What's worth attending this week

Alice Amati · Exhibition · W1T

Vortex Jazz Club · Music · N16

Doors 7:45 PM, Music 8:30 PM - 2 set(s) of music   Line-up: Alasdair Pennington - Drums Tori Freestone - Tenor saxophone Elliot Wong - Alto Saxophone John Williamson - Double bass   About: Musician and composer Alasdair Pennington has in recent years established himself as a distinct and creative voice on the drum kit within the vibrant London jazz and improvised music scenes. An in-demand sideman, Pennington has performed and recorded with many eminent, international artists across genres including Helen Sung, Baptiste Herbin, Laura Jurd, Michael Dease, Alan Barnes, Dennis Rollins and The Flaming Lips among others. His considered and expressive musical contributions with various projects have garnered much positive acclaim, including from Downbeat Magazine (Howard Mandel): “Pennington’s a kick-ass drummer”. In October 2024, Pennington released his debut album 'This Is' on Hidden Threads Records. The album was described by Jazz Journal as “a highly listenable collection which in places harks back to the sound of American jazz from the 50s and 60s” and a “cinematic jazz voyage” by Plastic Magazine. Alasdair Pennington Quartet will perform a selection of original compositions as well as interpretations of contemporary jazz standards.

Vortex Jazz Club · Theatre · N16

606 Club · Theatre · SW10

Arcola Theatre · Theatre · E8

The Garden Cinema · Film · WC2B

Vortex Jazz Club · Theatre · N16

Vortex Jazz Club · Music · N16

Doors 7:45 PM, Music 8:30 PM - 2 sets of music   Line-up: Leon Foster Thomas - Steel Pan, Voice Sam Leak - Piano LOX - Drums Ben Glasser - Electric guitar Mirko Scarcia - Double bass About: A gifted international jazz musician and steel pan virtuoso from Trinidad & Tobago. His music is a blend of his Caribbean roots with the harmonic and improvisational complexities of jazz, creating a lively and eclectic meld all his own. Born in Trinidad, Leon Foster Thomas has proven through his albums and performances that the steel pan has the musical sophistication to be taken as seriously in the jazz universe as the more well-known vibraphone. Winner of the World Steelband Music Festival Soloist and Duet competition of 2002 and 2004, critics laud him as “…masterful with impeccable musicianship” (When Steel Talks); “a benevolent wizard” (Venice Magazine). Leon has collaborated with legendary artists in the jazz scene and beyond including Hugh Masekela, Randy Brecker, Sammy Figueroa, Vince Mendoza, Dolly Parton, John Beasley, Mino Cinelu, Orphy Robinson, Cyril Neville, Ky-Mani Marley and many more. He has performed at internationally renowned venues such as New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Adrienne Arsht Center of the Performing Arts in Miami, and Moscow’s International House of Music. He also played a significant part in Her Late Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022. Inspired as much by the melodic poetry of the great Keith Jarrett’s piano sound as Trinidad’s celebrated steel pan heritage, Leon has taken the instrument to new heights, giving it a seriously fresh makeover in how it is now viewed across the music world. More than just a Carnival instrument, the chromatically-scaled steel pan has seen, in Leon’s hands, a significant step forward in its perception as an instrument of improvisational artistry and expression.

606 Club · Theatre · SW10

606 Club · Theatre · SW10

606 Club · Music · SW10

The 2022 winner of the Riga Jazz Stage International Jazz Voice competition, Louise Balkwill has been hailed as one of the finest jazz singers of her generation. Most recently touring with celebrated vocal harmony trio The Puppini Sisters tonight Louise will be performing music from her new album la

Windmill Brixton · Music · SW2

Alice Amati · Exhibition · W1T