Gary Crosby’s Africa Space Programme
A preeminent figure on the British jazz scene for the last five decades, bassist, bandleader and Co-Founder of Tomorrow’s Warriors, Gary Crosby OBE brings his new project, Africa Space Programme, to Vortex as part of this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £23 / Vortex Members £20 / Students & UC beneficiaries £20
Nikki Yeoh’s Infinitum
Nikki Yeoh’s Infinitum is a long-standing jazz trio project featuring Yeoh on piano alongside brothers Michael (bass) and Mark Mondesir (drums). Tonight’s special appearance at the EFG London Jazz Festival promises to be a night of fire.
Time: 7 - 9.15PM
Standard £25 / Vortex Members £22 / Students & UC beneficiaries £20
Hitchcock/Cohen/Heath-Ngugi/McCarthy (Downstairs)
Alex Hitchcock is a London-born saxophonist, composer, arranger, and producer based in New York. He leads a group formed especially for this London Jazz Festival performance.
Time: 10.30 - 12AM
Standard £12.50 / Vortex Members £6.25
Vortex Jam Session with Riley Stone-Lonergan
A weekly session on Sunday evenings, the jams will be hosted by some of London’s finest: drummer Jas Kayser, pianist Rick Simpson, guitarist Nick Costley-White, trumpeter Sean Gibbs and tenor saxophonists Harben Kay and Riley Stone-Lonergan (+ sometimes a few guest leaders) each one hosting one session on rotation.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £6 / Free entry for Vortex members & participating musicians
Midweek Downstairs Jam
Welcoming and relaxed, come for a drink, sit back and enjoy the music, or bring your horns, sticks and strings to join in during the second set. First set from…
Whirlpool Series – Olivia Hughes
The Whirlpool series continues for its third season. Tonight’s gig focuses on the music of trombonist Olivia Hughes. A recent graduate of Trinity Laban, she is heard regularly around London, playing with the likes of Michael Formanek, Hans Koller and Bruno Heinen.
Time: 6.30 - 8.30PM
Standard £10 / Vortex Members £5 / Students & UC beneficiaries £5
ENEMY (Downes / Eldh / Maddren)
ENEMY is the technicolor Berlin/London based piano trio featuring pianist Kit Downes, bassist Petter Eldh and drummer James Maddren.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £20 / Vortex Members £18 / Students & UC beneficiaries £16
Matt Cook Quintet
Matt Cook is an award-winning tenor saxophonist from London that has been described in JazzJournal Magazine as ‘Spectacular’ as well as likened to maestro saxophonists such as Wayne Shorter (London Jazz News 2020) and Mark Turner (Marlbank 2024).
Time: 6.45 - 8.30PM
Standard £12.50 / Vortex Members £6.25 / Students & UC beneficiaries £5
Orchard
Orchard return to the Vortex Jazz Club to release their new single, and celebrate the exciting musical journey that their next EP will bring.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £15 / Vortex Members £7.5 / Students & UC beneficiaries £6.25
Forbes/Allsopp/Edwards
Drummer Shaney Forbes is the co-leader of the extraordinary multi award winning quartet/collective ‘Empirical’. Shane has a driving style that is full of textures and cultural influences from all over the world.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £18 / Vortex Members £16 / Students & UC beneficiaries £14
vortex collective presents: future standards & downstairs jam
Join a collective of musicians who met through the Vortex jazz club in imagining future standards.
Time: 2.30 - 7.30PM
Free Entry
Jazz Africa – Basil Hodge
Jazz Africa returns to The Vortex after a sell-out debut at the club earlier in the year. This all-star band, led by keyboardist Basil Hodge, will perform a range of music from Africa.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £18 / Vortex Members £16 / Students & UC beneficiaries £14
Amigos Del Groove
come join us downstairs @The Vortex starting 10pm till 2am. tix £6 at the door only. As usual expect a cozy dancefloor, records only, house party vibes, and an inclusive space open to everyone who wants to boogie.
