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Monk, funk and even a banjo
Evening Standard 16.11.07
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London Jazz Festival
Various venues
16-25 November
Jazz means different things to different people, a problem the London Jazz Festival tackles every year by continuing to expand in its scope.
Now Britain's biggest such event, and one of the world's largest in running time, it will cover 192 shows at 41 venues when its 15th edition begins its 10-night run on 16 November.
The aim is to provide something for everyone. Those attracted to the cutting edge of contemporary trends will make for London's rock-jazz rebels Led Bib, the very hip young US pianist Robert Glasper and his more experimental Continental rival Jef Neve.
More mature listeners will welcome back several established old masters, including Jamaican guitar virtuoso Ernest Ranglin, Panamanian jazz-funk drum hero Billy Cobham and (for returns only) New York's one and only tenor-sax titan Sonny Rollins, arguably today's greatest living jazz star.
Those eminent octogenerian Dankworths are not forgotten either. In their more youthful prime are Norway's Jan Garbarek, he of the icily beautiful Nordic saxophone sound, and the fast and furious American reedman-Joshua Redman. Piano superstar Chick Corea meets banjo virtuoso (yes, there are such things) Béla Fleck and US trumpeter Charles Tolliver brings his entire big-band to London.
Piano trios are always popular, and Tord Gustavsen's romantic approach has a growing female following while Cuba's Roberto Fonseca appeals to harder swingers.
No festival would be complete without a themed event, and this one has three. Homage to jazzfusion founding father Joe Zawinul, who died before he could fulfil his festival booking, will be paid by pianist Django Bates and the BBC Big Band.
Ella Fitzgerald will be celebrated by a whole galaxy of songstars including Jamelia, Lea DeLaria, Claire Martin, Juliet Roberts and Lizz Wright, and Tony Kofi's group will attempt the complete works of Thelonious Monk.
Elsewhere world music invades the schedules again, with Paco de Lucia, Richard Galliano, Cesaria Evora and Orchestra Boabab among its stars, and there are also many free events worth investigating.
Look hard and you'll even find Jamie Cullum playing sideman to bassist Geoff Gascoyne's band.
www.londonjazzfestival.org.uk
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