This year sees the 20th London Jazz Festival taking place at a multitude of venues across the capital.
The event, which claims to be London's biggest city-wide music festival, begins on 11th November and plays all the way through to the 20th.
Since 1992, the
London Jazz Festival has grown into a huge international musical extravaganza, attracting the very best talent from around the world.
If you've never really given jazz much thought, this event is the place to start. On the other hand, if you count yourself as a bit of a jazz aficionado, then it's likely you've already visited the festival's comprehensive
website to see exactly who's coming to town.
The first show of the London Jazz Festival features
Juliet Kelly and Jonny Phillips at the Southbank Centre's Clore Ballroom.
The free show,
one of many at the festival, will have singer/songwriter Juliet and guitarist/composer Jonny mixing original compositions with some popular covers, taking you on a musical journey across the European continent.
Also on the opening Friday is
Jazz Voice: Celebrating a Century of Song. This show, taking place at the Barbican, looks like it's going to be a big with jazz lovers. Seven acclaimed jazz singers will take to the stage, backed by the 40-piece London Jazz Festival Orchestra. Tickets for Jazz Voice cost between £10 and £30.
Another interesting looking event is
LOUIS: Louis Armstrong, Charlie Chaplin and the birth of jazz (13th November), a brand new silent film receiving its European premiere at the festival. The movie looks at Armstrong's life as a youngster in New Orleans, and gets live musical backing from an eight-piece jazz band. Tickets cost between £10 and £25.
To find out about all the shows taking place at this year's festival, click
here.
And keep in mind, the festival isn't just about being part of an audience. You can get involved too. Over the years, the festival's organisers have developed an outstanding learning and participation programme where you can take your enjoyment and understanding of jazz to a whole new level. Click
here to find out more.
