As always, the EFG London Jazz Festival 2015 draws together the most concentrated and focused selection of improvised music in the capital over the course of 10 days. There remains a commitment to bringing over some international big hitters, including some legends of the music, and placing them alongside rising young stars or homegrown talent, sometimes as part of judiciously selected double bills. Whilst some of the artist selections sometimes feel predictable, the fringes of the festival serve to highlight the extraordinary quality of thrilling live improvised music that can be heard across London pretty much every week, often bringing it to a deservedly wider audience.
Perhaps this year’s biggest name is pianist Keith Jarrett, performing a solo concert at the Royal Festival Hall on Friday 20 November. Announced relatively late in the day, this concert could still be relied on as a guaranteed sell out. Any Jarrett performance is worth seeing, especially when he is at his most fervent and emotional, although one has to indulge his sometimes confrontational relationship with audiences (particularly where camera phones and the heinous crime of coughing are involved). It’s all part of the singular experience of his concerts. Once a relative rarity, his solo performances are now more frequent, although this ought not to dilute the quality and intensity of the event.
Another exciting prospect, sadly in an ill-judged clash with the Jarrett show, is the combination of headliner Terence Blanchard (an American trumpeter steeped in the history of the music, but with a contemporary vibe in his ensembles that he has made very much his own) with the London-based and much hyped young singer and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier. Collier has become something of a sensation well beyond the jazz scene in to which he might otherwise have been expected to slip. This has come about through a combination of his dazzling YouTube videos (featuring split screens featuring multiple Colliers singing in rich, enticing harmony and performing on a wide range of instruments) and the valuable patronage of no less a legend than Quincy Jones.
It will be interesting to see how he fares on a big stage in a major concert hall. Blanchard will perform with his E Collective ensemble. (The Barbican, Friday 20 November). Another major audience draw, long sold out, is the London debut of the extraordinary saxophonist Kamasi Washington. With his 3CD set The Epic very much living up to its title, it’s hard to see how he will condense his expansive art in to a 90 minute set, but the sheer intensity and heavy vibe of his music demands to be experienced in concert.
With the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room out of action due to a lengthy refurbishment process, doors have been opened for other venues and interesting spaces. Bethnal Green’s Rich Mix, now thankfully saved from the threat of closure, has a particularly exciting programme in a very appealing modern arts space. The two-drums, sax and tuba energy of Sons Of Kemet, creating a fascinating hybrid of dance rhythms from around the world, should be a big highlight of the festival (Rich Mix, Friday 13 November). The venue have also secured a coup with an appearance from the acclaimed American trumpeter Christian Scott (Rich Mix, Monday 16 November).
