Pianist, composer, and writer Ethan Iverson was a founding member of The Bad Plus, a game-changing collective with Reid Anderson and David King. The New York Times called TBP “Better than anyone at melding the sensibilities of post-60’s jazz and indie rock.”
Beat the twixt Xmas/New Year blues with guitar legend John Etheridge and the Blue Spirits . Guaranteed to take you on soulful journey through Blues/Jazz and beyond encompassing all Etheridge’s well known eclecticism. Powered along by Pete Whittaker (organ) and George Double (drums).
We are delighted to welcome back the multi-award winning Ian Shaw for his traditional New Year’s Eve performance.
Bringing in the New Year a day late has become a tradition at the Vortex since 2009. A welcome relief from the hustle and stress of most NYE parties – this one just wants you to relax, enjoy the music and ease yourself into the New Year with good company and normal prices!
Doors 7:45 PM, Music 8:30 PM – 2 set(s) of music Line-up: Leo Richardson – Saxophone Rick Simpson – Piano Dave Whitford – Double bass Joel Waters…
Award-winning saxophonist and composer Ed Jones returns to the quartet format that first established his presence on the UK jazz scene over 30 years ago.
London’s longest jazz residency kicks off its 35th year, as the LJO preview two new recordings to be released in 2025, featuring music by trumpet legend Henry Lowther and director Scott Stroman.
Doors 7:45 PM, Music 8:30 PM – 2 set(s) of music About Trumpeter, composer, and arranger Sam Eastmond is known for his large ensemble work with John Zorn, he is…
The trio blend musical influences from their personal heroes, whilst exploring an expansive sound that stretches the boundaries of the traditional trio format with original compositions and creative arrangements.
This new project takes as its starting point the music of Thelonious Monk, Bill Frisell and Paul Motian, exploring the intersection of these artists’ idiosyncratic styles and their take on American musical forms like jazz, blues and folk.
Join this cellicious ride with cellist/jazz singers Kate Shortt and Rupert Gillett as they join forces to express their take on the world of standards, Latin, originals plus more.
Returning to the Vortex Jazz Club on the back of their sold-out show last year, the Jonny Ford Jazz Orchestra is one of the most exciting new large ensembles on the UK jazz scene. Led by saxophonist and composer Jonny Ford, the band brings together the UK’s finest improvising musicians to perform his original compositions, blending intricate layers of orchestral jazz with vibrant energy, exceptional skill, and unwavering passion.
The Fabienne Ambuehl Quartet returns to the Vortex after their sold-out album launch at the club, celebrating the release of Thrive (2025). Expect an evening of poetic, lyrical jazz, where vivid rhythm and improvisation meet folk-inspired melodies.
Jazz influenced, rock induced 9-piece brass band Young Pilgrims have found themselves drawing fans from across Europe and beyond with their intense live performances
Focussing on the exuberance of art, using craft to search for, to briefly capture, and to express the sheer beauty and terror of being alive, Nathaniel Catchpole, Jamie Coleman, N O Moore, Dominic Lash and Eddie Prévost join forces.
Storytelling lies at the very heart of Nishla Smith’s music making, and since the release of her critically lauded debut album, the evolving circumstances of her own life have provided the inspiration for the stories that lie at the heart of this new collection.
Shirley Smart’s Sextet draws on a background of 10 years living in Jerusalem and working with the overlapping worlds of jazz, Arabic, Turkish and North African music. Her music draws upon this rich tapestry of influences to create an evening of vibrant melodies, grooves, swing and lively improvisation.
The exciting and versatile drummer Will Cleasby’s subtle but powerful playing has been heard with a wide variety of high profile artists, including work alongside the likes of acclaimed US trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and Kurt Elling.
“Outstanding” is an overused description but one that’s applied to bassist Orlando le Fleming so consistently that its justification can’t be denied. While living in New York he brought his inimitable personality to work on projects for the likes of Branford Marsalis, Joey Calderazzo, Antonio Sanchez and many others.
Having been making music together in various forms for around 20 years, James and Misha have finally recorded their long-awaited trumpet-and-bass duo project, and for one night only they are launching their album “Moon Beans” here at the Vortex.
