EFG London Jazz Festival 2023: Highlights And Musicians To Watch

23.11.2023 - 18:47 / forbes.com / Frank Sinatra / London

Described by BBC Radio as “the best jazz festival on the planet,” the annual EFG London Jazz Festival, created by international music producer Serious, provides the ideal antidote to November’s dreary weather and shorter days. With over 300 shows across more than 70 venues, including some stellar free gigs, this month’s festival attracted a live audience of over 100,000. The ten day, citywide event featured big names and major concert halls like Sergio Mendez at the Barbican and The Symphonic Music of Wayne Shorter at the Royal Festival Hall but perhaps the pure joy for jazz fans was the discovery of rising stars and lesser known musicians at more intimate locations. Here are few of the many highlights from this month’s festival and musicians to seek out at future gigs.

Rory Ingham’s Trombone Assembly, Pizza Express, Holborn

Winner of a British Jazz Rising Star award, trombonist Rory Ingham brought together some of the best jazz trombonists in the business for a high energy night of brand new music, featuring fresh works by trombonist Mark Nightingale.Joining Rory Ingham and Mark Nightingale was Trevor Mires (Sir Tom Jones), up-and-coming virtuoso Daniel Higham (Kansas Smitty’s), and legendary recording artist Andy Wood (Stevie Wonder). Between them they’ve toured and recorded with Frank Sinatra, Sting, Jamiroquai, London Symphony Orchestra, Steely Dan, Ray Brown, Quincy Jones and Kyle Monogue, among others. Rory Ingham also wowed jazz fans with his new sextet Wakey Blakey, in the Soho jazz club, Spice of Life, where they gave a super engaging performance of Art Blakey’s lively hard bop.

Leo Richardson Quartet, Hampstead Jazz Club , The Duke of Hamilton

One of the best gigs of the festival was in a petite jazz club in the basement of a North London pub that makes Smalls in New York look palatial. Leo Richardson’s stellar quartet performed the music of the Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker Quartet from the Original Sessions 1952-1953. Leo, on the baritone saxophone, was joined by trumpet maestro Quentin Collins, the incomparable Tim Giles on drums and the brilliant Tom Farmer on bass. If you missed this gig, Leo will be back here or catch him at at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club where he regularly hosts the Late Late Show and performs with his band.

Marius Neset, Queen Elizabeth Hall , Southbank

It was no surprise that Norwegian saxophonist Marius Neset’s performance of his phenomenal free jazz work Geyser with The London Sinfonietta resulted in a standing ovation. The energetic gig with Conor Chaplin on double bass and Anton Eger on drums was the third collaboration between the London Sinfonietta and saxophone virtuoso and composer Marius Neset. London Jazz News summed up the evening perfectly: “Neset