Royal Albert Hall Reveals First Season of Late Night Jazz 2025

A diverse selection of contemporary jazz artists, including Ego Ella May, the Gülseven Medar Quartet and Alina Bzhezhinska, will headline the Royal Albert Hall's popular Late Night Jazz series as it returns for its first season of 2025. Five shows ranging from the soulful strains of harp-driven innovation to Turkish jazz infusions will be held in the venue's 200-capacity Elgar Room as part of the building's Beyond the Main Stage programme.

Kicking off the season on Thursday 23 January is the internationally renowned and innovative harpist Alina Bzhezhinska who will be performing music from her three critically acclaimed albums alongside her band HipHarpCollective. Their sound blends '90s acid jazz, trip-hop, and electronica that reimagines the potential of traditional jazz instruments.

The following week, British Nigerian award-winning singer-songwriter and musician Ego Ella May will take to the stage on Monday 27 January, in partnership with Independent Venue Week. The fast rising talent is quickly building a noteworthy catalogue of releases including her impressive debut LP Honey For Wounds, a soul-tingling blend of Jazz, R&B and Neo Soul vocal musicality while her personal and observational lyrics are laced with tales of self-healing, protest, love, loss, global issues and more.

Addressing the themes of female empowerment and mental health awareness through combining poetic lyricism, uplifting beats and harmonic synth-infused landscapes, experimental collective Intervention continue the programme on Thursday 30 January. The group is comprised of Late Night Jazz alumni Lya (of Colectiva) and vocalist Plumm alongside Latinx pianist/producer Eliane Correa. The event is presented by Sounds Queer, an organisation that platforms and champions diverse voices from the LGBTQIA+ spectrum in safe spaces.

February sees Liverpudlian artist Lois Levin take to the Elgar Room stage for a Relaxed performance (Thursday 6 February) which will showcase her unique mix of urban jazz and indie pop. Lois's music has been a staple on Jazz FM over the past six months, with her singles Burden and Pheromones also picking up multiple plays on BBC Radio 6 Music and other stations. The less formal environment of a Relaxed performance may particularly benefit autistic people, those with learning disabilities, those with dementia, or anyone who may prefer coming to the venue with additional measures in place.

The Gülseven Medar Quartet close out the first season on Thursday 20 December, combining folk, Alevi faith music, and jazz fusion. Vocalist Gülseven Medar has spent her career specialising in Kurdish and Anatolian folk music, honouring their traditional roots while blending elements of jazz fusion and global music, before founding the Quartet in 2023. The group comprises of Imogen Emmett on harp, Orhan Bilge on bağlama, and Ardashes Agoshian.

Matthew Todd, Director of Programming at the Hall, said: "We are absolutely thrilled to see Late Night Jazz continue to grow with this first season for 2025, as the series enters its 15th year. Encompassing internationally recognised instrumentalists to MOBO Award nominees, this latest programme showcases the incredible breadth and depth of contemporary jazz, offering something truly special for our audiences by showcasing the most exciting new and rising artists in the scene. We can't wait to welcome jazz lovers and newcomers alike to these unforgettable and intimate performances in the Elgar Room."

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