“A terrific 12 piece band who intensify the music’s seductively repetitive rhythms” The Independent “The on stage band works up a storm as they pound through Fela Kuti’s hits to electrifying effect” The Metro In 2011 the groundbreaking Broadway production, FELA! arrived at London’s National Theatre. Telling the life story of the Nigerian icon Fela […]
We welcome back Mônica Vasconcelos in celebration both of the release of her DVD ‘London Bossa’, filmed at the Vortex last summer, and of the 2014 Rio World Cup! São Paulo born Brazilian singer songwriter Mônica Vasconcelos has been living in the UK for over two decades & has recorded seven albums to date. Her […]
A musical journey through Jazz, funk, soul, disco, broken beat and house. Miss Soxee first began circulating her eclectic sounds around Kings Cross, both at the former Ruby Lounge and Lincoln Lounge, where she held a weekly residency. Love of funk, soul and disco brought her together with Ride on Time promotions to play a […]
One of Britain’s most inventive jazz vocalists, Shaw’s remarkable vocal range and mesmerising style has seen him breathe life into pop tunes and standards, reinventing even the most maudlin showtunes with sparkling wit. “a masterly vocalist… one of the finest singers in contemporary music interprets some of the greatest songs of the last 50 years” […]
Nick Malcolm is an original, exciting and heart-felt improviser. His quartet play original music, mixing a love of free improvisation with more structured playing, merging and deconstructing rhythm, melody and all the points between. The result is an interactive, intense and thrilling performance. Tonight they launch their brand new album. Nick Malcolm – Trumpet Alexander Hawkins […]
All highly respected and innovative band leaders in their own right this all star trio brings together three of the most exciting musicians/composers in the UK. Featuring original material by all three members this trio will also explore radical rearrangements from the jazz and pop repertoire including Ellington, The Beatles, Monk and Cole Porter. Mark […]
Melodic, exciting and beguilingly atmospheric music led by Get The Blessing saxophonist Jake McMurchie and featuring Will Harris on bass, Mark Whitlam on drums, with special guest Dan Messore on guitar. Electronics and acoustic instruments combine with a minimalist, evolutionary approach to improvisation. At times dark, subtle and movingly beautiful, at others powerful and raw, […]
Tonight, Live Junction’s Holly Cullen-Davies will interview doctor Alex Salam about his extraordinary 13 month trip to Antarctica where he was employed to do research for the European Space Agency. Here Alex will talk about his experience and how music affected him and got him through temperatures of -80 degrees and months of complete darkness. […]
‘A formidable improvisational array…a jazz giant’ The Guardian. ‘The best musician living in the world today’ Robert Wyatt 20 years after landing in the UK, saxophonist and composer Gilad Atzmon has become an intensely creative presence on the European scene. As well as leading successive editions of his Orient House Ensemble, he has developed new […]
‘A formidable improvisational array…a jazz giant’ The Guardian. ‘The best musician living in the world today’ Robert Wyatt 20 years after landing in the UK, saxophonist and composer Gilad Atzmon has become an intensely creative presence on the European scene. As well as leading successive editions of his Orient House Ensemble, he has developed new […]
Directed by Scott Stroman, the London Jazz Orchestra is “as fine a band as you can find anywhere” (Independent) and these up-close-and-personal sessions showcase great writing and soloing from a band that includes many of London’s top musicians, as well as new talents.