Time: 10 - 2AM
£6 - on the door only (no presale)
Vortex Jam Session
A weekly session on Sunday evenings, the jams will be hosted by some of London’s finest: drummer Jas Kayser, pianist Rick Simpson, guitarist Nick Costley-White, trumpeter Sean Gibbs and tenor saxophonists Harben Kay and Riley Stone-Lonergan (+ sometimes a few guest leaders) each one hosting one session on rotation.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £6 / Free entry for Vortex members & participating musicians
Ches Smith Clone Row (1st Show)
Four renowned composer-improvisers tangle with Ches Smith’s newest compositions. Two highly individualistic guitarists swirl, echo and double-take, squaring off with a bass and drums team that anchors and unhinges through doubling sounds.
Time: 7.30 - 9PM
Standard £23 / Vortex Members £21 / Students & UC beneficiaries £21
Ches Smith Clone Row (2nd Show)
Four renowned composer-improvisers tangle with Ches Smith’s newest compositions. Two highly individualistic guitarists swirl, echo and double-take, squaring off with a bass and drums team that anchors and unhinges through doubling sounds.
Time: 9.30 - 11PM
Standard £23 / Vortex Members £21 / Students & UC beneficiaries £21
Inês Loubet Band
Inês Loubet is a Portuguese singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer blending Latin-jazz, Tropicália, and soulful grooves into her signature sound. Her debut album, Senga (2024), released on Albert’s Favourites, has earned critical acclaim for its heartfelt storytelling and Brazilian-inspired rhythms, with tracks championed by Chris Philips and Yolanda Brown on Jazz FM, Cerys Matthews, Craig Charles, and Huey Morgan on BBC Radio 6, and Gilles Peterson on Worldwide FM.
Time: 6.45 - 8.30PM
Standard £12.50 / Vortex Members £6.25 / Students & UC beneficiaries £5
Houndsbleat
Houndsbleat is the latest project from the imagination of pianist/composer Olly Chalk. Here, kaleidoscopic grooves, twisting contrapuntal melodies and ferocious group interplay wind their way through a series of new musical labyrinths.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £15 / Vortex Members £7.5 / Students & UC beneficiaries £6.25
Grifton Forbes-Amos
Doors 7:45 PM, Music 8:30 PM – 2 set(s) of music Line-up: Grifton Forbes-Amos – Trumpet James Akers – Tenor saxophone Luke Bacchus – Piano Nathan Dawkins – Bass…
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £17.50 / Vortex Members £15 / Students & UC beneficiaries £12.5
Local & Live in Hackney Presents: Regen Sound (Downstairs)
Join us for an explosive evening of rhythm, soul, and cross-continental groove with Regen Sound, a dynamic collective whose music journeys across Sub-Saharan Africa through ancestral songs and infectious contemporary fusion.
Time: 5.30 - 8PM
Standard £5
Levy/Robson International Quartet
This musical partnership was formed in New York City in 2017 between the highly acclaimed US saxophonist Jed Levy (Jaki Byard, Jack McDuff/, Mike Clark, Tom Harrell etc) and multi-award-winning UK born guitarist Phil Robson (Mark Turner, David Liebman, Billy Hart, Partisans, etc), who was living in NYC at the time.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £17.50 / Vortex Members £15 / Students & UC beneficiaries £12.5
Vortex Lates: Karl Bos
Karl Bos soundtracks a late-night jazz dance downstairs at The Vortex.
The DJ, curator and broadcaster runs jazz-ish East London live night Deeper Cuts, and hosts a long-running Soho Radio show of the same name.
