Bobby McFerrin, Kit Downes and Shiva Feshareki at EFG London Jazz Festival

Shiva Feshareki

Bobby McFerrin, Kit Downes and Shiva Feshareki at EFG London Jazz Festival

10-day November festival includes the final of the BBC Young Jazz Musician 2018.

The EFG London Jazz Festival, presented by promoters Serious, will take place on 16–25 November in venues across the city. 

The festival will open with a Jazz Voice Gala at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall (16 November), with performances from Laila Ball, Allan Harris, Deva Mahal, Anthony Strong, Zara McFarlane and Lisa Stansfield. 

Bobby McFerrin will be joined on Sunday 18 November by the ensemble Voicestra to perform ‘spontaneously composed’ Circlesongs at the Barbican. Also on 18 November, the BBC Concert Orchestra will present the world premiere of a new commission by experimental composer and turntable artist Shiva Feshareki, winner of last year’s BASCA British Composer Award for Innovation. 

Kit Downes will give a lunchtime organ recital (Friday, 23 November), drawing on his earliest musical experience as a church organist, with guest saxophonist Tom Challenger. The festival will also host the final of the BBC Young Jazz Musician 2018 on 24 November, including a performance from last year’s winner Alexandra Ridout (trumpet). 

Other highlights of the festival include Korean singer Youn Sun Nah (20 Nov); a three-concert residency by the Bad Plus pianist Ethan Iverson, who will collaborate with British improvisers (16 Nov); Nik Bärtsch performing his recent ECM album Ronin (19 Nov); the Christian Sands Trio (16 Nov); and a double line-up of American/Haitian singers Leyla McCalla and Melissa Laveaux (20 Nov).

In May this year, the festival signed up to the PRS Foundation’s Keychange initiative and committed to achieving a 50/50 gender balance by 2022. 

For the full line-up and ticket information, visit www.efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk.

Published on 24 September 2018

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