Published: 10 November, 2011
by SEBASTIAN TAYLOR

Nearly 300 jazz concerts in more than 50 venues are taking place over the next 10 days as part of the annual London Jazz Festival jamboree.

The festival illustrates the breadth and depth of jazz today alongside the traditions of jazz today by bringing together established stars and emerging talent.

Premieres, commissions, one-off collaborations, talks, family events, workshops and Jazz for Free make up the programme.

North London highlights include, on Friday, legendary composer Richard Rodney Bennett and singer Claire Martin presenting their favourites from the Irving Berlin songbook at The Forge, while at the Spice of Life, singer/ pianist/flautist Alicia Hart performs her own songs with a quartet featuring Danish guitarist Kristian Borring.

On Saturday, pianist McCoy Tyner and vocalist Jose James re-imagine John Coltrane’s only vocal collaboration with singer Johnny Hartman at the Barbican.

Meanwhile, over at the Linbury Theatre, singer/harpist Lucinda Belle and her orchestra play Lady Gaga’s Telephone Song and Paolo Nutini’s Candy.

Sunday at the Spice of Life sees two big bands: At lunchtime, brilliant young trumpeter Jack Davies leads a big band playing music ranging from controlled anarchy to reworked brass-powered songs such as Pink Floyd’s We Don’t Need No Education; while in the evening, Stan Sulzmann leads a band that features glorious veteran trumpeter Henry Lowther plus vibes maestro Jim Hart.

At the Barfly on Monday, emerging trumpet star Matthew Halsall remixes classic Miles Davis, and vocalist Tanya Auclair joins Yult and Shadow Orchestra.

There’s an evening of British piano players including Julian Joseph, Adam Fairhall, Jonathan Gee and Steve Plews at the Vortex on Tuesday; and Wednesday at St James’ Piccadilly, sees pianist Gwilym Simcock playing at lunchtime, and singer Norma Winstone joining trumpeter Kenny Wheeler in the evening.

Thursday marks the annual gathering of jazz singers – including Trudy Kerr, Mia Lynn and Anjali Perrrin – at the Spice of Life.