Courtney Pine plays the Jazz Cafe on August 12 [Alexis Maryon]

THERE is an out-of-town gathering of London jazz tribes this coming weekend (July 3-5) down in Glynde, in the bucolic pastures near Lewes. Yes, it’s a train/bus ride away but it is always full of “faces” from the capital and always delivers a wide range of first-rate music that flows beyond the borders of jazz.

As usual there are crowd-pleasing vets (The Four Tops/Temptations, Sister Sledge, Maze) and proper top-tier jazzers – Esperanza Spalding (below), Courtney Pine (a show celebrating his long and highly influential career), Kokoroko, Ezra Collective, Bill Frisell, Joe Lovano etc etc.

But other nuggets lie further down the bill, with bands like Knats, whose exuberant and cheeky “Geordie Jazz” I first witnessed on a small open-air stage at LS a few years back, who have now progressed to the Supreme Standards slot on the back of their excellent album A Great Day in Newcastle.

There is also the New Generation Jazz Stage, which will feature up-and-coming musicians like flautist Poppy Helmer and drummer Miles Pillinger.

There’s much more, including a raft of Tomorrow’s Warriors alumni and current students of the programme. Come on down, you won’t be disappointed. Line up, day splits, tickets (including day options) and travel info at: https://lovesupremefestival.com

Closer to home, the following weekend (July 10-12) sees the second De Beauvoir Jazz Festival aims to bring the spirit of New Orleans to north London (and possibly even its weather, given the current climate shift) with sets from clarinet supremos Giacomo Smith (above) & Adrian Cox (an unbelievably adept pair of players – ask Wynton Marsalis, who has used them both), stride/ragtime piano master Joe Webb and exuberant N’Orleans style “street band” Tuba Skinny.

There is also Kinetika Bloko, a youth charity that is also a travelling carnival of horns, drums and costumes, fabulous singer Lucy-Anne Daniels and much more, all curated by trumpeter and vocalist Pete Horsfall, who will no doubt put in an appearance or two over the weekend.

It spreads over various venues (with some free events) across De Beauvoir Town, Islington and Hackney. Details and tickets: https://www.debeauvoirjazzfestival.co.uk/en/2026

“Women in Jazz” is no longer the oxymoron people once considered it to be. Indeed, there is a fine organisation of that name that produces gigs and releases records (https://www.womeninjazz.co.uk) But back in the 70s and 80s women in jazz tended to plough lonely furrows – I seem to recall most of my exposure to female instrumentalists was through the late Barbara Thompson and still-very-active trombonist Annie Whitehead.

Also pioneering at that time was guitarist Deidre Cartwight, best known to a certain generation as a presenter/player on the BBC’s Rockschool. However, she is not really a rocker, but a highly versatile player, as at home with a raw 4/4 as she is a sinuous 15/8 or a sing-song 6/8, and able to swing with the best of them.

She has played with bassist Alison Rayner for five decades and is part of the latter’s still criminally underrated ARQ, which features a mix of clever writing, melodic ingenuity and inspired collective playing (check out ARQ’s SEMA4 album, recorded live at The Vortex in Dalston for proof).

Deirdre has her own record out this month, called ORGANIK, and it really is just that – everything about it feels natural and unforced, clean and sharp (she eschewed effects pedals for this recording). It is basically a warm homage to the classic organ/guitar jazz trio sound, featuring stellar work from the leader, ably supported by Peter Whittaker on organ and Gary Hammond on percussion.

The presence of a track called Expresso Martino should give you a hint of the feel – the shades of Pat Martino, Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell and Grant Green are a benign presence here. There are covers (Eleanor Rigby, Sultans of Swing, a wonderful On Green Dolphin Street) plus a trio of Cartwright originals which hold their head up in such esteemed company.

If you’d like a fresh take on any of the above guitarists, listen to/buy ORGANIK on Bandcamp – https://deirdrecartwright1.bandcamp.com/album/organik

She launches the album with her trio (and the promise of some special guests) on July 15 at Pizza Express Soho: https://www.pizzaexpresslive.com/whats-on/deirdre-cartwright
Courtney Pine’s valedictory show mentioned above is called A Modern-Day Jazz Story 1986-2026 and he will be bringing it to Camden’s Jazz Café on August 12. I first saw him at the beginning of that journey, in a solo spot before a full Jazz Warriors gig at Brixton Academy, where, still wearing his tweedy overcoat, he came on and tore through the Coltrane changes of Giant Steps. It was quite the declaration of intent, and he has more than lived up to that youthful promise. Expect music from across his decades, covering jazz, reggae, funk, soul and drum’n’bass. Details: https://thejazzcafe.com/event/courtney-pine-4/?

One of Courteney’s long-term collaborators, the superb pianist Zoe Rahman, has two shows at The Vortex in Dalston on July 10, celebrating the release of her album The Hull Suite Live. Commissioned by Hull Jazz Festival for World Piano Day in 2024, the suite covers themes of the sea, the harsh lives of fishermen, immigration, family and the port’s links with Iceland. It is big, bold, highly cinematic and vividly orchestral: at times it’s hard to believe Zoe’s imagery is conjured from just 88 keys on a piano. The album was recorded live at The Vortex and she’ll be playing it there again, with rock-solid Alec Dankworth on bass and the supercool Gene Calderazzo on drums. Tickets: https://www.vortexjazz.co.uk/event/zoe-rahman-trio-album-launch-2-shows/
Check out the album on bandcamp: https://zoerahman.bandcamp.com/album/hull-suite-live

Another impressive piano trio play the Hampstead Jazz Club on July 9, again promoting an album with a strong thematic core. Eddie Gripper’s record Americana was inspired by an epic hitchhiking journey from Alaska to California undertaken by the pianist in 2022. Engaging, pastoral motifs and catchy riffs proliferate (with some winning group improvisations in there) but there is also an elegiac feel in parts, as if this is a love letter to a USA that is slowly fading from view. Recommended both on record and live, tickets for the latter on https://hampsteadjazzclub.com/whats-on/eddie-gripper-trio-americana-album-tour/
Preview/buy the album at: https://eddiegripper.bandcamp.com/album/home