The EFG London Jazz Festival has announced the second wave of artists for its highly anticipated 2026 lineup, revealing a major centerpiece commission that pays homage to literary icon Haruki Murakami. Co-presented by the Barbican and associate producer Serious, the latest announcement features a broad range of international performers scheduled to take over the capital this autumn.
Running from Friday, 13 November to Sunday, 22 November, the prestigious festival marks its 34th year of celebrating boundary-pushing music. The 10-day event will span more than 60 venues across London, showcasing jazz’s unique ability to transcend cultural borders and blend global musical traditions.
The headline addition to the itinerary is "Haruki Murakami’s Jazz at Peter Cat: a Japanese Jazz Night," scheduled for Saturday, 21 November at the Barbican Hall. The immersive evening serves as a creative recreation of "Peter Cat," the historic Tokyo jazz club that Murakami personally owned and operated from 1974 to 1981 before finding global literary fame. The rare concert features prominent modern Japanese ensembles—including the Junko Onishi Trio, Sachi Hayasaka / TReS, and Yoshio Suzuki’s The Blend—performing reinterpreted classics and original compositions that directly shaped Murakami’s improvisational writing style.
The exploration of Japanese musical identity continues on November 15 with a performance by maverick saxophonist and composer Yasuaki Shimizu at Milton Court Concert Hall. Performing alongside his sister Mieko Shimizu, the legendary musician will debut fresh live arrangements from his storied 50-year repertoire.
On November 17, Milton Court will also host the world premiere of "Combing Hair into Sand," a collaborative multimedia work by Estonian singer Maarja Nuut, British vocal collective Shards, and Swiss percussionist Nicolas Stocker. Additionally, celebrated saxophonist and composer Soweto Kinch will reunite with the London Symphony Orchestra on November 19 at Barbican Hall to perform a powerful retrospective trilogy of his politically charged orchestral works. Priority booking channels are open now, with future programming announcements expected later this summer.