Time: 10 - 2AM
Advance £5 / On The Door £7
Vortex Jam with Riley Stone-Lonergan
A weekly session on Sunday evenings, the jams will be hosted by some of London’s finest: drummer Jas Kayser, pianist Rick Simpson, guitarist Nick Costley-White, trumpeter Sean Gibbs and tenor saxophonists Harben Kay and Riley Stone-Lonergan (+ sometimes a few guest leaders) each one hosting one session on rotation.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £6 / Free entry for Vortex members & participating musicians
Midweek Downstairs Jam
Welcoming and relaxed, come for a drink, sit back and enjoy the music, or bring your horns, sticks and strings to join in during the second set. First set from…
SAROST Trio – Larry Stabbins, Paul Rogers, Mark Sanders
Sarost is a trio comprising Mark Sanders Percussion, Paul Rogers Custom 7 String Bass and Larry Stabbins Saxophones, Bass Clarinet and Flutes.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £18 / Vortex Members £16 / Students & UC beneficiaries £14
Haffner/Fink Quintet
The Haffner/Fink Quintet will be bringing exciting original music written by Donovan and Laurel.
Time: 6.45 - 8.30PM
Standard £12.50 / Vortex Members £6.25
Johanna Burnheart
London-based German violinist and singer Johanna Burnheart carves her own niche with a distinctive blend of modal jazz and electronic soundscapes. Deeply influenced by the Berlin techno and house scene as well as modal jazz, Johanna’s music exists at the point where improvisation meets hypnotic rhythm.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £15 / Vortex Members £7.5 / Students & UC beneficiaries £6.25
Oscar Lyons Quartet
Lyons is currently studying at the Royal Academy of Music and is working with some of the most innovative musicians on the scene. He leads an outstanding quartet, including saxophonist George Johnson, drummer Ananda Brandão and bassist Zaki Osahn.
Time: 6.45 - 8.30PM
Standard £12.50 / Vortex Members £6.25 / Students & UC beneficiaries £5
It’s In The Sea
First gig of Pete Wareham’s new band.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £18 / Vortex Members £16 / Students & UC beneficiaries £14
Mike De Souza Quintet – EP Launch: Schism
Schism represents the next stage in De Souza’s development as a composer and guitarist, showcasing a group whose long-term collaboration allows for both precision and openness.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £15 / Vortex Members £7.5 / Students & UC beneficiaries £6.25
Sam Newbould Quintet
Yorkshire-born Sam Newbould leads an award winning five piece international line-up emerging from the vibrant Amsterdam jazz scene. Hot on the heels of a successful Scotland tour in April 2025, the band are returning to the UK to premiere brand new music for their upcoming fourth album.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £18 / Vortex Members £16 / Students & UC beneficiaries £14
Costley-White/Barford/Ireland/Michel [Downstairs]
This collaborative quartet features four of the most highly regarded jazz improvisers in Europe, specially brought together for this unique London Jazz Festival performance.
Time: 6.45 - 8.30PM
Standard £12.50 / Vortex Members £6.25
Queer Jazz: B.H.A.M. w/Abi Asisa (Support)
Queer Jazz exists to platform, nurture and celebrate the emerging queer jazz scene. Programmed by Tina Edwards and Arowah, they have put together an exciting monthly programme of innovative LGBTQI+ artists at The Vortex Jazz Club, supported by Arts Council England.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £15 / 2nd Tier £10 / 1st Tier £8 / Musicians or Low Wage £5
Crow Culture [Downstairs]
Crow Culture are a trio made up of guitarists James Kitchman and Tara Cunningham, and drummer Will Glaser.
Time: 6.45 - 8.30PM
Standard £12.50 / Vortex Members £6.25
CELEBRATING SONGWRITERS IN JAZZ FEAT. MICHELLE WILLIS & FINI BEARMAN + SUPPORT FROM TALKLINE (TRIPLE BILL)
Singer, songwriter & instrumentalist Fini Bearman presents a very special, one-off night as part of the London Jazz Festival, celebrating songwriters working in the spaces between jazz, soul & pop-folk music. Fini will be joined by very special guest, Michelle Willis, who will be performing songs from her new album, ‘Rich is the Wanderer’ (2025).
