The Emily Francis Trio play Cadogan Hall on June 11

I USUALLY feel that jazz is best heard after dark in a dimly-lit subterranean space, but there are exceptions to that rule. Over near Sloane Square the Cadogan Hall runs an annual Out to Lunch jazz series and there is something wonderfully transgressive about clearing the diary and catching the tube to hear some top-quality music at lunchtime (and in daylight).

This year’s series, which runs to July 30, is already under way, but there is still time to catch the bulk of it. The concerts are on Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon and next week there are appearances by The Emily Francis Trio with Trevor Boxall bass and Jamie Murray drums (June 11) and by guitarist David Preston (13th).

Francis’s band is interesting because it is far from the standard acoustic piano trio, with some heavy grooving on the Fender Rhodes and synth excursions that bring to mind electric Herbie Hancock peppered with a dash of prog rock (Francis has played with King Crimson’s Robert Fripp) but which is equally at home in the textures and layers of the Brad Mehldau/Keith Jarrett landscape.

Another recommended, perhaps more straight­forward trio pops in for lunch on June 18, when Tom Cawley slides onto the piano stool, with Conor Chaplin on bass and Chris Higginbottom on drums, making for a very fine rhythm section indeed. All concerts are free if standing (although you do need a ticket to get in) or £5 seated (note that the concerts are not held in the main auditorium but the Culford Room). That’s a real bargain. See: https://cadoganhall.com/whats-on/

The continued popularity of the piano trio is evident in how many great practitioners we have at the moment. Not just the above but (relative) newcomers like Fergus McCreadie, Sultan Stevenson, Gabriel Latchin and Paul Edis have also found their own, distinctive voice in a crowded field. One of the best plays the Vortex in Dalston on June 11 when Richard Fairhurst launches his new album Inside Out (Ubuntu).

Germana Stella La Sorsa [Andy Porter]

Fairhurst is no newbie and the record is a highly inventive summary of his career so far – you’ll hear echoes of Monk in some of the choppy rhythms, but also the lyricism of Bill Evans and the European sensibility of a John Taylor or Bobo Stenson, all in a highly individual context. Dave Whitford on bass and Tim Giles on drums do a grand job of stirring the rhythmic pot rather than just keeping time and, as with all the best piano trios, there’s empathetic interplay between the three in spades.

I love the short abstract title track with its sudden bass thrums and splashing cymbals but elsewhere there are strong melodies and attractive chamber pieces as well as “free” and impressionistic passages (especially the opening to Sunset), all often featuring complex harmonic changes without shouting about it.

Fairhurst himself is a wonderfully clear and precise player – no matter how fast the trills and rolled chords that emerge from his right hand, or the intensity of the piece, it seems every note has the space to breathe. Apart from two Carla Bley pieces (including the nicely jagged King Korn, which features an enjoy­able interplay between Whitford and Giles), the compositions are all originals. Tickets: https://www.vortexjazz.co.uk/event/richard-fairhurst-album-launch/

Check out the rest of the listings too: as always, the Vortex covers a lot of jazz ground in its programming. It includes the above-mentioned Tom Cawley in a solo piano setting using samples and loops and something called a video synthesizer on Tuesday June 11. Sounds interesting.

Similarly, the Monday-night team at the Parakeet in Kentish Town is doing a good job of patrolling the various byways of the music. I make no apology for mentioning the pub again – such great jazz at a reasonable price on our doorstep is to be cherished. June’s listings include Matt Cook (10th), a boundary-pushing sax player who, as well as the expected greats like Coltrane and Rollins, cites Messiaen and Radiohead’s Johnny Greenwood (him­self an avid admirer of avant-garde composers) as influences.

On Monday 17th Italian-born but London-based singer Germana Stella La Sorsa brings her band to the upstairs room. And what a band – eloquent, virtuoso guitar star Tom Ollendorf, the excellent Sam Leak on Hammond organ, in-demand drummer Jay Davis and, as special guest, the harpist Tara Minton, who lends delicious texture to several tracks on the singer’s album Primary Colours (33Jazz).

As for Germana Stella La Sorsa, she has a breathy, captivating voice and a winning way with wordless vocals (she does lyric-based songs, too), bringing to mind the work of Bobby McFerrin or Cleveland Watkiss, although I can also hear Gretchen Parlato and the great Flora Purim in there, especially, as you might expect, on the Latin-tinged numbers.

Should be an intriguing and exciting gig. Details of all shows this month and tickets on: jazzattheparakeet.com