Kings Place Jazz Orchestra named Jazz Ensemble in Residence and will present a series of projects, including a 70th anniversary celebration of West Side Story
Additional performances from Tony Kofi & Denys Baptiste, Joe Webb, Alexandra Ridout, Snowpoet, Olivia Murphy, Marlon the Pannist and more
Tickets on sale on Friday 25 September from www.kingsplace.co.uk
London, September 25th.
Kings Place today announces the first artists confirmed for its 2027 season,
led by a major jazz programme and the launch of the next instalment of its
award-winning Unwrapped concert series, Origins
Unwrapped. The programme features Artist-in-Residence Alice Zawadzki, the
Kings Place Jazz Orchestra as Jazz Ensemble in Residence, and performances from
leading UK and international artists, alongside new co-productions, commissions
and premieres across classical, jazz and folk. Through Origins
Unwrapped, the season explores the personal stories, cultural inheritance
and creative encounters behind the music artists create and champion today.
At the heart of the jazz programme is Alice Zawadzki, Jazz FM Vocalist of the Year 2025, who becomes Artist-in-Residence for Origins Unwrapped.
As part of her residency, on April 9th Zawadzki Alice Zawadzki presents a new version of her acclaimed chamber opera, Bag of Bones, an immersive work of inherited memory, Eastern European folklore and cultural severance, blending strings, accordion, keyboards and voice.
On June 26th, Zawadzki presents Replace Your Gods, a world premiere song cycle inspired by Swiatowid, the Slavic deity associated with vision, nature and the forests of Poland. Joined by cellist-singer Midori Jaeger and drummer-percussionist Yusuf Ahmed, the project brings together song, improvisation and folklore alongside specially made instruments crafted from wood, water, glass and bone. Her residency continues on December 12th with The Turning, a programme drawing on pagan festivals and seasonal traditions that predate Christmas, moving between original music, reimagined old songs, storytelling and improvisation.
The Kings Place Jazz Orchestra, formed in 2025 by Callum Au, Hannah Hutton and Sam McShane, becomes Kings Place's Jazz Ensemble in Residence, presenting a series of major projects across the year. These include a special 70th anniversary celebration of West Side Story on March 21st, featuring Au's West Side Story Suite for Big Band, and Decades of Jazz on May 23rd, a celebration of jazz's evolving identity, from its beginnings in New Orleans through the big-band brilliance of Ellington and Basie, the vocal artistry of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan to the the modern-day greats.
Within Origins Unwrapped, the jazz programme begins on January 29th with Mercury-nominated pianist Joe Webb's 7-A-Side. Returning to Kings Place, Webb brings together traditional jazz, the flavour of 90s Brit-pop and references to his Welsh cultural roots. His music will be reimagined with horns, featuring some of London's finest players and arranged by young London-based arrangers.
On February 19th, James Allsopp leads his quartet in a centenary celebration of Stan Getz, drawing on the master saxophonist's rich back catalogue, from lush ballads and lilting bossa novas to swinging standards and bop compositions. Two of the UK's leading saxophonists, Tony Kofi and Denys Baptiste, reunite on March 12th for Legacy: Coltrane and Cannonball, honouring the landmark partnership of Julian "Cannonball" Adderley and John Coltrane.
Award-winning trumpeter Alexandra Ridout brings her New York-based quartet to Kings Place on March 20th, featuring some of the most exciting young musicians on New York's contemporary jazz scene. The group will present original music shaped by creative collaboration and the vibrant musical community of the city.
Giacomo Smith's Routes in Ragtime on May 9th explores the origins of jazz through a suite of original music inspired by the pioneering generation that created the music. The Great Migration and the experiences of Black Americans seeking new lives in the North are central to the work, alongside influences from Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith.
The programme continues with KOLINGA on May 29th. Led by musician, author, composer and singer Rébecca M’Boungou, Kolinga tells stories that have been forgotten or silenced for too long, those of women and ancestors who still knew how to listen to the wisdom that the cycles of nature and life constantly whisper to us. On June 10th, Marlon the Pannist takes audiences on a musical journey through the sounds, traditions and spirit of Trinidad & Tobago, bringing together original compositions and imaginative arrangements celebrating the steelpan and its rich heritage.
The Edition Records and Kings Place presents series also continues in 2027. Snowpoet celebrate 15 years together in a special London performance on March 5th. Led by award-winning vocalist, lyricist and composer Lauren Kinsella and multi-instrumentalist and producer Chris Hyson, the London-based band have forged a rich and immersive sound world moving fluidly across folk, electronic and ambient music through a deep interest in the singular art of songwriting. On March 10th, musician and composer Daniel Herskedal brings his distinctive sound back to Kings Place, fusing the spirit of jazz with the compositional craft of classical music.
Other jazz highlights include Norman&Corrie [March 21st], blending traditional Shetland folk music with contemporary jazz, Anatole Muster [April 16th], whose work brings together virtuosity, experimentation and internet-age influences, and the Olivia Murphy Jazz Orchestra [April 18th], celebrating the release of their sophomore album. The concert features selections from Murphy’s critically acclaimed debut Fateful Birds & Fledgling Stories, followed by the orchestra’s first London performance of Siren Cycle, adding strings and four vocalists alongside the big band.
Alongside the jazz programme, Origins Unwrapped features Grammy-nominated American composer Nico Muhly as Composer-in-Focus. His programmes trace the musical influences that have shaped his artistic voice, with performances featuring Iestyn Davies, Fretwork, the Tallis Scholars, Britten Sinfonia and Pekka Kuusisto.
Pianist Keval Shah joins as Guest Curator, presenting Re(Sounding) India, a series exploring the creativity and cultural inheritance of the British South Asian diaspora. The series opens with a conversation featuring Anoushka Shankar, Sandeep Virdee, Zoe Rahman and Nitin Sawhney [January 17th], followed by a performance of the complete works for solo piano by composer Reena Esmail [February 13th]. Singer-songwriter, sarangi player and vocalist Amrit Kaur performs on May 28th, while RPS Award-winning sitarist Jasdeep Singh Degun closes the series on November 4th.
Sam McShane, Artistic Director of Kings Place, said:
"At the heart of Origins Unwrapped is a simple idea: that understanding the people, experiences and influences behind great artists and composers can deepen our experience of music itself. Throughout the season, world-class artists share the personal journeys, traditions and creative encounters that have shaped their work, offering audiences new ways to discover music spanning centuries, genres and continents."
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