Events

Calum Gourlay’s Big Band makes a return to The Vortex. Playing all original music written over the last year whilst Calum has been working with large ensembles at Trinity Laban.

A weekly session on Sunday evenings, the jams will be hosted by some of London’s finest: drummer Jas Kayser, pianist Rick Simpson, guitarist Nick Costley-White, trumpeter Sean Gibbs and tenor saxophonists Harben Kay and Riley Stone-Lonergan (+ sometimes a few guest leaders) each one hosting one session on rotation.

Welcoming and relaxed, come for a drink, sit back and enjoy the music, or bring your horns, sticks and strings to join in during the second set. First set from house band: David Miller (saxophone), Davide Melis (piano), Duncan McKenzie (bass) & Bobby James (drums) followed by a jam session till close. Entry is free […]

First public performance in the UK for this collaborative trio which first played together in 2023, in a meeting subsequently released as their debut CD “ACTIVITY”.

Based between London & Berlin, guitarist and composer David Preston has been described by the Guardian as “Virtuosic” and TimeOut as “A superb modern jazz guitarist”.

Rachael Cohen, a London-based alto saxophonist and composer, is one of the brightest emerging stars of her generation. Her skills as a composer and improviser have gained her a great deal of attention in the UK and beyond.

Our monthly series brings together some of the most prominent voices in contemporary songwriting, hosted by Matthew Herd. This month we welcome the brilliant, jazz and folk influenced Mari Green.

For this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival, NYJO invited Axel Kaner-Lidstrom, founder and MD of Levitation Orchestra, to work with NYJO musicians to create a set of high-energy original music, inspired by the collective’s unique egalitarian approach to music making and dynamic live shows.

For this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival, NYJO invited Axel Kaner-Lidstrom, founder and MD of Levitation Orchestra, to work with NYJO musicians to create a set of high-energy original music, inspired by the collective’s unique egalitarian approach to music making and dynamic live shows.

The LJO Vortex Sessions is London’s longest jazz residency. To celebrate the magnificent band’s 35th anniversary season, they survey highlights from their huge library.

Future Myth is a bold new project from pianist and composer Rick Simpson, bringing together ten of the UK’s most compelling improvisers for an exploration of collective spontaneity and Simpson’s own written material.

Mopomoso is the UK’s longest running concert series dedicated to freely improvised music!

A world-premiere international collaboration between three singular artists reshaping the boundaries of sound and genre.

Alice Leggett returns to the Vortex with her quintet feat. James Copus, Rick Simpson, Freddie Jensen & James Maddren, playing a combination of material from her debut album ‘Birdsong’ as well as some new material. 

Singer, songwriter & instrumentalist Fini Bearman presents a very special, one-off night as part of the London Jazz Festival, celebrating songwriters working in the spaces between jazz, soul & pop-folk music.  Fini will be joined by very special guest, Michelle Willis, who will be performing songs from her new album, ‘Rich is the Wanderer’ (2025).

Crow Culture are a trio made up of guitarists James Kitchman and Tara Cunningham, and drummer Will Glaser.

Queer Jazz exists to platform, nurture and celebrate the emerging queer jazz scene. Programmed by Tina Edwards and Arowah, they have put together an exciting monthly programme of innovative LGBTQI+ artists at The Vortex Jazz Club, supported by Arts Council England.

This collaborative quartet features four of the most highly regarded jazz improvisers in Europe, specially brought together for this unique London Jazz Festival performance.

Yorkshire-born Sam Newbould leads an award winning five piece international line-up emerging from the vibrant Amsterdam jazz scene. Hot on the heels of a successful Scotland tour in April 2025, the band are returning to the UK to premiere brand new music for their upcoming fourth album.

A preeminent figure on the British jazz scene for the last five decades, bassist, bandleader and Co-Founder of Tomorrow’s Warriors, Gary Crosby OBE brings his new project, Africa Space Programme, to Vortex as part of this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival.

Nikki Yeoh’s Infinitum is a long-standing jazz trio project featuring Yeoh on piano alongside brothers Michael (bass) and Mark Mondesir (drums). Tonight’s special appearance at the EFG London Jazz Festival promises to be a night of fire.

Alex Hitchcock is a London-born saxophonist, composer, arranger, and producer based in New York. He leads a group formed especially for this London Jazz Festival performance.

A weekly session on Sunday evenings, the jams will be hosted by some of London’s finest: drummer Jas Kayser, pianist Rick Simpson, guitarist Nick Costley-White, trumpeter Sean Gibbs and tenor saxophonists Harben Kay and Riley Stone-Lonergan (+ sometimes a few guest leaders) each one hosting one session on rotation.

Welcoming and relaxed, come for a drink, sit back and enjoy the music, or bring your horns, sticks and strings to join in during the second set. First set from house band: David Miller (saxophone), Davide Melis (piano), Duncan McKenzie (bass) & Bobby James (drums) followed by a jam session till close. Entry is free […]

The Whirlpool series continues for its third season. Tonight’s gig focuses on the music of trombonist Olivia Hughes. A recent graduate of Trinity Laban, she is heard regularly around London, playing with the likes of Michael Formanek, Hans Koller and Bruno Heinen.

ENEMY is the technicolor Berlin/London based piano trio featuring pianist Kit Downes, bassist Petter Eldh and drummer James Maddren.

Matt Cook is an award-winning tenor saxophonist from London that has been described in JazzJournal Magazine as ‘Spectacular’ as well as likened to maestro saxophonists such as Wayne Shorter (London Jazz News 2020) and Mark Turner (Marlbank 2024).

