Kandace Springs, Artemis and Branford Marsalis for EFG London Jazz Festival Summer Series

The EFG London Jazz Festival Summer Series returns this year with some heavyweight names visiting the capital in June and July. Leading the pack are Indo-jazz superstars Shakti who make their only UK appearances over two nights at the Eventim Apollo Hammersmith on 27 and 28 June in a rare chance to hear the group play new music from their first studio album in 46 years, the forthcoming LP, This Moment.

There’s also a striking Blue Note double bill (11 July, Barbican) featuring Nashville-born vocalist/pianist Kandace Springs, performing music from her recent LP The Women That Made Me, with an opening set from all-female supergroup Artemis. The latter release their second album for Blue Note on 5 May in the form of In Real Time, which showcases a new lineup of the collective with founding members pianist Renee Rosnes, drummer Allison Miller, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, and bassist Noriko Ueda alongside newcomers Nicole Grover on tenor saxophonist and multi-reedist Alexa Tarantino.

Further big names appearing include multi-award-winning US sax luminary Branford Marsalis who brings his powerful Quartet of Eric Revis (bass), Joey Calderazzo (piano) and Justin Faulkner (drums) to the Barbican on 12 July, while iconic Cape Town pianist Abdullah Ibrahim appears with his Trio of Cleave Guyton on flute, piccolo, and saxophone plus Noah Jackson on bass and cello for a spellbinding trip through Ibrahim’s extensive songbook completes this summer run at the Barbican on 15 July.

For more info visit serious.org.uk/events/series/summerseries