LATE NIGHT JAZZ to Return to Royal Albert Hall for Autumn Series
The Elgar Room series will feature artists from Peru, Korea, Sudan, and Portugal across five weeks.
After two packed winter and spring seasons of Late Night Jazz, the Royal Albert Hall has unveiled the next wave of acts to take to the Elgar Room stage across September and October 2026. With musicians hailing from countries including Peru, Korea, Sudan and Portugal, the 200-capacity venue will host one of its most diverse jazz programmes yet, with seven performances over five weeks.
First up in the autumn series is Tamar Osborn on Thursday 24 September. The saxophonist will celebrate the release of Varier: Berlin, the first instalment of Osborn's Varier album cycle, and the first release under her own name, having been known previously as the creative force behind modal jazz ensemble Collocutor, with whom she released three critically acclaimed albums. Centred around the concepts of improvisation, collaboration and music for healing, Varier sees Tamar develop her exploratory approach to collaborative playing alongside some of the very best musicians in the global jazz and improvised scenes.
Two nights later (Saturday 26 September), the “Diva of the Sudanese Desert” (BBC News) and pioneer of Nubian jazz, singer Amira Kheir will be performing music inspired by her homeland of Sudan, and exploring jazz, soul, rock, desert blues and experimental music. The show is produced by Arts Canteen as part of Arab Women Artists Now (AWAN), the UK's only contemporary multi-arts festival dedicated to showcasing Arab women's artistic work.
Matt Todd, Director of Programming at the Royal Albert Hall, said, “We're delighted to be bringing another packed season of Late Night Jazz shows to the Hall this autumn. We take great pride in giving a platform to some of London's finest jazz musicians, and this season boasts our most global set of performers yet, with artists heralding from Sudan to Peru, to Korea, and everywhere in-between. It has been incredible to see this programme grow steadily to a point where rising International Artists and groups are excited to be performing as part of the series.”
October sees London-based Leif Kaner-Lidströms (Thursday 1) and Xambi (Thursday 8) bring their virtuosities to the Elgar Room. Leif Kaner-Lidströms is best-known as a classical pianist, having established himself as a member of the boundary-pushing Levitation Orchestra, who release their third studio album later this year on 5db Records. Most recently, he has been releasing music as a solo artist through his album Swans, where he collaborated with his cellist father. Meanwhile, Xambi's sound is a rich fusion of neo-soul, funk, rap, hip-hop, and jazz as their music blends bouncy basslines, drum grooves, dreamy guitar and piano chords - earning them comparisons to The Internet, The Isley Brothers, and D'Angelo.
The following week, on Thursday 15 October, Portuguese singer-songwriter Inês Loubet will blend Latin jazz, Tropicália, and soulful grooves as part of a Relaxed Late Night Jazz performance. Her 2024 debut album, Senga has earned critical acclaim for its heartfelt storytelling and Brazilian-inspired rhythms, with tracks championed by Jazz FM, BBC Radio 6 Music, and by Gilles Peterson on Worldwide FM. Relaxed performances are designed for people who feel more comfortable attending concerts in an informal environment and are adapted to reduce anxiety and create a supportive atmosphere.
Peruvian saxophonist, flautist and composer Allexa Nava has performed at prominent UK festivals Glastonbury, We Out Here, Wilderness, and Brainchild. Nava brings her contemporary jazz sound to the Hall on Thursday 22 October following her 2025 No Language EP being released via the influential Jazz Re:freshed label and gaining support from Jazz FM and BBC London Introducing.
Closing out the month, and the series, are Kyungso Park and Björn Meyer as part of the K-Music Festival on Thursday 29 October. Titled Resonating Spaces: A Sonic Dialogue Beyond Borders, the two artists will collaborate as the gayageum player Park and Swiss Music Prize-winning six-string bassist Björn Meyer expand the expressive worlds of strings, resonance and space.
