Our first festival of the year, predating the festival season itself, was last weekend's Brick Lane Jazz Festival. Based in and around the Truman Brewery in Shoreditch by Brick Lane. It takes the form of a multi-venue city festival similar to something like The Great Escape but on a much smaller scale taking place at just seven venues.
Although this is a small festival there was no small amount of talent. I'm not sure that I've ever attended a festival that showcases artists in such a consistent manner. What I mean by that is from the opening of doors to the final acts of the day you could turn up to nearly any artist at any festival and it would be a fantastic experience. Every single artist I saw, whether I knew them or not, blew my socks off with their musicianship, creativity or general performance. The quality of music displayed here is absolutely mind-blowing. For that I credit the booking agents but also the festival's partnerships with groups like Jazz Refreshed and Tomorrow's Warriors who curated lineups for their respective stages that displayed a huge wealth of diverse artistry.
I had a fantastic weekend at the festival and I will absolutely be attending next year, so without further ado here is what I got up to...
DAY 1
Before I went into any music I grabbed some wings at Ely's Yard food truck area located on-site at the Truman Brewery which was pretty darn good if I do say so myself.
The first artist I managed to catch today was Bryony Jarman-Pinto at Juju's bar and stage. A singer-songwriter who I was not aware of before coming to the event but provided a lovely peaceful start to my day with her gentle singing voice over the jazz-infused instrumentals.
Next up was one of my most anticipated artists from the fest (as highlighted in my 5 essential artists article) I got to see the Seed ensemble! A 10-piece Mercury prize nominated band, they need no introduction for the jazz heads out there but if you're new to them can I please recommend that you check out their debut project Driftglass. Over their 45-minute set, they provided plenty of evidence as to why they are a mainstay of the modern London jazz scene. Excellent solos across the board often going back to back with each other and expressing each musician's unique musical character. A fantastically creative group that provided an immense sound live.
My Friday finished off with perhaps the best Saxophone performance I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing. Of course, I'm talking about none other than Ed Cawthorne AKA Tenderlonius. Prolific in the underground music he's the boss over at the 22a record label as well as a multi-instrumentalist, producer and DJ under a variety of aliases and styles. Tenderlonius being his jazz moniker. For this performance, he took to the stage at the 93 feet east live room as part of a three-piece. An incredible talent and one of the hardest working people in the industry.
DAY 2
The first artist I caught on the Saturday was Chez Tito. Fusing all sorts of genres to arrive somewhere at a sort of housey jazz fusion, he was a perfect fit for the club venue of Werkhaus. Incredibly danceable and the whole room was clearly up for an early-day boogie.
Next up I went over to the 93 feet east live room and blind-saw Sofia Grant. The room was packed and I had no idea what to expect as the description of her music on the programme was "fusing jazz, folk and pop with a strong focus on layers of vocal harmonies and deep texture". She turned out to be an absolutely incredible vocalist with a deceptively low-key stage presence for how powerful and dynamic her voice is.
It was dinner time next so we went down to the world-famous Beigel shop on brick lane for a beautiful, cheap, no-frills salt beef bagel which was absolutely fantastic and certainly adds to the excellent placement of the festival. I also grabbed a jam doughnut which was unsurprisingly awesome.
Next came an impossible decision. My two favourite and most anticipated artists of the festival were starting half an hour after each other. Bel Cobain and Steam Down. Bel Cobain won the choice as she was starting earlier and we figured we could try and catch the end of Steam Down if the venue wasn't full.
Bel had impressively chill energy, walking on stage with a half-drunk bottle of wine and asking the crowd for a cup. This was such a lovely relaxed set with a laid-back atmosphere curated by Bel Cobain, the audience hung off of her every word and she effortlessly glided through the set with her insignature gentle, intimate vocals. In 5 years she will be one of the biggest artists in the UK without a doubt so it was great to get the opportunity to see her sing to such a small room.
After her set, we beelined straight to the living room where Steam Down was meant to be on and luckily (or not for some) they were delayed because of technical issues so hadn't started yet! The best luck I've had in ages. Steam Down are a collective run by multi-instrumentalist, producer and all-around legend Ahnansé. With a revolving cast of singers and rappers coming on stage and a super awesome guest spot from Mr Tuba himself, Theon Cross, the group hit on so many different energy levels, styles and genres. They were fantastic across the board. These guys do not fuck about. I've never seen so much energy at a jazz show, they got the crowd fully on the wavelength with the whole room moving to their high-energy level jams. I will never miss a Steam Down show ever.
DAY 3
My third day started out with train delays which sadly meant that I missed a few artists that I wanted to catch but no sadness because I got to have some dumplings at the world famous Spitalfields market nearby which were absolutely brain scramblingly fantastic.
My first artist today was upcoming jazz duo Vertaal. Billed as a progressive, jazz-funk duo with heavy influences of electronica, hip-hop and soul they were joined by a bassist and a saxophonist/flutist, which actually seems to be a really common duo of instruments to be able to play according to this festival. They were certainly progressive, taking the audience on an odyssey journey through their groovy jazz tunes.
Next up was the legendary David Mrakpor (& friends) from Blue Lab Beats. This man hit the stage starting with a long bass solo where he played a 5 string, right handed bass in the left handed way meaning that the strings were reversed with highest at the top and lowest at the bottom. He soloed for a while using a loop pedal to add various sections together. It sounded fantastic and I've never seen someone play a bass in that way, let alone shredding it so hard. The band were incredibly in sync dropping straight into a groove unanimously after the lengthy bass section. It became instantly danceable and incredibly rich. Special shout outs to the percussion player on the bongos and cowbells as they made for a really interesting rhythmic addition.
I had to go and get another bagel because the first one was just so darn good.
Second last of the festival and first headliner of the day I went to catch Camilla George. Winner of Urban Music Awards Best Jazz Act of 2023. I wasn't at all familiar with her music before the fest but she was described as "a hypnotising blend of Afrofuturism, hip-hop and jazz" which sounds right up my alley. Her performance was fantastic, equal parts danceable and intricate. The reception of the crowd showed clear adoration for the music and I can't wait for whatever she puts out next.
Finally the time came for the last act of the festival. Singer, songwriter and pianist Mr Reuben James. Smooth as butter he strolled on stage, instant chemistry and captivation from the crowd who were very much there for his Bruno Mars-esque swagger. He had everyone in the room wrapped around his little finger which heaps and helpings of charisma and as all this gushing might suggest he put on an incredible show. As soon as I saw that he was joined by David Mrakpor on the bass I knew we weren't in for the standard lounge soul affair. With an incredible band and especially good backing singer it was great way to finish the festival.
Brick Lane Jazz Festival will absolutely be a staple in my annual festival calendar and is one of my favourite musical discoveries of the year. It's a style of festival that I love in terms of it being a multi-venue affair and it is curated by some of the most in the know people around. An excellent option as far as Jazz Festivals go and it mostly certainly deserves your consideration alongside the likes of Love Supreme and We Out Here. One of the best festival experiences I have ever had full stop.
Here is a selection of pictures from the weekend!
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