissoko, Segal, Peirani and Parisien | Cadogan Hall
Bill Orcutt Guitar Quartet | Kings Place Hall 1
Thursday 16 November
Ron Carter’s “Foursight” | Cadogan Hall
Friday 17 November
Charles Lloyd Ocean Trio | Barbican
Scary Pockets | KOKO
Saturday 18 November
Riopy | Queen Elizabeth Hall
Sunday 19 November
The Symphonic Music of Wayne Shorter with Ravi Coltrane, Esperanza Spalding , Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci, Terri Lyne Carrington, Philharmonia orch / Clark Rundell| Royal Festival Hall
Samara Joy | Barbican
Bill Laurance & Michael League | Queen Elizabeth Hall
Madison McFerrin | Jazz Café
(FULL TEXT OF PRESS RELEASE BEGINS) “After an amazing return to full force for its 30th Birthday last year, EFG London Jazz Festival is soaring to new heights for its 2023 incarnation. From cutting-edge artists pushing jazz into unimaginable new forms, to iconic performances by internationally renowned jazz superstars, the Festival convenes a broad church in celebrating the diversity, innovation and dialogue that jazz invigorates.
“EFG London Jazz Festival has established itself as the biggest pan-city Festival in Europe and the highlight of the jazz calendar in the UK, with over 300 shows across more than 70 venues drawing over 100,000 in live audiences. Whether it’s buzzy future-jazz in hushed East London haunts, or roaring ensembles in the world’s finest concert halls, the eclectic programme brings leading artists from around the world to the capital for 10 days of the very best live performances, special collaborations, fresh discoveries and exclusive new commissions. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Festival’s partnership with EFG, making it an exciting time to announce that they have extended their collaboration for a further three 2 years to 2026.
“EFG London Jazz Festival will once again kick off with its spectacular opening gala, Jazz Voice, at the Royal Festival Hall on the opening Friday. As always, Jazz Voice will feature an impressive and eclectic lineup of star soloists which will be announced at a later date.
“Today (12 April*), EFG London Jazz Festival is announcing the first wave of exciting and diverse acts, which includes the endlessly virtuosic Hiromi’s new project sonicwonder at the Barbican, featuring Adam O’Farrill, Hadrien Feraud and Gene Coye, and American musician Marcus Miller who will bring his whiplash virtuosity to the Royal Festival Hall. Across the festival’s 10 days, the Barbican will also welcome Grammy-Award winning Brazilian musician Sergio Mendes, global music pioneer Charles Lloyd’s Ocean Trio, and the genre-bending, Grammy-winning 23 year old Samara Joy. Other unmissable shows include internationally renowned multi-instrumentalist Cory Henry who will perform at the newly opened Here at Outernet, and prolific Grammy-winning double-bassist Ron Carter who is gracing the stage of Cadogan Hall.
“The Symphonic Music of Wayne Shorter at Royal Festival Hall will be a truly special night celebrating what would have been Wayne Shorter’s 90th in 2023. Earlier this year we sadly lost the visionary, aged 89, who leaves a legacy as one of jazz’s great saxophonists. The show will celebrate his career as a composer, premiering his symphonic work and featuring an eclectic, all-star lineup of esperanza spalding on vocals, for an extremely rare and long-awaited UK performance, as well as saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Clark Rundell. Full first wave lineup below.
EFG London Jazz Festival is a place to explore music and to celebrate the legacy and the future of an inspiring musical universe. The Festival’s producers Serious are grateful to EFG Private Bank Ltd for their extended support of the EFG London Jazz Festival and Summer Series. The Summer Series will include performances from John McLaughlin and Zakir Hussain’s iconic band Shakti, Kandace Springs, Branford Marsalis and Abdullah Ibrahim – tickets are available here. In the 15th year of their partnership, Serious are also delighted to officially announce the renewal of EFG’s title sponsorship of the Festival to 2026.
Richard AA Thomas MBE, CEO, EFG Private Bank Limited said: “We are delighted to extend our title sponsorship of the EFG London Jazz Festival to 2026. 2023 marks the 15th year of our long-standing partnership and in that time, the Festival has thrived, maintaining its status as a flagship event in the global jazz calendar. The EFG London Jazz Festival has creativity, innovation and collaboration at its heart, all values we admire and aspire to share. Our ongoing commitment will enable the Festival to keep evolving and together with Serious, we can continue to invest in the next generation of talent, an important strand which underpins many of our global partnerships at EFG.”
Pelin Opcin, Director said: “We are extremely lucky and thankful for the continuous support of our title sponsor EFG, which enables us to strengthen our ongoing commitment to artists, new talent, audiences, creativity, collaboration, innovation and quality. In our 15 years of partnership we have worked in harmony and the continuation of this collaboration reaffirms our shared dedication to these core values.” (RELEASE ENDS)
(*) This release was unfortunately still embargoed for the time when our Wednesday newsletter was sent out.
