EFG London Jazz Festival announces new names for 2026 including Asha Puthli, The Joy, and Roberto Fonseca & Vincent Segal
EFG London Jazz Festival is sharing more of its programme for 2026, unveiling this year’s EFG Elements Series, the first names for Jazz Voice, and the return of The Jazz Social pop-up venue alongside another wave of artists, and more. Returning from 13-22 November, the Festival brings together world-renowned artists, emerging talent and ambitious new projects across venues throughout the capital, reaffirming its position as one of the world’s leading celebrations of jazz and creative music.
Opening the festival on 13 November is Jazz Voice, the Festival’s much-loved gala, with Guy Barker once again leading the EFG London Jazz Festival Orchestra at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall. The first vocalists to be announced are acclaimed singer-songwriter and actor Rita Wilson, revered vocalist and songwriter Lizz Wright, powerhouse vocalist Liv Warfield, bass-baritone jazz singer and trumpeter Marvin Muoneké and one of the UK’s leading jazz singers Emma Smith, bringing together an extraordinary cast for one of the Festival’s defining annual events.
Jazz Voice is one of three EFG Elements Series shows, a hand-picked series spotlighting unique collaborations and unmissable shows that showcase the richness of the Festival programme. This year’s highlights include major headline events with Goldie (14 Nov) joined by Elysian Collective and Choir at the Royal Festival Hall, and Melody Gardot at the Royal Albert Hall (16 Nov) who has announced that she will be joined by the London Philharmonic Orchestra alongside South African Thanda Choir, trumpet superstar Ibrahim Maalouf, with Belgian singer and kora player Lubiana opening the concert.
One of the Festival’s standout events welcomes the pioneering vocalist, actor and producer Asha Puthli for a rare UK performance at the Barbican (14 Nov). Following a major renaissance that has introduced her work to a new generation of listeners, the Mumbai-born artist traces an extraordinary career spanning avant-garde jazz, Indian classical music, cosmic disco and electronic music, from her collaborations with Ornette Coleman to the timeless disco anthem Space Talk. Joined by a specially curated cast of contemporary British artists, the evening promises a fitting celebration of one of music’s true visionaries.
Returning to the festival after a mesmering appearance in 2024, South African vocal group The Joy bring their soul-stirring harmonies to the Barbican (22 Nov). Hailing from KwaZulu-Natal, the group have become one of the most exciting voices in contemporary African music, with their rich Zulu vocal traditions, breathtaking live performances and collaborations with artists including Doja Cat and The Blessed Madonna earning them a devoted global following.
Legendary east London DIY organisation Church Of Sound celebrates their 10th birthday at the Barbican (20 Nov), presenting a programme of works both old and new. British Jazz Songbook: The reverberations of British Jazz 1965-1975 show will situate Church Of Sound and its widespread community as a significant movement in the British jazz continuum whilst also celebrating a decade of pioneering British jazz from 1965 onwards. With Jas Kayser, Daniel Casimir, Tamar Osborn, Oscar Jerome, Cassie Kinoshi and Norma Winstone in the line up, the concert’s musical director is Byron Wallen.
The Jazz Social returns for its third year as the Festival’s pop-up hub, running ahead of and throughout the Festival (9–22 Nov). Located just minutes from the Barbican, it offers a programme of live music, workshops, talks and special events, alongside a record shop, bar, radio broadcasts and more; bringing together audiences, artists and the wider jazz community in one vibrant space throughout the Festival. The full programme will be revealed in September.
A cornerstone of each Festival is the presentation of that year’s Take Five alumni, Serious’ flagship artist development programme, which has supported generations of leading UK jazz musicians for more than two decades. This year’s showcases spotlight the remarkable breadth of artists emerging from the programme, from the contemporary folk-inflected writing of Juliette Lemoine, Emyr Penry Dance and rising jazz songstress Lucy-Anne Daniels at the Elgar Room (18 Nov), to the narrative-led jazz of Olivia Cuttill alongside the audiovisual experimentation of un.procedure at Kings Place (22 Nov), and a vibrant Barbican double bill in The Pit (21 Nov) from saxophonist David Kayode and steelpan innovator Marlon the Pannist, whose music draws on Afro-diasporic, Caribbean and contemporary jazz traditions. Palestinian nay player Faris Ishaq premieres a new trio format at the beautiful Stone Nest (14 Nov), just off Shaftesbury Avenue, celebrating the release of his new album, JASAD. This show is presented in collaboration with MARSM.
Many of the new artists further the Festival’s international outlook. Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca joins forces with French cellist Vincent Segal for an intimate duo show at Cadogan Hall (17 Nov), Brazilian-Norwegian jazz singer Charlotte Dos Santos plays the Union Chapel (18 Nov), while South African singer-songwriter Bongeziwe Mabandla brings his deeply personal blend of Xhosa folk, electronics and soul to same venue (19 Nov) with Zola Marcelle opening. Elsewhere, L’Antidote and Naïssam Jalal & Roberto Negro present two immersive performances at Cadogan Hall (14 Nov) exploring music as a space for healing, contemplation and cross-cultural dialogue. Presented in collaboration with Artstage, Constantinople: ESTUARY (15 Nov) brings together Persian and West African musical traditions in a celebration of cultural exchange at Kings Place.
The Festival always showcases the best new talent, and among the new exciting artists performing this year are Belfast collective Robocobra Quartet with their thrilling collision of jazz, punk and spoken word at the ICA (19 Nov), and Tyreek McDole, one of the most exciting young vocalists to emerge from New York’s jazz scene, who makes his Festival debut at The Lower Third (16 Nov). The programme also includes once-in-a-generation Irish guitarist and singer Muireann Bradley (13 Nov) at Stone Nest, in collaboration with Communion One. Aged just eighteen, she has captivated audiences worldwide with her interpretations of classic blues songs.