Happy Garden is a nature-inspired, 6-piece nu-jazz band blending lush harmonies, organic grooves, and improvisational freedom. Drawing influence from the natural world, their sound fuses elements of Nu jazz, Afro Rhythms, and beautiful soundscapes to create immersive sonic landscapes.
Di-Cysgodion, led by Welsh bass player/composer HUW V WILLIAMS. The line up consists of Mike De Souza and Billy Marrows both on electric guitar, Jay Davis on drums and Huw V Williams completing the line up on electric bass.
Emma Rawicz returns to the Vortex with an exciting new quartet, featuring some of the most exciting improvisers that Europe has to offer. The band is decidedly international, with heavyweights from across France, Denmark, and the UK, and draws on long term creative relationships as well as establishing a brand new band sound.
At the rhythmic epicentre of innovative British jazz is Corrie Dick, a musician and composer specialising in euphoric, sonically-inventive drumming.
Acclaimed American drummer Jeff Williams, a London resident for two decades until recently, returns to the Vortex with his first project as a leader in the UK since moving abroad.
The George Johnson quartet is one of the most exciting up and coming talents in UK jazz. With Johnson leading the band on tenor saxophone and composing the bands music, they explore many different styles and navigate contrasting atmospheres throughout their sets.
Karim Saber celebrates the release of his second album “Sundance”
“Sundance” is the second offering from Guitarist, Composer and Bandleader Karim Saber. Recorded in January 2025 it captures the creative period since the release of his debut album “Transmission”
Doors 7:45 PM, Music 8:30 PM – 2 set(s) of music Line-up: Riley Stone-Lonergan – Tenor saxophone Spike Wells – Drums Eddie Myer – Double bass About QOW…
Doors 3:30 PM, Music 4:00 PM – 2 set(s) of music Details to be confirmed!
After a decade-long hiatus, Aquarium return to the stage — the reunion of one of the most distinctive groups to emerge from the UK jazz scene in the last twenty years.
Playing tribute to the Leeds alt-jazz pioneer of the 1980s, alto saxophonist Xero Slingsby (Matthew Coe), this performance will feature special guest Alan Wilkinson (from Xero’s band) playing Xero’s original saxophone.
Join a collective of musicians who met through the Vortex jazz club in imagining future standards
Tony Kofi & 52nd Street: a new project which explores the beginnings of bebop, when New York’s 52nd Street was buzzing with the new music and the first generation of modern jazz musicians was turning the music world on its head.
Having played together for over 15 years, recorded albums together like as Dreamlife of Debris (ECM), toured all over Europe, Kit and Tom are now working on new material in evolving new constellations.
The Fabrice Tarel Quartet makes its first UK visit with a programme of lyrical, contemporary jazz – known for its melodic depth and rhythmic finesse.
The trio will be performing a soulful mix of jazz, Brazilian and blues standards made famous by Betty Carter, Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Nina Simone, Jobim and more.
Alexander Hawkins is a composer, pianist, organist, and bandleader who is ‘unlike anything else in modern creative music’, described by Point of Departure as ‘an early 21st century pioneer…a musician with frightening resources’.
Join us for the launch of Billy’s third album, ‘Dancing On Bentwood Chairs’, his first with long-standing quartet, the Billy Marrows Band.
Join a collective of musicians who met through the Vortex jazz club in imagining future standards
In this cross-continental collaboration, acclaimed Swiss drummer Florian Arbenz joins piano-star Ivo Neame from London, US sax legend Greg Osby and topnotch bassist Orlando De Fleming to launch ‚Conversation_LAB’.
Canadian cellist George Crotty has forged his own exciting vocabulary, pushing the boundaries of the cello. Following his graduation from the Berklee College of Music, Crotty immersed himself in New York’s jazz and world music scenes, playing with several ensembles, such as the Brooklyn Raga Massive, and Detroit-based National Arab Orchestra.
Timings: 1st Show: Doors 7:30 PM, Music 8:00 PM – 1 set(s) of music 2nd Show: Doors 9:30 PM, Music 10:00 PM – 1 set(s) of music Line-up: Mark Lockheart…