An unprecedented second consecutive year for saxophone colossus Sonny Rollins, celebrating his 80th birthday, is one of the many highlights of the 2010 London Jazz Festival announced yesterday. One question immediately springs to mind: which Noël Coward classic will he dust down this year?
Other mouth-watering treats include the European premiere of Brad Mehldau and Joshua Redman’s new project Highway Rider with Britten Sinfonia, the remarkable bassist-vocalist Esperanza Spalding, and the nimble-fingered octogenarian French pianist Martial Solal (composer of the film score for Godard’s À Bout de Souffle).
All this plus a three-day residency from the genre-shredding The Bad Plus - the last of their three concerts, in which they're joined by Django Bates, promises to be a barnstorming epic - iconic flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía and Italian singing legend Paolo Conte.
The annual 10-day celebration of jazz, which runs from Friday 12 to Sunday 21 November, kicks off once again with Jazz Voice: Celebrating a Century of Song, with Guy Barker valiantly taking on both conducting and arranging duties (no summer hols for him then). The full line-up will be announced over the coming months.
- For further details visit the London Jazz Festival website
