EFG London Jazz Festival Talks and Cinema Programme Highlights

The EFG London Jazz Festival (14 – 23 Nov) isn’t just about word class musicians playing jazz. Thanks to a comprehensive lecture and cinema programme, there are also plenty of word-class musicians talking about playing jazz, not to mention screenings of classic films and new releases with a jazz connection.
Whether or not you’ve bagged a ticket to see legendary pianist Kenny Barron and former Miles Davis bass player Dave Holland – one of the biggest acts at this year’s festival – don’t miss Hear Me Talkin To Ya (21 Nov, 6.30pm, Southbank Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Free), a pre-concert talk in which they’ll discuss their musical influences. Blue Note at 75 (22 Nov, 6pm, Southbank Centre, Level 5 Function Room, Free), a conversation between Don Was, head honcho of the legendary record label, and Richard Havers, author of Blue Note: Uncompromising Expression, promises to be similarly enlightening.
Of the three showings at the Barbican Cinema, produced in collaboration with the festival, Whiplash (20 Nov, 8.40pm), a film about a jazz drummer which won Best Picture at this year’s Sundance Film Festival has had the biggest billing. But don’t overlook Roman Polanski’s 1962 classic Knife in the Water (15 Nov, 3pm), preceded by a live set from pianist Marcin Masecki, or The Connection (Nov 16, 3pm), a 1961 film by Shirley Clarke about addiction, which will be followed by a musical response from saxophonist Nathaniel Facey to pianist Freddie Redd’s original score.