New faces to join old hands at the London Jazz Festival

Friday, November 9, 2012
6:00 AM

A range of British and American jazz composers are preparing to perform at the 20th London Jazz Festival, which starts tonight

Esperanza Spalding will bring her funk 'influenced alter ego' to the fore. Picture: Carlos Pericas

The capital’s biggest music festival is comprised of events taking place in more than 50 venues across the boroughs.

The programme will feature premieres, talks, family events, workshops and a Jazz for Free series.

Highlights include the appearance of Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, Jim Hall and Jack DeJohnette, who will celebrate his 70th birthday.

Brad Mehldau and his trio perform from their Nonesuch album Where Do You Start.

Brad Mehldau and his trio will perform from their Nonesuch album

And new artists include Esperanza Spalding, and the Robert Glasper Experiment with their contemporary take on Nu Soul and hip hop.

Jazz in the Europe is a brand new programming strand for 2012, and sees stalwarts of the European scene rub shoulders with newcomers, with a raft of new commissions, collaborations, and public discussions.