François Théberge Tenor saxophone Hans Koller Piano Percy Pursglove Bass Jeff Williams Drums For this special Vortex date, Chasing the Unicorn (Francois Theberge Hans Koller Percy Pursglove and Jeff Williams ) celebrate the music of Thelonious Monk. Since the band’s inception in 2006 they have played and recorded the compositions of Hans Koller & a […]
As the culmination of their studies at the Royal Academy of Music, jazz students perform their final recital programmes in one of London’s top jazz venues. This is a chance to hear the jazz stars of tomorrow present their ensembles in a 45 minute set, these are always exciting and energising musical nights and a […]
Alexander Hawkins is a pianist who is ‘unlike anything else in modern creative music’ (Ni Kantu) and whose recent work has reached a ‘dazzling new apex’ (Downbeat). Whist audiences are perhaps more familiar with his Ensemble – ‘one of the most distinctive in modern jazz’ (The Jazzmann) – this evening presents a relatively newer formation: […]
Eddie Prévost, With Respect Nathaniel Catchpole—Tenor saxophone Jamie Coleman—Trumpet Guillaume Viltard—Double bass Eddie Prévost—Drums In a spirit of adventure, a spirit of of improvising encounters, tonight Prévost presents a group of his younger colleagues. All have been associated with a weekly workshop Prévost first convened fifteen years ago. The workshop philosophy initially reduces music to […]
Barely into his mid-twenties, Ollie Howell is a multi-award winning drummer, composer, bandleader and international recording artist. Now signed to Whirlwind Recordings, Ollie’s debut album, ‘Sutures and Stitches’, was released in September 2013. Recorded in London, and mixed and mastered by New York based, 4-time Grammy nominee Tyler McDiarmid, ‘Sutures and Stitches’ contains a collection […]
Led by guitar legend John Etheridge, the Blue Spirits Trio includes Pete Whittaker (organ) & Mark Fletcher (drums). Drawing on a vast reservoir of musical experience spanning 43 years ,Etheridge distills the bluesier side of his musical world in a repertoire that manifests intensity and emotion as it’s main quality, with subtlety, fluidity and interaction […]
In a break from their usual programming Mopomoso presents an intriguing concert in two halves, with the first half from the Portfolio Improvisers group and the second featuring three fine guitar players from the UK, France and Canada. Part One – Portfolio Improvisers Seth Bennett (bass) / Shaun Blezard (electronics) / Anton Hunter (guitar) / […]
Match & Fuse and the Vortex Present The Fat Face Band US-based jazz trio (Charlotte, North Carolina) featuring Matthew Postle (trumpet/melodica), Troy Conn (guitar), and Molly Brown will perform a variety of New Orleans Jazz, infused with Americana and original compositions. Join Fat Face for an evening of Jazz before they embark on their first […]
Two groups featuring some of the brightest young musicians around. DICE FACTORY Tom Challenger (tenor saxophone) Dan Nicholls (piano) Tom Farmer (double bass) Jon Scott (drums) Dice Factory – the name taken from Luke Rhinehart’s classic novel “The Dice Man” – started life in 2009 as a series of exploratory sessions: playing music from their […]
Monthly Vortex residency with the master of free improvisation. Tonight’s concert will start promptly at 8.30pm First set Sam Bailey solo prepared piano Second set Evan Parker / John Russell / John Edwards Third set Evan Parker / John Russell / John Edwards / Sam Bailey Evan Parker A major force in European improvising, Parker […]
“…a voice of quite remarkable expressive depth” JAZZWISE “…the album is a thing of simple beauty…what really impresses is a talent for story telling and for drawing the listener in…taste-makers take note!” JazzUK “…Ethereal Voice” Time Out Emilia Mårtensson is a London based Swedish/Slovenian vocalist and composer of considerable repute. Since graduating from Trinity College,of […]
The Vortex Downstairs jam session moves upstairs for one week only. Continuing the long tradition of jazz jam sessions with musicians fine tuning their chops & maybe sparring a little too, the Vortex Jam Session offers the chance to see some truly extraordinary musicians play a relaxed, off the cuff gig. Led by guitarist Hannes […]
Led by the UK’s leading jazz choral director, Pete Churchill, a thirty-five strong jazz choir will be joined by a talented band from Trinity Laban’s jazz course for a set of jazz, gospel, soul, folk and much more. The second half features Trinity Laban’s talented Jazz Ensemble, led by UK jazz flautist, composer and arranger […]