Elsewhere, the programme continues to explore musical boundaries. Martin Taylor reunites with Guy Barker and Sinfonia Smith Square for The Spirit of Django at Sinfonia Smith Square Hall (19 Nov), revisiting the orchestral work they first premiered at the BBC Proms, while Guildhall Session Orchestra celebrates fifty years of Vangelis’ landmark Albedo 0.39 at the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall (21 Nov) with a newly imagined performance for electronics, jazz quartet and orchestra. The Festival will close at Cadogan Hall with Swingin’ with Strings, celebrating the timeless recordings of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong through the music of George Gershwin (22 Nov).
Returning to the Barbican Cinema throughout the festival, Jazz on Screen explores the enduring relationship between jazz and film through a specially curated programme of screenings. This year’s edition celebrates the centenaries of Miles Davis and John Coltrane, bringing together rare BBC archive footage, Spike Lee’s Mo’ Better Blues, Louis Malle’s Ascenseur pour l’échafaud and landmark films exploring the history of jazz and blues on screen.
EFG London Jazz Festival recently introduced the Serious Youth Network, a new community for music lovers aged 16–25 offering £5 tickets to selected EFG London Jazz Festival shows, alongside exclusive perks including discounts on festival merchandise and offers at The Jazz Social. Designed to open up world-class live music to a new generation of audiences, the network will continue year-round across Serious programmes and events.
EFG London Jazz Festival 2026 (New Additions in Bold)
Fri 13 Nov
Muireann Bradley - Stone Nest
Jazz Voice - Royal Festival Hall
Coltrane 100: Joe Lovano, Melissa Aldana, Nduduzo Makhathini, Linda May Han Oh, Jeff “Tain” Watts - Both Directions at Once - Barbican
Morcheeba - Troxy
Emma-Jean Thackray presents Dear Miles - A Love Letter - EartH Theatre
Fergus McCreadie - Kings Place
Sat 14 Nov
Asha Puthli: The Cosmic Voyager - Barbican
Faris Ishaq - Stone Nest (matinee)
L’Antidote + Naïssam Jalal & Roberto Negro: Landscapes of Eternity - Cadogan Hall
Goldie: ‘Dare to Dream’ - Royal Festival Hall (matinee and evening show)
Caravan Palace - British Airways ARC
Rita Wilson - Purcell Room
Sun 15 Nov
Constantinople: ESTUARY - Kiya Tabassian, Ablaye Cissoko, Patrick Graham - Kings Place Hall One
Mariza - Royal Festival Hall
Yasuaki Shimizu - Milton Court
Dave Okumu & Friends present DVTN: Music Changes the World: from Nina Simone to Sly Stone - Union Chapel
Manu Delago x Max ZT - Stone Nest (matinee and evening show)
Ambrose Akinmusire Quartet - Kings Place Hall One
Anouar Brahem - Barbican
Lizz Wright with Kenny Banks Sr. + Rian Peters - Cadogan Hall
Alfredo Rodriguez and Pedrito Martinez - KOKO
The Meltdown - Jazz Cafe
Mon 16 Nov
Tyreek McDole - Lower Third
Melody Gardot + Lubiana - Royal Albert Hall
GoGo Penguin - KOKO
Tue 17 Nov
Roberto Fonseca & Vincent Segal - Cadogan Hall
Maarja Nuut + Shards ‘Combing Hair Into Sand’ - Milton Court
Matt Carmichael - Cecil Sharp House
GoGo Penguin - KOKO
Sam Gendel & Sam Wilkes - Union Chapel
Wed 18 Nov
Charlotte Dos Santos - Union Chapel
Juliette Lemoine + Emyr Pency Dance + Lucy-Anne Daniels - Elgar Room
Andy Sheppard Trio + Norma Winstone & Kit Downes - Cadogan Hall
Ayanna Witter-Johnson - 93 Feet East
Fatoumata Diawara - Roundhouse
PREP - KOKO
Rymden - Jazz Cafe
Thu 19 Nov
Bongeziwe Mabandla + Zola Marcelle - Union Chapel
Martin Taylor & Guy Barker: The Spirit of Django - Smith Square Hall
Robocobra Quartet - ICA
Soweto Kinch x LSO - Barbican
Isaiah Sharkey - Jazz Cafe
Fri 20 Nov
Church Of Sound 10th Birthday | British Jazz Songbook - Barbican
Tania Giannouli & Nils Peter Molvaer - Cadogan Hall
Ben Folds - Royal Festival Hall
Kronos Quartet - Queen Elizabeth Hall
Sat 21 Nov
Guildhall Session Orchestra presents Vangelis; Albedo 0.39 Directed by Mike Roberts - Queen Elizabeth Hall (matinee and evening show)
David Kayode + Marlon The Pannist - The Pit (Barbican)
Haruki Murakami’s Jazz at Peter Cat: a Japanese Jazz Night - Barbican (matinee and evening show)
Gerald Clayton Trio - Cadogan Hall
Branford Marsalis + Dianne Reeves Celebrate John Coltrane - British Airways ARC
Emma Rawicz’s Cloudwalker - Kings Place
Sun 22 Nov
The Joy - Barbican
Olivia Cuttill Quintet + un.procedure - Kings Place Hall Two (matinee)
Swingin’ With Strings: Ella and Louis sing the George Gershwin Songbook - Cadogan Hall
Kyoto Jazz Massive ft. Echoes of a New Dawn Orchestra - Islington Assembly Hall
Vital Spark (Music of Kenny Wheeler) Dave Holland, Norma Winstone & London Vocal Project - Kings Place Hall One
Samara Joy - Royal Festival Hall
Cécile McLorin Salvant with BBC Concert Orchestra - Queen Elizabeth Hall