Late Night Jazz to Return to Royal Albert Hall for Final 2026 Season

Following on from a busy Autumn series, the Royal Albert Hall has announced the final season of Late Night Jazz for 2026. With seven performances over five weeks, the 200-capacity Elgar Room will accommodate a diverse and captivating programme throughout November and December, ranging from contemporary jazz to electronic improvisations, and everything in between.

Four EFG London Jazz Festival events open the winter series, starting with Cinna Peyghamy on Friday 13 November, curated by Sarathy Korwar, where the French-Iranian percussionist will showcase his unique take on experimental jazz, IDM and bass music. His latest work Music For Tombak & Synth, released earlier this year, focuses on blending the boundaries between acoustic and electronic instruments, designed to build a dialogue between these two styles and explore the various ways to improvise this in a live setting.

The following evening (Saturday 14 November), The Gary Crosby Quintet will celebrate legendary jazz innovator and composer Charles Mingus. Band leader and bassist Gary Crosby OBE will be performing the complete 1973 classic 'Mingus Moves' collection alongside a handful of his greatest hits.

Juliette Lemoine, Emry Penry Dance and Lucy-Anne Daniels are all alumni of the Take Five Showcase, having been brought together to create an evening of contemporary jazz, storytelling and distinct sounds on Wednesday 18 November. Take Five is an event series created to give emerging UK musicians the opportunity to develop their craft and build their careers. Each member brings their own unique experiences, artistic vision and creative energy to the table, uniting their individual styles to deliver a dynamic performance driven by a shared creative vision.

Making his Late Night Jazz debut and closing out the run of EFG London Jazz Festival events at the Hall, Raffy Bushman will be bringing songs from his 2026 debut album New Life to the Elgar Room on Saturday 21 November. Known as a key voice in the UK jazz underground for his exploration into the symbiotic relationship between jazz and hip-hop in a piano trio, Bushman's new album was inspired by the news of the imminent arrival of him and his partners first child.

Matt Todd, Director of Programming at the Royal Albert Hall said, 'We are thrilled to be bringing an unprecedented fourth season of Late Night Jazz to the Hall this year. We pride ourselves on being a venue for musicians, both from home and further afield, to perform and celebrate a diverse range of musical styles, and this season will continue to showcase the exceptional talent that is thriving in the jazz scene right now.'

Closing out the month, on Saturday 28 November, afrofuturist musician Angel Bat Dawid blends historical research with modern production to document and advance Black musical lineages. With five albums under her belt since her 2019 debut, the Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist has been honoured as the Chicago Tribune's 2021 'Chicagoan of the Year in Jazz' alongside being featured on Pitchfork's Next 25 list of emerging artists to look out for the same year.

December kicks off with the return of Jazz at the Movies: A Swingin' Christmas! on Thursday 3 December. Since 2023, acclaimed singer Joanna Eden has been performing festive jazz favourites alongside the Chris Ingham Quartet in what is quickly becoming an annual tradition at the Hall. These musicians have become synonymous with blending swing jazz with Christmas nostalgia.

Closing the winter season and another year of Late Night Jazz at the Hall on Thursday 10 December is Flo Redmonds, Annie Majin and Olivia Cuttill, as part of A Christmas Celebration with Women in Jazz. This show brings together five emerging artists from the UK jazz scene to collaborate, saxophonist Flo Redmonds will be joined on stage by Will Inscoe on piano, vocalist Annie Majins, trumpeter Olivia Cuttill and Sam Every on drums. Designed like a wrap party, the event also opens opportunities to meet other musicians, creatives and jazz fans from across the Women in Jazz community.