Tomasz Stanko

THE juggernaut that is the EFG London Jazz Festival is pulling into town for 10 days beginning on November 11. As I said in my previous column, it sprawls across the whole city, with hundreds of events in dozens of venues. So here is a second bite at the cherry, highlighting a few shows that might have escaped your attention.

Let’s begin with Polish jazz. It has a long history as the soundtracks of rebellion – Stalin banned it, which, of course, did not stop people playing it, especially in the underground clubs of Krakow and Warsaw.

After the monster’s death jazz came out of the closet, initially aping the sound of West Coast/Cool style (encouraged by an early visit from Dave Brubeck), it eventually developed its own very European vernacular, a movement spearheaded by pianist Krzysztof Komeda – also a film composer for Polanski – and trumpeter Tomasz Stanko.

I saw the latter at the Jazz Café playing the music of Komeda (who died in 1969 at the age of 37) and it was a very special gig, with Stanko’s playing full of beautiful melancholy, as if he was channelling the troubled history of his country, as well as offering a lament for the snatched-too-early talent of his fellow countryman. Stanko died in 2018 and would have been 80 this year.

Marcin Wasilewski Trio

As part of the jazz festival and, in celebration of that 80th anniversary, the BBC Concert Orchestra is presenting The Tomasz Stanko Story at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on November 16, with a very stellar band indeed, including Avishai Cohen. No, not the more famous Israeli bassist, but a New Yorker and an excellent trumpeter who, like Stanko, is an ECM artist.

Also taking part in the tribute is the Marcin Wasilewski Trio – three quarters of Stanko’s recording and touring quartet – and singer Alice Zawadzki. Tickets, as for most shows mentioned here and many others, at https://efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk/

For more Polska syncopation year-round, check out Jazz Café – POSK in King Street, Hammersmith, which, while not programming exclusively Polish music, has an understandable bias towards it.

From its roster of LJF shows, I am most intrigued by the pairing of Ronnie Scott’s house pianist and MD James Pearson with violinist Alicja Śmietana on November 12, playing American classics by the likes of Gershwin and Bernstein. Although initially classically trained, Alicja’s father was Jarek  Śmietana, an internationally revered jazz guitarist, so it was only a matter of time before she moved into that sphere. It’s all makes for an interesting cross-cultural pollination. Tickets http://www.jazzcafeposk.org/

Joni Mitchell fans were thrilled by her recent return to the stage at the Newport Folk Festival and many people love the Joni of Blue and The Hissing of Summer Lawns, but are unfamiliar with or indifferent to her more experimental, jazz-inflected albums Hejira and Mingus, both of which featured Weather Report bassist Jaco Pastorius. There is a chance to reassess these overlooked masterpieces on November 17 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall when the Nu Civilisation Orchestra, led by Peter Edwards and with ESKA on vocal duties, explores both albums.

Linda May Han Ho

As expected, all the Pizza Express’s live music venues are involved in the festival, including a trio of bass maestros at the Dean Street branch in Soho. Malaysian-born Linda May Han Oh, who has played with everyone from Joe Lovano to Pat Metheny, holds court on November 12 with her quartet. She’ll be showing her virtuosity on both electric and acoustic versions of the instrument.

Daniel Casimir

That bass luminary of the new London jazz scene, Daniel Casimir, takes to the Dean Street Pizza Express stage on November 17 and there will be more low notes on November 18 when national jazz treasure Gary Crosby presents Moving On, which delves deep into the career of Betty Carter, including her work with Wes Montgomery, Charles Mingus and Ray Charles. The talented and personable Cherise joins him on vocals and one of my favourite drummers, Eddie Hick, is behind the kit for the two shows that night.

At the Pizza Express Live in Holborn on November 19 there is an exploration of the careers of Duke Ellington and his lyricist, pianist and fellow composer, gay and civil rights campaigner, Billy Strayhorn (Take the A Train, Lush Life, Blood Count) by Ian Shaw and saxophonist Tony Kofi, a perfect pairing.

Over in Brick Lane, Ninety-One Living Room (https://91livingroom.com/) is the new home for Jazz: refreshed, the record label and live music promotional outfit that was instrumental in the recent jazz revival. It puts on fresh and established talent every Thursday. The venue is also part of LJF, featuring the likes of drum whizz Jaz Kayser (November 11), the Ethiopique-influenced Collocutor (November 13), ace pianist Sarah Tandy (November 14) and Tenderlonious’ groundbreaking Ruby Rushton quartet (November 18).
Again, tickets for all shows on https://efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk/ or from venue.

The regular Monday-night Jazz at the Oxford sessions in Kentish Town were recently made homeless with the sale of the Oxford Tavern. They have temporarily decamped down the road to the Assembly House, where they have three LJF-linked shows. On November 14 Sam Jesson’s Magpie Trio play tunes from legends such as Wayne Shorter, Ahmad Jamal, Oscar Peterson and Dewey Redman; on November 16 young trumpet star Alex Ridout blows up and storm and on November 18 it is one of UK jazz’s venerable icons, sax man Stan Sulzmann.
See https://jazzattheoxfordtavern.com/ or the LJF website.

• Not part of the jazz fest, but also very much local, the Equinox Quartet play the buzzy MAP café and studios in Grafton Road, NW5, on November 19. Expect music from Wayne Shorter, Horace Silver, Sonny Rollins and other stars of the early ’60s scene. Two sets of great modern jazz classics for just £5 (http://mapstudiocafe.com/ ).

The VINW5YL playback sessions

• A quick reminder of another local event – Sunday November 13, a “playback listening session” of an ultra-rare version of Miles Davis’s modal masterpiece Kind of Blue at the Dartmouth Arms in York Rise. Crash cymbal at 7pm.