Time: 7.45 - 11PM
Standard £18 / Vortex Members £14 / Students & UC beneficiaries £12
Alice Leggett Quintet
Alice Leggett returns to the Vortex with her quintet feat. James Copus, Rick Simpson, Freddie Jensen & James Maddren, playing a combination of material from her debut album ‘Birdsong’ as well as some new material.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £15 / Vortex Members £7.50 / Students & UC beneficiaries £6
Sunny Kim / Joanna Duda / Helen Svoboda – The Great Reset
A world-premiere international collaboration between three singular artists reshaping the boundaries of sound and genre.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Tickets will be available from Friday 8th August at 10am
Standard £15 / Vortex Members £12.50 / Students & UC beneficiaries £10
Mopomoso Live
Mopomoso is the UK’s longest running concert series dedicated to freely improvised music!
Time: 2 - 5PM
Standard £12 / Vortex Members & Concession £8
Rick Simpson’s ‘Future Myth’
Future Myth is a bold new project from pianist and composer Rick Simpson, bringing together ten of the UK’s most compelling improvisers for an exploration of collective spontaneity and Simpson’s own written material.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £17.50 / Vortex Members £15 / Students & UC beneficiaries £12.50
London Jazz Orchestra – Festival Special
The LJO Vortex Sessions is London’s longest jazz residency. To celebrate the magnificent band’s 35th anniversary season, they survey highlights from their huge library.
Time: 2 - 5PM
Standard £12.50 / Vortex Members £10 / Students & UC beneficiaries £8
NYJO feat Axel Kaner-Lidstrom (2nd show)
For this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival, NYJO invited Axel Kaner-Lidstrom, founder and MD of Levitation Orchestra, to work with NYJO musicians to create a set of high-energy original music, inspired by the collective’s unique egalitarian approach to music making and dynamic live shows.
Time: 9.30 - 11PM
Standard £20 / Vortex Members £18 / Students & UC beneficiaries £17
NYJO feat Axel Kaner-Lidstrom (1st show)
For this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival, NYJO invited Axel Kaner-Lidstrom, founder and MD of Levitation Orchestra, to work with NYJO musicians to create a set of high-energy original music, inspired by the collective’s unique egalitarian approach to music making and dynamic live shows.
Time: 7.30 - 9PM
Standard £20 / Vortex Members £18 / Students & UC beneficiaries £17
Mari Green – Dalston Song Club
Our monthly series brings together some of the most prominent voices in contemporary songwriting, hosted by Matthew Herd. This month we welcome the brilliant, jazz and folk influenced Mari Green.
Time: 6 - 8PM
Standard £6 / Vortex Members £5
Rachael Cohen
Rachael Cohen, a London-based alto saxophonist and composer, is one of the brightest emerging stars of her generation. Her skills as a composer and improviser have gained her a great deal of attention in the UK and beyond.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £15 / Vortex Members £7.5 / Students & UC beneficiaries £6.25
David Preston Mu feat. Tom Cawley, Robin Mullarkey & Jeremy Stacey
Based between London & Berlin, guitarist and composer David Preston has been described by the Guardian as “Virtuosic” and TimeOut as “A superb modern jazz guitarist”.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £15 / Vortex Members £7.5 / Students & UC beneficiaries £6.25
John Edwards/Mike Gennaro/Alex Ward
First public performance in the UK for this collaborative trio which first played together in 2023, in a meeting subsequently released as their debut CD “ACTIVITY”.
