– Opening Gala: Jazz Voice –
Damian will be getting into the swing of it as a special guest at this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre on Friday, November 15, 2024. The festival runs from November 15 to November 24, 2024 at various locations around London in addition to Royal Festival Hall, including Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room, as world-class artists and emerging stars will bring music from across the jazz world and beyond. Ticket information here.
Hosted by Jumoké Fashola, the spectacular opening gala includes a dazzling line-up joined by EFG 44-piece London Jazz Festival Orchestra. Conductor and arranger Guy Barker will be joined by Peter Edwards as a special guest conductor for the programme of soul music, jazz-infused contemporary R&B, epic jazz songs and funk, with plenty of surprises along the way.
This year the star-studded Jazz Voice showcases the music of iconic tastemaker labels, including Motown, Concorde, Blue Note and Impulse, which introduced great artists and genres to the scene.
In addition to Damian, the glitzy line-up of soloists will feature Carmen Lundy, Cherise, KYRA, Marisa Monte, Veronica Swift, Lucy-Anne Daniels, Tony Momrelle, and IAMTHELIVING.
From jazz soloist and sideman, through bandleader, composer and latterly one of the most in-demand arrangers in Europe, Guy Barker has been described as ‘that rare thing – a brilliant soloist, a born leader and a generous accompanist. He can play so your heart breaks or your head swivels’ (Anthony Minghella).
Peter Edwards is a composer, pianist and musical director whose ‘guileless, soulful music…[is] full of emphatic chording, Latin grooves and romantic, cinematic themes’ (The Guardian). He composes for stage and screen, directs the Nu Civilisation Orchestra, leads his own trio and has worked with a diverse roster of artists within a variety of disciplines.
The venue line-up includes:
Friday, November 15, 2024
Venue: Royal Festival Hall
Artist: Opening Gala: Jazz Voice
Venue: Queen Elizabeth Hall
Artist Kayhan Kalhor Ensemble
Venue: Purcell Room
Artist: K-Music Festival 2024: SMTO No-Noise
Saturday, November 16, 2024
Venue: Royal Festival Hall
Artist: Jazz Yoga with Yazz Ahmed & Marisse Gaskell
Artist: Marisa Monte
Venue: Queen Elizabeth Hall
Artist: Song Yi Jeon with Dianne Reeves
Venue: Purcell Room
Artist: One True Pairing
Sunday, November 17, 2024
Venue: Queen Elizabeth Hall
Artist: Mark Kavuma Presents: Magnum Opus
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Venue: Royal Festival Hall
Artist: The Andrew Bird Trio
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Venue: Queen Elizabeth Hall
Artist: Billing Cobham at 80
Friday, November 22, 2024
Venue: Royal Festival Hall
Artist: Jamie Cullum
Venue: Queen Elizabeth Hall
Artist: Rumer: Seasons of My Soul
Venue: Purcell Room
Artist: Jasper Hoiby’s 3Elements
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Venue: Royal Festival Hall
Artist: Imelda May
Venue: Queen Elizabeth Hall
Artist: BBC Young Jazz Musician 2024
Venue: Purcell Room
Artist: K-Music Festival 2024: Heemoon Lee & OBANGSINGWA
Sunday, November 24, 2024
Venue: Queen Elizabeth Hall
Artist: Coltrane: Legacy for Orchestra
Venue: Purcell Room
Artist: Renato Paris x MATTERS UNKNOWN
Source: Southbank Centre