Kings Place

Kenny Wheeler/Norma Winstone/London Vocal Project

Categories, Jazz and experimental

• Critics' choice

Iconic Brit-jazz trumpeter Wheeler is 83, but he still sounds wonderful, with a pristine, melancholic tone and fleet-fingered solo flights. It’s his talent as a composer, though, that has made him an influential figure both for his contemporaries and...

Guardian Review Book Club

Books and poetry

• Critics' choice

Guardian journalist John Mullan interviews authors about their work live, before opening up the floor to a Q&A sessions and signing. Booking essential.

THE TIME AND THE PLACE: Budapest Bar

Categories, Jazz and experimental, World

• Critics' choice

Except when they're covering 'Gloomy Sunday', this Hungarian gypsy band run through their songs – chanson, film music, jazz, and even Haydn and Lizst – at breakneck speed. They kick-start a weekend of multi-artform explorations in European cultural identity,...

THE TIME AND THE PLACE: Soweto Kinch

Categories, Jazz and experimental

Award-winning post-bop altoist and MC Kinch, who seamlessly meshes engaging, funky instrumentals with evocative, conscious raps, plays as part of a weekend of multi-artform explorations in European cultural identity, curated at Kings Place by reliably...

THE TIME AND THE PLACE: Poul Høxbro + Fraser Fifield

Traditional music, Folk

• Critics' choice

Danish early music specialist Hoxbro uses recreations of ancient Viking lyres, bone flutes and reed pipes, and promises a 'dance of the devil', in a musical journey from northern Europe to the Iberian peninsual. In support, Fitfield pipes and whistles...

THE TIME AND THE PLACE: Mari Boine

Categories, World

• Critics' choice

Extraordinary Sami singer Boine manages to evoke huge glistening Norwegian vistas with barely a movement of her lips, and drives her mesmeric compositions – performed on everything from overtone flutes to drone drums – forward with elements of rock and...

THE TIME AND THE PLACE: Gianluigi Trovesi & Gianni Coscea

Folk

A clarinet-and-accordion duo drawing on northern Italian folk traditions, Trovesi and Coscea perform as part of a weekend of multi-artform explorations in European cultural identity, curated at Kings Place by reliably eclectic producers Serious.

SONGLINES ENCOUNTERS FESTIVAL: Vołosi/33a

Traditional music

Only UK performance of a string-rich collaboration between fiddle-led Polish folk group Volosi and Georgia's 33a, led by Niaz Diasamidze on Georgian lute.

SONGLINES ENCOUNTERS FESTIVAL: Paprika + She'Koyokh + Yurodny

• Critics' choice

Balkan triple bill culminating in a 20-strong collaboration following the headline set from Paprika, a fiery young gypsy outfit fond of odd rhythms and unpredictable solos. Plus violinist Bogdan Vacarescu, a Magyar from the former Yugoslavia, leading...

Baladi Blues Ensemble + Sarah Savoy & The Francadians

World, Blues, Cajun and zydeco

• Critics' choice

Traditional Egyptian street music gets a modern shake down from percussionist Guy Schalom's outfit, incorporating quarter-tone accordion (for navigating those narrow Arabic scales) and sax. Plus the Louisiana-based Savoy – daughter of Marc and Ann (Savoy...

SONGLINES ENCOUNTERS FESTIVAL: Martynas

Classical & Opera, Pop and rock, Traditional music, Folk

• Free

Everything from Vivaldi to Lady Gaga from this Lithuanian born classical accordionist on a mission to prove the instrument's versatility.

SONGLINES ENCOUNTERS FESTIVAL: Malick Pathé Sow & Bao Sissoko + Duo Sabil/John Williams

African music

• Critics' choice

Laid back grooves and delicately rippling melodies from the headlining Senegalese duo, now living in exile in Belgium and whose 2012 album 'Aduna' won fans with its understated warmth. Vocalist and former Baaba Maal collaborator Sow plays the hoddu (Senegalese...

Kairos 4tet

Categories, Jazz and experimental

• Critics' choice

Talent-heavy group featuring alto/tenor sax star Adam Waldmann whose warm yet biting tone, attractive rock-edged (but acoustic) melodies and dazzling polyrhythmic grooves sound something akin to Wayne Shorter playing EST tunes. The excellent band features...

Tony Hawks

Solo shows, Storytelling

As part of the Travel Festival, best-selling author and panel show regular Tony Hawks looks back at some of the strangest and funniest moments in his life in an evening of stories, songs and silliness.

WAGNER 200 Janice Watson in Recital

Music festivals, Song recitals, Romantic music (1815 – 1910)

• Critics' choice

A song recital by Janice Watson, one of Britain’s leading dramatic sopranos, accompanied by pianist Joseph Middleton. To include Wagner’s 'Wesendonck Lieder' and some of his less frequently performed songs, as well as examples by his friend and father-in-law,...

WAGNER 200 Pianist Llyr Williams

Music festivals, Piano recitals, Romantic music (1815 – 1910)

• Critics' choice

A recital by the outstanding Welsh pianist Llŷr Williams, featuring Wagner rarities and dazzling transcriptions of Wagner by Liszt, including Isolde’s Liebestod. Wagner: Fantasia in F sharp minor Wagner: Sonate für das Album von Frau MW Wagner: Albumblatt...

Niall Ashdown and Between the Notes – Note to Tale

Impro comedy

Impro regular Niall Ashdown performs with musical group Between the Notes for an evening of improvised comedy with added cello, marimba, saxophone, piano and vocals.

WAGNER 200 Siegfried Idyll: Drama and Music

Music festivals, String ensembles, Romantic music (1815 – 1910)

• Critics' choice

As part of the 'Wagner 200' celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of Richard Wagner's birth, Aurora under Nicholas Collon presents 'The Gift' – a narrated re-creation of his 'Siegfried Idyll', performed as a birthday gift for his wife Cosima. Actors...

WAGNER 200 Symposia 1-2: Wagner in Performance

Classical & Opera, Music festivals

Susan Rutherford, David Breckbill, Neil Howlett speakers John McMurray chair The first of three illustrated talks featuring an international roster of Wagner experts examining aspects of the performance of his music under the headings Singing, Conducting...

WAGNER 200 Symposia 1-2: Wagner in Performance

Classical & Opera, Music festivals

Susan Rutherford, David Breckbill, Neil Howlett speakers John McMurray chair The first of three illustrated talks featuring an international roster of Wagner experts examining aspects of the performance of his music under the headings Singing, Conducting...

WAGNER 200 Film Screening: Tristan und Isolde

Film, Music festivals, Romantic opera, German opera

A screening of Nikolaus Lehnhoff’s acclaimed production for Glyndebourne, conducted by Jirí Belohlávek and starring Robert Gambill (Tristan), Nina Stemme (Isolde), Katarina Karnéus (Brangäne), Bo Skovhus (Kurwenal) and René Pape (King Mark). (Running...

WAGNER 200 Symposium 3: Wagner in Performance

Classical & Opera, Music festivals

Paula Bortnichak, Ingrid Kapsamer, Hugo Shirley, Tash Siddiqui, Katherine Syer and Simon Williams speakers Patrick Carnegy and Peter Franklin chairs The last of three symposia featuring an international roster of Wagner experts examining aspects of the...

WAGNER 200 Film Screening: 'Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'

Film, Music festivals, German opera

A screening of Katharina Wagner's controversial production for the Bayreuth Festival, conducted by Sebastian Weigle and starring Franz Hawlata (Hans Sachs), Klaus Florian Vogt (Walther), Michaela Kaune (Eva) and Michael Volle (Beckmesser). This breathtaking...