In his welcome message at the official Festival launch, Richard AA Thomas MBE, CEO EFG Private Bank Limited, hailed the return of the Festival to venues throughout London, saying “music has the ability to unite and inspire us and this year, more than ever, we want to celebrate the energy and life that are inherent to jazz and live music in general”.
The Festival opens on Friday, 12 November with Jazz Voice, the signature gala evening featuring Guy Barker’s specially created Festival Orchestra and an incredible line-up of guest singers, including Ceelo Green’s bassist Adeline, cellist-singer Ayanna Witter-Johnson, jazz vocalist Sachal Vasandani and Lakecia Benjamin on saxophone and spoken word.
Jazz Voice marks the first concert in the EFG Elements Series, a selection of four shows we hand-pick each year with Festival organisers Serious, to exemplify the richness and diversity of the programme. The other shows in the series are legendary guitarist John Scofield and bassist Dave Holland, who join forces to perform as a duo; young British ensemble Nu Civilisation Orchestra re-imagining Marvin Gaye’s landmark album ‘What’s Going On’ on its 50th anniversary; and finally a special collaboration between Cuban pianist and Grammy-nominated musician Omar Sosa, and award winning virtuoso Seckou Keita.
Together with Serious, we share a long-standing commitment to supporting the next generation of emerging talent and the creation of new music. The Festival remains a wonderful showcase for artists and plays an important role in cultivating the vibrant music scene in the UK and around the world.
When asked about her aims and ambitions for this year, Pelin Opcin, Director, EFG London Jazz Festival said “we want to create a special environment where the artists are free to be themselves and where the audience can come together, interact, and witness some unique and memorable moments”.
The digital edition of the EFG London Jazz Festival reached new audiences worldwide in 2020. This year’s digital offering will include BBC TV and Radio broadcasts as well as streams available via the Festival website and social media channels.
The EFG London Jazz Festival is one of our longest partnerships and a landmark event in the global jazz calendar. We are delighted to see it back and live for 2021 and for a taste of what’s to come, you can watch the Festival trailer here, stream the Spotify playlist here and check out the full 2021 Festival line-up on the website here.