Orchard return to the Vortex Jazz Club to release their new single, and celebrate the exciting musical journey that their next EP will bring.

Drummer Shaney Forbes is the co-leader of the extraordinary multi award winning quartet/collective ‘Empirical’. Shane has a driving style that is full of textures and cultural influences from all over the world.

Join a collective of musicians who met through the Vortex jazz club in imagining future standards.

Jazz Africa returns to The Vortex after a sell-out debut at the club earlier in the year. This all-star band, led by keyboardist Basil Hodge, will perform a range of music from Africa.

come join us downstairs @The Vortex starting 10pm till 2am. tix £6 at the door only. As usual expect a cozy dancefloor, records only, house party vibes, and an inclusive space open to everyone who wants to boogie.

A weekly session on Sunday evenings, the jams will be hosted by some of London’s finest: drummer Jas Kayser, pianist Rick Simpson, guitarist Nick Costley-White, trumpeter Sean Gibbs and tenor saxophonists Harben Kay and Riley Stone-Lonergan (+ sometimes a few guest leaders) each one hosting one session on rotation.

An afternoon and evening showcase of bands from the Guildhall Jazz Department led by tutors including Tony Kofi, Fini Bearman, Larry Bartley, Ivo Neame, Winston Clifford, Mark Lockheart, Tom Farmer, Kate Williams, Robert Mitchell, Steve Fishwick, Oli Rockberger and more!

An afternoon and evening showcase of bands from the Guildhall Jazz Department led by tutors including Tony Kofi, Fini Bearman, Larry Bartley, Ivo Neame, Winston Clifford, Mark Lockheart, Tom Farmer, Kate Williams, Robert Mitchell, Steve Fishwick, Oli Rockberger and more!

Four renowned composer-improvisers tangle with Ches Smith’s newest compositions. Two highly individualistic guitarists swirl, echo and double-take, squaring off with a bass and drums team that anchors and unhinges through doubling sounds.

Four renowned composer-improvisers tangle with Ches Smith’s newest compositions. Two highly individualistic guitarists swirl, echo and double-take, squaring off with a bass and drums team that anchors and unhinges through doubling sounds.

Inês Loubet is a Portuguese singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer blending Latin-jazz, Tropicália, and soulful grooves into her signature sound. Her debut album, Senga (2024), released on Albert’s Favourites, has earned critical acclaim for its heartfelt storytelling and Brazilian-inspired rhythms, with tracks championed by Chris Philips and Yolanda Brown on Jazz FM, Cerys Matthews, Craig Charles, and Huey Morgan on BBC Radio 6, and Gilles Peterson on Worldwide FM.

Houndsbleat is the latest project from the imagination of pianist/composer Olly Chalk. Here, kaleidoscopic grooves, twisting contrapuntal melodies and ferocious group interplay wind their way through a series of new musical labyrinths.

Join Immy and Sol at The Downstairs Living Room this month for an evening of songs and melodies to draw you in from the cold.

Doors 7:45 PM, Music 8:30 PM – 2 set(s) of music   Line-up: Grifton Forbes-Amos – Trumpet James Akers – Tenor saxophone Luke Bacchus – Piano Nathan Dawkins – Bass guitar King Ike-Elechi – Drum kit   About The artist Grifton Forbes-Amos is a trumpet player from the UK. His project merge the differing aspects […]

“Vortex Lates” is a new series of events taking place in our downstairs bar from 10-1am every Friday or Saturday. A new late-night jazz hang for Dalston where you can grab a drink and listen to some of the best improvising musicians from around the city.

Join us for an explosive evening of rhythm, soul, and cross-continental groove with Regen Sound, a dynamic collective whose music journeys across Sub-Saharan Africa through ancestral songs and infectious contemporary fusion.

This musical partnership was formed in New York City in 2017 between the highly acclaimed US saxophonist Jed Levy (Jaki Byard, Jack McDuff/, Mike Clark, Tom Harrell etc) and multi-award-winning UK born guitarist Phil Robson (Mark Turner, David Liebman, Billy Hart, Partisans, etc), who was living in NYC at the time.

Karl Bos soundtracks a late-night jazz dance downstairs at The Vortex.

The DJ, curator and broadcaster runs jazz-ish East London live night Deeper Cuts, and hosts a long-running Soho Radio show of the same name.

Have you ever experienced a superb big band at close quarters? Directed by Scott Stroman, the LJO’s monthly Sessions are the place to experience powerful soloists and great new writing at close quarters. The LJO was born with the club, together creating what is now London’s longest jazz residency.

A weekly session on Sunday evenings, the jams will be hosted by some of London’s finest: drummer Jas Kayser, pianist Rick Simpson, guitarist Nick Costley-White, trumpeter Sean Gibbs and tenor saxophonists Harben Kay and Riley Stone-Lonergan (+ sometimes a few guest leaders) each one hosting one session on rotation.

Welcoming and relaxed, come for a drink, sit back and enjoy the music, or bring your horns, sticks and strings to join in during the second set. First set from house band: David Miller (saxophone), Davide Melis (piano), Duncan McKenzie (bass) & Bobby James (drums) followed by a jam session till close. Entry is free […]

Sarost is a trio comprising Mark Sanders Percussion, Paul Rogers Custom 7 String Bass and Larry Stabbins Saxophones, Bass Clarinet and Flutes.

The Haffner/Fink Quintet will be bringing exciting original music written by Donovan and Laurel.