Press room

Today (4 June) the Barbican and Associate Producer Serious announce the second wave of performances for this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival 2025. Newly announced artists include: aja monet, Hermeto Pascoal & Grupo, Tortoise, Akiko Yano and more. They join previously announced acts Dee Dee Bridgewater and Hiromi’s Sonicwonder. Now in its 33rd year, the annual jazz festival returns to the Barbican from Friday14 – Sunday 23 November 2025 as well as taking over 60+ venues across London to spotlight some of the best global and local jazz talent. For 10 days and nights musicians from all over the world will come together to perform boundary-pushing music that showcases jazz and its influence across genres and cultures.

Jazz transcends borders, blending various musical traditions around the world and bringing together diverse communities through the shared language of music. The EFG London Jazz Festival has always embraced collaborations between musicians from all over the globe with jazz and its surrounding genres’ openness to diversity, creativity and unity, while continuing to evolve and inspire musicians and audiences worldwide.

Future announcements this summer will detail the rest of the programme at the Barbican Hall and Milton Court Concert Hall as well as the longstanding free-to-attend FreeStage performances in the Barbican’s Level G foyers.

Artists announced today:

• aja monet with guests - Friday 14 November, Barbican Hall + 2025 Artist in Residence
• Hermeto Pascoal & Grupo - Sunday 16 November, Barbican Hall
• Tortoise - Saturday 22 November, Barbican Hall
• Japanese Jazz - Sunday 23 November, Barbican Hall

Full details for all performances follow below. As more performances and details are announced in later waves, all EFG London Jazz Festival events at the Barbican will be visible here.

To view the full EFG London Jazz Festival line up, click here.

The EFG London Jazz Festival 2025 is preceded by the Barbican and Serious’s Summer Jazz Series running through June and July 2025. For more information about the Summer Jazz Series 2025, click here.

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aja monet with guests

Friday 14 November 2025, 7.30pm

Barbican Hall

Tickets from £20 plus booking fee

Grammy-nominated surrealist blues poet and this year’s Artist in Residence at the Barbican for the EFG London Jazz Festival, aja monet brings her acclaimed debut album When the Poems Do What They Do to the Barbican stage on Friday 14 November.

Known for her fusion of poetry and music, Monet's work explores themes of Black resistance, love, and joy. Her debut album, When the Poems Do What They Do (drink sum wtr, 2023), received critical acclaim and a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album in 2024.  

As a part of the Artist in Residence programme, aja monet will run a series of workshops leading up to the festival, including a live reading and Q&A session, and a workshop with the Barbican Young Poets, offering a unique opportunity for emerging voices to learn from her powerful, politically engaged practice. The residency will culminate in a special performance in our Hall, as monet curates an evening of poetry, sound and spirit, joined by special guests, opening the EFG London Jazz Festival 2025 with power and purpose. 

Produced by the Barbican in association with Serious

Part of the EFG London Jazz Festival 2025

Find out more

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Hermeto Pascoal & Grupo

Sunday 16 November 2025, 7.30pm

Barbican Hall

Tickets from £25 plus booking fee

Brazilian composer, multi-instrumentalist and cultural icon Hermeto Pascoal returns for a major performance on his final-ever UK tour, bringing his groundbreaking catalogue to the Barbican Hall on 16 November 2025. 

Dubbed by Miles Davis as “the most impressive musician in the world”, Pascoal is a global prodigy whose musical genius has left a lasting footprint in jazz and Brazilian music for generations. While mixing free-form jazz with the rhythms of his native Brazil, Pascoal takes avant-garde practices to daring heights as he transforms everyday objects into elaborate compositions, from squeaky toys and old teapots or his trusty accordion. A rare performance by one of the world’s most prolific musicians, this is an opportunity to see the work of a legendary force in his final-ever London concert. 

Hermeto Pascoal began his career in 1950 and has earned multiple accolades, including two Latin GRAMMYs. He's globally recognized for pioneering groups like Quarteto Novo and his own Grupo. A prolific creator with 10,000+ compositions, his unique methods and diverse instruments earned him the title ‘Sorcerer of Sounds’.

Presented by Serious

Part of the EFG London Jazz Festival 2025

Find out more

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Tortoise

+ Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer

Saturday 22 November 2025, 7.30pm

Barbican Hall

Tickets from £32.50 plus booking fee

Chicago-based post-rock band, Tortoise, return to London for a rare live performance as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival 2025, bringing new material alongside selections of fan favourites.

For over three decades, Tortoise have quietly shaped the sound of contemporary instrumental music. Comprised of Jeff Parker, Dan Bitney, Douglas McCombs, John Herndon, and John McEntire, the group are widely credited as pioneers of the post-rock movement. Their distinctive approach — fusing jazz, dub, electronica, minimalism and krautrock — has influenced countless artists and scenes.

Albums like Millions Now Living Will Never Die (1996), TNT (1998), and Standards (2001) cemented their reputation as fearless sonic explorers. Described by the Chicago Tribune as “mood music that refuses to be shoved into the background,” Tortoise continue to challenge and inspire, with a sound that is as timeless as it is ahead of the curve.

LA duo Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer will open the evening with masterful acoustic-electronic blends from their three International Anthem albums, including 2025’s Different Rooms.

Presented by Serious

Part of the EFG London Jazz Festival 2025

Find out more

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Japanese Jazz

Sunday 23 November 2025, 7.30pm

Barbican Hall

Tickets from £40 plus booking fee 

The EFG London Festival 2025 will close its 33rd year with a one-of-a-kind performance at the Barbican, celebrating the bold, beautiful sound of Japanese jazz.  

Kicking things off is the iconic Akiko Yano—singer, songwriter, and pianist whose music has danced across genres for decades. From her groundbreaking debut Japanese Girl to collaborations with legends like Yellow Magic Orchestra and Pat Metheny, Akiko’s music is full of warmth, mischief, and virtuosity. Her solo piano set promises to be intimate, playful, and unforgettable.

She’s followed by a quintet made up of celebrated master musicians rarely seen in the UK. The influential tenor sax legend Kosuke Mine, expressive pianist Fumio Itabashi, dynamic drummer Takeo Moriyama, genre-hopping bassist Takashi Sugawa, and the vibrant alto sax of Miyuki Moriya come together for a powerful set. Expect deep grooves and a musical conversation that’s been decades in the making. This is a night for jazz enthusiasts and curious ears alike. 

Produced by the Barbican in association with Serious

Part of the EFG London Jazz Festival 2025

Find out more

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EFG London Jazz Festival 2025 performances at the Barbican announced to date:

• aja monet with guests (Fri14 Nov 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
• We Exist! The Dee Dee Bridgewater Quartet (Sat 15 Nov, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
• Hermeto Pascoal & Grupo (Sun 16 Nov 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
• Hiromi’s Sonicwonder (Fri 21 Nov 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
• Tortoise (Sat 22 Nov 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
• Japanese Jazz (Sun 23 Nov 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)

Other performances you might be interested in this year:

• Tigran Hamasyan (Summer Jazz Series) (Mon 16 Jun 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
• Brad Mehldau Trio (Summer Jazz Series) (Tue 24 Jun 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
• Take Me To The River All-Stars: Memphis Soul Revue (Summer Jazz Series) (Sat 12 Jul 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
• Herbie Hancock (Summer Jazz Series) (Thu 24 – Sat 26 Jul 2025, Barbican Hall, 8pm)
• ganavya: Daughter of a Temple (Thur 4 Sep 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
• Balimaya Project x Discos Pacífico All Stars (Sat 27 Sep 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
• GoGo Penguin + special guest Daudi Matsiko (Wed 3 Dec 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)