Matthew Shipp Trio Matthew Shipp, piano Whit Dickey, drums Michael Bisio, bass He might be older and wiser, but Matthew Shipp has not mellowed with age. A galvanizing force among the heirs to jazz’s avant-garde movement of the 1960s, the pianist has spent the past quarter century building a vast, rolling musical universe. He has […]
We welcome back one of Britain’s most inventive jazz vocalists. Shaw’s remarkable vocal range and mesmerising style has seen him breathe life into pop tunes and standards, reinventing even the most maudlin showtunes with sparkling wit. www.ianshaw.biz
Mike Hobart is an experienced and soulful saxophonist who has played with the likes of Esther Phillips and Maceo Parker. His first inspirations were the flowing freedoms of Miles Davis’ 1960s quintet and the soulful blues of Ray Charles, but a lot has happened since then. Urban Jazz puts it all together, adds new beats […]
Paul Dunmall tenor saxophone Howard Cottle tenor saxophone Olie Brice bass, Tony Bianco drums John Coltrane’s album SUNSHIP, widely regarded as one of his greatest recordings, perhaps even more powerful than A LOVE SUPREME, is the inspiration for tonight’s concert. Paul Dunmall with his new quartet revisits this classic recording using a slightly different line […]
Kjær3 is Julie Kjær / John Edwards / Steve Noble Forebrace is Alex Ward / Roberto Sassi / Santiago Horro / Jem Doulton KJAER3 Danish saxophonist, Julie Kjær joins forces with the english powerhouse rhythm section of Steve Noble and John Edwards. The trio explores the improvised world in all its aspects with drive and […]
Tonight ARQ launch their brand new album ‘August’, recorded live at the Vortex and released on Blow the Fuse Records. Led by bass player Alison Rayner they play melodic compositions with killer grooves, influences from American swing, funk and dance music to contemporary jazz and European folk. ‘With her big warm acoustic sound, faultless time, […]
“Excellent release.” Gilles Peterson, BBC6 Music “On first listen, this could well be album of the year!” Mike Chadwick, Jazz FM Teotima is a 16-piece jazz / afro-latin / soul ensemble from London. Guitarist-composer Greg Sanders started Teotima; taking the powerful, elegant but deceptively complex grooves of West Africa, Cuba and Brazil and adding the […]
Following the release of the album ‘Catch My Drift’ on diving duck recordings, the Vortex welcomes back this magnificent trio. The album features melodic and Mullenised versions of standards and compositions by legendary jazz musicians such as Toots Thielemans. Having taken a break from touring and performing, Jim’s Organ Trio are reformed and re-energised and […]
Mojo (moderately optimistic jazz orchestra) are an exciting 17 piece jazz big band based in north London, made up of great musicians from all over the capital. With a repertoire including laid back & up tempo swing, Latin and funk and playing a wide ranging variety of charts from the traditional (Buddy Rich, Count Basie, […]
What was Penny Rimbaud’s ‘Last Amendment’, but is now ‘L’Académie des Vanités’, continue their quarterly residency with further adventures into the realms of words and music or, as Rimbaud puts it, ‘the poetry of jazz and the jazz of poetry’. It’s a unique and sometimes confrontational blend of passion, word and music featuring Penny Rimbaud and […]
GEORGE CROWLEY ‘There are times on Paper Universe, George Crowley’s debut album, when the young saxophonist and composer sounds like he’s been sitting by the side of Coleman Hawkins or Lester Young. There are times when he flies out of the speakers like he invented hard bop. Then a few minutes later he’s creating long, […]
‘Possesses something of the rhythmic freedom of Gretchen Parlato… What impresses most is the overall sweep of the album, which pulls you into a sound world all of its own.’ Peter Quinn, Jazzwise magazine London Jazz Singer of the Year nominee Fini Bearman is a London based vocalist and composer whose music melds influences as […]
We welcome back one of Britain’s most inventive jazz vocalists. Shaw’s remarkable vocal range and mesmerising style has seen him breathe life into pop tunes and standards, reinventing even the most maudlin showtunes with sparkling wit. www.ianshaw.biz
Emerging young stars, led by Scott Stroman, take the stage as the big-band flagship of the Guildhall’s renowned jazz programme round off their season with a special concert featuring compositions and arrangements by members of the band.
