Join us for a very memorable evening bringing together three of London’s finest jazz artists celebrating the art of the ballad!

Playing a wide array of tunes from English Renaissance Melodies to American Spirituals, trumpet player Laura Jurd is joined by her regular trio of Ruth Goller – bass and Corrie Dick – drums, alongside special guest James Kitchman on guitar.

Inhabiting their own stylistic realm which encompasses Mediterranean folk song, chamber music, improvisation and the world of acoustic jazz, this trio comprises the award-winning singer, violinist and songwriter Alice Zawadzki; multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Fred Thomas; and jazz bassist and composer Misha Mullov-Abbado.

A weekly session on Sunday evenings, the jams will be hosted by four of London’s finest: drummer Jas Kayser, pianist Rick Simpson, tenor saxophonists Helena Kay and Riley Stone-Lonergan (+ a few guests), each one hosting one session on rotation.

Join this stellar line up of Tom Barford (Bill McHenry, Gerald Cleaver, Billy Cobham), James Copus (Jacob Collier, Orlando Le Flemming, Mingus Big Band), Ivo Neame (Hermeto Pascoal, Kenny Wheeler and Gilad Hekselman), Tim Giles (Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone, Bobby Wellins) and Dave Whitford (Marc Coplan, Bill Frisell, Dave Liebman, Chris Cheek) as they play an exciting set of Tom’s new original material.

Blistering sounds from this quintet of veterans of the London free improvisation scene. Their first performance since the release of ‘Do Disturb’ on Matchless Recordings in 2023.

Multi-award winning young saxophonist & composer Emma Rawicz returns to the Vortex with a formidable quintet featuring: Ivo Neame (piano), Jim Hart (vibraphone), Kevin Glasgow (bass) and Marc Michel (drums).

Multi-award winning young saxophonist & composer Emma Rawicz returns to the Vortex with a formidable quintet featuring: Ivo Neame (piano), Jim Hart (vibraphone), Kevin Glasgow (bass) and Marc Michel (drums).

A swarming mix of saxophones and brass sit on top of a churning rhythm section, leading to a heady brew of interlocking melodies and rhythms. Drawing influences from areas such as the blues, the music of New Orleans, free jazz and contemporary music, the ensemble sound veers from the simple to joyously chaotic. Brass Mask return to East London for the first time in 8 years!

More info coming soon

A very special double bill featuring Mark Holub’s trio Blueblut, emerging from Vienna’s thriving underground music scene + a duo between drummer Seb Rochford & Pamelia Stickney on theremin who first played together at the suggestion of Brighton’s Loop Festival, and subsequently recorded an album.

French Basque guitarist Jean-Marie Ecay is a leading force in the jazz and fusion scenes in France and will perform at the Vortex with a trio featuring Nicolas Viccaro on drums Swaeli Mbappé on bass

Bag Of Bones are releasing their debut album on 577 records.
Bag Of Bones is a collaborative,leaderless band of four improvisers come together to explore their original compositions and free playing.

Award winning saxophonist James Allsopp leads an all star quartet performing music associated with Stan Getz. Featuring Colin Oxley on guitar, Olly Hayhurst on double bass and Dave Storey on drums.

Award winning composer Tom Niblock presents the first outing of his new big band project featuring many young stars of the London Jazz scene. Having won the Dankworth Prize in 2021 and the Eddie Harvey Arranger Award in 2020, the band will perform his exciting original music alongside inventive arrangements.

Awen, meaning ‘poetic inspiration’ in Welsh, outlines the intention of their music to explore folkloric heritage, landscape and the human mind, inspiring audiences to reflect on and connect with these subjects. Featuring spoken word, shimmering instrumentation and a Celtic mystique, Awen Ensemble bring a unique offering to the jazz table.

Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize winner Jonny Mansfield is regarded as ‘one of the great British jazz talents who surprises with his unique approach to composition and improvisation.’ (Laboratorium). Tonight, he returns to the Vortex with his quartet featuring: Will Sach (double bass), Will Barry (piano) and Luke McCarthy (drums).

Celebrate 10 years of Alison Rayner’s multi award-winning quintet ARQ and a live recording of their fourth album ‘ARQ at Ten – Semaphore’.

Suna’s musical journey is a celebration of cultural diversity and artistic expression. While her heart remains rooted in Kurdish folk songs, her performances weave together a captivating tapestry of Armenian, Greek, Arabic, Sephardic, and Turkish music.

This performance is inspired by and dedicated to the brilliant jazz pianist, composer & Blue Note recording artist Andrew Hill. Byron was a member of Hill’s quintet in the last phase of his career, playing with him until his death in 2007.

Sofi Paez is a pianist and composer born in San José, Costa Rica. She experiments with piano, voice and electronic elements in search for new ways of expression in her roots, using both the Spanish and English language.

A year on from their last appearance at the club, ‘Lucid Dreamers’ return with music from their acclaimed albums as well as brand new offerings.

As the founding member of Phronesis, one of the most talked about and acclaimed European bands during the last decade, Jasper Høiby now returns with his new piano trio 3Elements.

Splash is an adventurous new trio led by visionary pianist/composer Myra Melford, featuring bassist Michael Formanek and drummer/vibraphonist Ches Smith. The project is the latest installment of Melford’s ongoing body of work inspired by and engaging with the work of the American post-abstract expressionist painter Cy Twombly. The bold, sudden action implicit in the trio’s name reflects the energy and motion captured on Twombly’s canvases, a physicality that drives Melford’s exploratory music.

Splash is an adventurous new trio led by visionary pianist/composer Myra Melford, featuring bassist Michael Formanek and drummer/vibraphonist Ches Smith. The project is the latest installment of Melford’s ongoing body of work inspired by and engaging with the work of the American post-abstract expressionist painter Cy Twombly. The bold, sudden action implicit in the trio’s name reflects the energy and motion captured on Twombly’s canvases, a physicality that drives Melford’s exploratory music.

The Orchestre National de Jazz (ONJ) and IRCAM present Ex Machina, a creation conceived by American saxophonist Steve Lehman and artistic director of the ONJ Frédéric Maurin. The fruit of a close collaboration with the Music Representations Team at IRCAM-STMS, Ex Machina combines devices based on Dicy2, an artificial intelligence software developed by researcher Jérôme Nika, with real-time music composing and improvisations by the soloists.

The Orchestre National de Jazz (ONJ) and IRCAM present Ex Machina, a creation conceived by American saxophonist Steve Lehman and artistic director of the ONJ Frédéric Maurin. The fruit of a close collaboration with the Music Representations Team at IRCAM-STMS, Ex Machina combines devices based on Dicy2, an artificial intelligence software developed by researcher Jérôme Nika, with real-time music composing and improvisations by the soloists.

Samba Azul is a chameleon collective of London-based musicians with a shared passion for Brazilian music that has been together for over 10 years. Tonight they return to the Vortex with a special horn section featuring Leo Richardson (tenor sax), Miguel Gorodi (trumpet) & Olli Martin (trombone).

Following the release of his debut album ‘Transmission’ through Ubuntu Music, guitarist and composer Karim Saber returns to the Vortex alongside his quintet of virtuosic young musicians.

The International Piano Academy and Rhythm Squad present their third annual Future Sounds Concert. Young musicians from across London will come together for this unique event.