EFG London Jazz Festival to host Herbie Hancock, Oscar Jerome, SEED Ensemble and more

Held across various venues in the capital, grandmasters of the genre – Herbie Hancock, Terri Lynne Carrington, Eliane Elias and Gary Bartz – stand alongside a fresh wave of crossover artists from London's thriving native scene.

The festival is keeping it diverse with this year's headliners, with The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde, experimental electronic composer Gazelle Twin and folk-pop singer songwriter Iron and Wine all making appearances. Representing jazz's new school are agitators like Cassie Kinoki's SEED Ensemble – recently nominated for a Mercury Prize, Chicago producer Makaya McCraven, Brownswood-endorsed psych-jazz newcomer Wu Lu, pianist and hip-hop collaborator Ashley Henry and SteamDown collective's And Is Phi.

Held at disparate venues across London – from the velvet-lined decadence of Soho’s Ronnie Scott’s to the intimate, earthy vibes of Dalston’s Servant Jazz Quarters – the festival offers a myriad of free shows to accompany its ticketed events, including jazz sessions for toddlers, talks on diversity and mental health in jazz and singing workshops.

There are also a number of ensemble events, with now-infamous jazz school Tomorrow's Warriors hosting midnight jams, She Is Jazz - which will platform women shaking up the genre, and a rare collaborative gig from legendary jazz label Bluenote and London's freshest imprint Total Refreshment Centre.

Things get capped off on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24, where the fest will return to the Royal Docks, Newham, for a festival-within-a-festival, with workshops, installations and performances.

The festival have released a guide with details of all events – though it’s worth checking their website, since peripheral shows continue to be announced.