The Kenny Wheeler Collective was recently formed to celebrate the great man’s music and consists of some of his closest musical colleagues performing compositions from Kenny’s vast repertoire. John Taylor piano Stan Sulzmann saxes John Parricelli guitar Chris Laurence double bass Martin France drums
Audrey Lauro, saxophone Olie Brice, double bass Mark Sanders, drums AUDREY LAURO Audrey Lauro is an alto saxophonist with a wealth of experience in the Belgian experimental music scene, having played with Marc Ribot, Veryan Weston, Peter Evans, Carlos Zingaro, Javier Carmona, Sabu Toyozumi and Daysuke Takaoka amongst others. Her first CD in 2008 on […]
Adriano Adewale is a mesmerizing multi-dimensional percussionist who follows in the footsteps of fellow Brasilian Nana Vasconcelos. His Raizes ensemble features Kora player virtuoso Kadialy Kouyate and Marcelo Andrade on flutes and Rikki Thompson on bass. Universally enthusiastic reviews in the Guardian, Financial Times and Jazzwise of Adewale’s latest recordings generated glowing comments like “tranquil […]
Twelves is a longstanding collaborative project based on the exploratory and the improvised. Twelves create a sound-world taking in elements of swing, odd-time signatures, free improv and alt-country in addition to traditional folk ballads. With a third album awaiting release, tonight they will be playing brand new material as well as some favorites from the […]
Bitch ‘n’ Monk ‘Beatboxing soprano’ & guitarist Heidi Heidelberg and experimental flute-player Mauricio Velasierra first met in a tent in Taunton, fought over melodies in Paris, and are now gaining an eclectic set of fans from Yoko Ono to Ray Davies (The Kinks). Angular melodies and seemingly irrational harmony may come from nights listening to […]
Monthly Vortex residency with the master of free improvisation. Evan Parker A major force in European improvising, Parker has collaborated with everyone from Cecil Taylor, Paul Bley & Anthony Braxton, to Scott Walker, Robert Wyatt and Squarepusher. He is one of Europe’s most innovative and intriguing saxophonists, which is why he keeps audiences coming back […]
Back for their annual Vortex Workshop. An exciting blend of music from twenty horns, featuring jazz, african and latin grooves, under the leadership of trombone virtuoso Annie Whitehead and supported by the phenomenal bass and drums of Jennifer Maidman and Mark Huggett. The Workshop is a regular rehearsal group with performances from time to time […]
Commissioned by Manchester Jazz Festival & never before performed in London, Article 11 is an hour-long suite for a specially put-together international 11-piece band, composed by guitarist Anton Hunter. Article 11 Anton Hunter – guitar Johnny Hunter – drums Eero Tikkanen – double bass (Finland) Mette Rasmussen – alto sax (Norway) Sam Andreae – tenor […]
The Chaos Collective present another genre-pushing evening of live music. The Elliot Galvin Trio was formed in 2012 and sees the meeting of three like- minded creatives. Exploring the possibilities of the traditional piano trio line-up with a sense of playful experimentation, the group play original material written by Elliot. The band effortlessly juggle a […]
Chris Sharkey’s Shiver Chris Sharkey is ‘one of the most exciting guitarists on the UK scene’ (Jazzwise) and has spent the last decade performing in some of the UK’s most cutting-edge yet accessible jazz/improvisation groups such as Acoustic Ladyland and trioVD. With Shiver, Chris sets out to further blur boundaries between improvisation, post-rock and electronica. […]
Nigerian singer Funmi Olawumi, the leader and founder of the glorious Yoruba Women’s Choir, performs two very special intimate shows – her only London shows of 2014. Across the two nights Funmi premieres songs from her soon to be released CD ‘Yoruba Soul’, the follow up to the critically acclaimed album ‘Funmi Ti De’ (Joyful […]
Nigerian singer Funmi Olawumi, the leader and founder of the glorious Yoruba Women’s Choir, performs two very special intimate shows – her only London shows of 2014. Across the two nights Funmi premieres songs from her soon to be released CD ‘Yoruba Soul’, the follow up to the critically acclaimed album ‘Funmi Ti De’ (Joyful […]