Time: 6.45 - 8.30PM
Standard £12.50 / Vortex Members £6.25
Midweek Downstairs Jam
Welcoming and relaxed, come for a drink, sit back and enjoy the music, or bring your horns, sticks and strings to join in during the second set. First set from…
Vortex Jam Session with Olly Chalk
A weekly session on Sunday evenings, the jams will be hosted by some of London’s finest: drummer Jas Kayser, pianist Rick Simpson, guitarist Nick Costley-White, trumpeter Sean Gibbs and tenor saxophonists Harben Kay and Riley Stone-Lonergan (+ sometimes a few guest leaders) each one hosting one session on rotation.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £6 / Free entry for Vortex members & participating musicians
Calum Gourlay Big Band
Calum Gourlay’s Big Band makes a return to The Vortex. Playing all original music written over the last year whilst Calum has been working with large ensembles at Trinity Laban.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £18 / Vortex Members £16 / Students & UC beneficiaries £14
Junior Jazz Workshop with the Nick Costley-White Trio
About Join us for a fun-filled day of learning and jamming at the Vortex! The Nick Costley-White Trio will be leading interactive workshops for young jazz enthusiasts looking to hone their…
Time: 3 - 5PM
Free Attendance (online registration required)
vortex collective presents: future standards & downstairs jam
Reimagining jazz repertoire for the 21st century.
Time: 2.30 - 7.30PM
Free Entry
James Allsopp “Stars and Sand” Album Launch
Tonight is the launch for James Allsopp’s brand new album “Stars and Sand” which is being released on Vibe Collide records.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £17.50 / Vortex Members £15 / Students & UC beneficiaries £12.5
Rebecka Edlund & Tom Step’s Van-ventures
We’ve lived in a van for six months, her name is Vanyah. This evening we will drive in and park up to share with you our best anecdotes and the songs we’ve written along the way.
Time: 6.45 - 8.30PM
Standard £12.50 / Vortex Members £6.25
Lukas DeRungs Quintet
Lukas DeRungs is an award winning pianist-composer hailing from Mannheim, Germany. His second album ‘Wake’ was released in February 2025 and sees him return to a quintet setting, alongside 4 of his favourite improvising musicians.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £15 / Vortex Members £7.50 / Students & UC beneficiaries £6
Whirlpool 3 – Opening Concert
The first gig in the new Whirlpool series for 25/26. A chance to hear some of the best young musicians coming out of the London scene.
Time: 7 - 8.30PM
Standard: £12.50 / Members & Students £6.25
The Anemone Quartet
The Anemone Quartet is a brand new collaboration, featuring four of the most exciting and powerful improvisers on the UK scene, with double bassist Olie Brice; pianist/vocalist Laura Cole; drummer Johnny Hunter; and clarinettist/saxophonist/vocalist Faye MacCalman. The quartet features compositions from each musician, and also draws on free improvisation, photographs, poetry and spoken word.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £15 / Vortex Members £7.50 / Students & UC beneficiaries £6
PAUL DUNMALL INVITES STEVE SWELL
American trombonist Steve Swell comes to the UK as part of the Paul Dunmall Invites series run by TDE Promotions in Birmingham in which Paul Dunmall invites key improvisers to join him in an improvised session.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £20 / Vortex Members £18 / Students & UC beneficiaries £16
PIERROT – London Show
The Commission for New and Old Art, and Riot Ensemble presents PIERROT.
Repertoire will be Arnold Schönberg’s Pierrot Lunaire, and Hanns Eisler’s Fourteen Ways to Describe the Rain.
Time: 7.30 - 10.30PM
General Admission £20
Vortex Jam Session with Nick Costley-White
A weekly session on Sunday evenings, the jams will be hosted by some of London’s finest: drummer Jas Kayser, pianist Rick Simpson, guitarist Nick Costley-White, trumpeter Sean Gibbs and tenor saxophonists Harben Kay and Riley Stone-Lonergan (+ sometimes a few guest leaders) each one hosting one session on rotation.
Time: 7.45 - 10.30PM
Standard £6 / Free entry for Vortex members & participating musicians
The London Jazz Orchestra with Jazzhaus Jugendorchester and Josephine Davies
The LJO welcome for an opening set guests Jazzhaus Jugendorchester from Freiburg, Germany. Made up of the best young musicians from the southwest of the country, they perform across Germany and Switzerland, have made tours to the USA and France, and appear in the UK for the first time.
Time: 3.30 - 6PM
Standard £12.50 / Vortex Members £10 / Students & UC beneficiaries £8