In case you haven’t noticed, the communities that fuel UK jazz have been on something of a golden streak these past few years.
A host of musicians have broken the glass ceiling, reconfiguring standard sounds in startlingly untraditional ways, achieving widespread acclaim in the process. A clutch of East London venues have helped platform these artists, and Brick Lane Jazz Festival acts as a showcase for the music at large.
Running between April 22nd – 24th at the Truman Brewery, Brick Lane Jazz Festival is set to welcome Binker Golding and Blue Lab Beats, Yakul and Dele Sosimi, Kansas Smitty’s and Jelly Cleaver, while also supplying DJ sets from Tina Edwards, Tru Thoughts, Wah Wah 45s, and more.
It is set to be a breathtaking display (grab your ticket here, by the way) spanning the full range of UK jazz while dipping into other adjacent forms of club music. As ever, women are at the forefront, with the festival committed to platforming female-identifying artists throughout.
Founder Juliet Kennedy writes for Clash on their commitment, and name-checks five artists to watch out for…
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When setting out to curate my first jazz festival six months ago one box I knew I wouldn’t need to worry about ticking was diversity – because the London Jazz Scene represents diversity in and of itself. In the six years I’ve been programming live music at the Truman Brewery I’ve been lucky enough to experience the true wealth of talent this capital has to offer. I knew that diversity was something I wanted strongly represented in the festival lineup and while it was an easy goal with so much female and POC talent in the limelight today, I’m proud of what we’ve achieved.
Working in the music industry in East London, while living in South East London myself, I also wanted to bring the vitality of the South London jazz scene north of the river for this event, and I think this is one of the key ingredients that further made the line-up so great this year.
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JAS KAYSER
Probably the highlight of the festival for me, is the opportunity to see Jas Kayser play at one of my favourite East London haunts, WERKHAUS.
I’ve been following Jas for sometime, watching her skyrocket to success and this last year really saw it all come together for her, winning both the Jazz FM Breakthrough Act of the Year and the Parliamentary Jazz Newcomer of the year awards in 2021. It felt so thoroughly deserved and I can’t wait to see what this woman does next. Her music is exciting and explosive, yet nuanced, multi-layered and beyond her years. The Lenny Kravitz duet was a highlight, not to mention the raft of bands who have asked her to drum for them – including Jorja Smith, Alfa Mist, Kansas Smitty’s and Ralph Peterson’s Big Band.
Jas is not only outrageously talented, she is the typically charismatic and lovable person who simply will rise to the top of her game in the years to come. Definitely one to watch!
FEHDAH
Fehdah really blew me away when I first came across her. She is so deeply soulful – I mean, those grooves! This is an artist really taking future soul in a whole new direction as her heritage creeps into the mix, integrating her love of Wassoulou music through her fiercely original sound.
A multi-instrumentalist at the forefront of the emerging Irish hip-hop and electronic music scene with an utterly mesmerizing voice, live loops and multiple electronics thrown together with reverby guitar riffs… What’s not to love about that?
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JELLY CLEAVER
I saw Jelly play at Ninety One Living Room a few years ago and I knew I wanted her for the festival when I was putting the lineup together. Jelly is a bit of a pillar of the London jazz scene, being an event organiser, activist and poet alongside an outstanding musician.
I love the subversive element in Jelly’s songs; there’s always a whisper of political dissent and the echo of her post-punk and rock influences . She’s a personality in the community and someone who has been bridging the gap between South London music scenes for some years now.
I think the value of Jelly Cleaver’s presence on the London Jazz Scene can’t be overestimated.
CHERISE
I’ll be honest, CHERISE was an easy booking for us. She’s played at Ninety One Living Room twice before and sold out twice very quickly both times. In fact, CHERISE was the first ever Jazz Lates artist we programmed, back in 2018. We knew right away that we were in the presence of a rare talent and someone who would be playing at much larger venues in the near future.
And we couldn’t have been more right; CHERISE has since performed at the Royal Albert Hall, Washington DC’s Kennedy Centre, and festivals including The London Jazz Festival and Love Supreme, while her recent collaboration with Gregory Porter saw her perform at iconic venues across the globe. She has performed alongside artists including Nubiyan Twist and Corinne Bailey Rae and the hugely popular London collective, Steam Down.
Cherise was awarded Jazz FM’s Vocalist of the Year in 2019 and Parliamentary Jazz Vocalist of the Year in 2020, firmly marking her out as one of the most exciting talents around. It’s a genuine honour and means a lot that she’s coming back to the little jazz club where it all began!
AMY GADIAGA
This Parisian newcomer, recently signed to Jazz Re:Freshed caught my attention immediately. A bassist, vocalist and composer currently studying at Trinity Labans Conservatoire of Music and Dance, Amy manages to create her own unique and contemporary take on the old school jazz vocalist tradition of musicians such as Betty Carter and Warne Shorter. Her stage presence is full of sass, energy and irresistible charm, where you can hear the modern bops of artists such as D’Angelo and Kimbra.
Having already performed at the EFG London Jazz Festival, the Jazz Cafe and several festivals last year, I’m unsurprised to see her now flying the Tomorrow’s Warriors’ nest as a solo artist to much critical acclaim and I look forward to seeing where her experimental genre of jazz takes her next.
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Brick Lane Jazz Festival runs between April 22nd – 24th – tickets.
Photo Credit: Andrea Rueda
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