Jez Nelson previews the 2014 London Jazz Festival

Monday 10 November 2014, 18:19

Jez Nelson

Radio 3 Presenter

Tagged with:

Jazz

I love the EFG London Jazz Festival. I honestly think it’s the best jazz festival in the world. It might not have the sun of Nice or the wine of Monterey but what it boasts is an extraordinary range of music across a huge number of performances. Londoners are spoilt anyway because there’s always a handful of excellent jazz gigs happening most nights of the year. But somehow the festival takes things to another level, bringing together as it does the biggest stars and the hottest new names from the UK, Europe and beyond.

Jez Nelson

Jazz on 3’s opening night show which comes live from Ronnie Scott's likes to reflect the range of the festival and pick up some of the themes that it will be celebrating. So I’m delighted we’ll be hosting South African drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo with a quartet drawn from his Dedication Orchestra. The festival is marking 20 years of South African democracy with a series of special concerts and Louis is one of the most important jazz sons of that nation. Also on the bill is one of the most influential British saxophonists of all time, John Surman, who celebrates his 70th birthday this year. Completing the lineup are two US stars who I can’t believe we’ll have in the same room! Slap bass fans get set, as Stanley Clarke takes to the Ronnie's stage with his new quartet and we’ll close the night with singing star Dee Dee Bridgewater. Deep fusion aficionados will know Stanley and Dee Dee’s 1973 collaboration “Unexpected Days” – who knows, maybe they’ll reprise it 40 years on! You can join us for all of the action live on BBC Radio 3 this Friday 14 November at 11pm.

The opening night will be busy for me because there’s no way I’m missing Branford Marsalis’ quartet who have sold out two shows down at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. They don’t make it here that often but whenever they do I’m reminded by just how serious this man is about his music. The band is tight! His young drummer Justin Faulkner is a force of nature and I can’t wait to hear him again. You can do on Jazz on 3 on Monday 17^th November.

The following night I’ll be nipping down to The Vortex in East London for a double bill of Berlin bands both featuring drummer Christian Lillinger – one of them, Hyperactive Kid, I caught playing an excellent set in Germany a few years back.

I haven’t seen The Bad Plus play live for a few years so I’m looking forward to catching them play a no doubt explosive set at the excellent Village Underground club - the venue has an incredible sound system so it should be a great place to hear them. And you can hear that show on the programme early next year too.

Robert Glasper

It’s a big year for jazz anniversaries and amongst the biggest is the 75th birthday of the peerless Blue Note record label. To celebrate, the Royal Festival Hall is holding a special night featuring a quintet of modern Blue Note stars including keyboard player Robert Glasper and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. Equally exciting is the opening set, a duet from Robert and fellow pianist Jason Moran. I’ve heard that this duel is great fun, featuring a string of references and 'samples' from the Blue Note archives.

Finally to close the festival off I’ll be bringing my Jazz In The Round night to the brilliant Clore Ballroom at the South Bank Centre on the afternoon of Sunday 23rd. We have four acts lined up including US clarinetist Oran Etkin and the return of the mighty Roller Trio. It runs from 2 till 6pm and is free.

All of the gigs I’ve mentioned here will be broadcast on Jazz on 3 over the next few months so fear not if you can’t make it to London. I’m off for a long sleep before the festival begins!!

Jez

If you have comments about the show, or would like to share your own festival highlights, do get in touch at jazzon3@bbc.co.uk or on twitter at @BBCJazzon3.

Broadcast dates: