Jean Toussaint Quintet

Jean Toussaint brings his quintet, the JT5, to World Heart Beat Embassy Gardens on Friday 13 November, as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival. The night opens with pianist Nnamdi Nnachi-Cole, so there's a bit of a warm-up before the main set kicks in.

Toussaint is a Grammy winner who's been a fixture of the London scene since he moved here in 1987. He's originally from St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands and left Berklee College of Music in 1982 to join Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, where he spent about four and a half years playing alongside Terence Blanchard and Mulgrew Miller. After that, he worked with Gil Evans, McCoy Tyner and Wynton Marsalis before making the move to London. Since then, he's released ten albums as a leader, toured with Max Roach, Cedar Walton and David Murray, and collaborated with British musicians like Bheki Mseleku, Julian Joseph and Jason Rebello.

The quintet plays swinging, straight-ahead contemporary jazz built on original compositions and inventive standards. The set blends swing, blues, funk and groove, with a strong emphasis on melody, and Toussaint still cites Art Blakey and John Coltrane as his main influences. It's the kind of playing that stays close to the tradition while keeping things moving forward.

The gig is at World Heart Beat Embassy Gardens, 3 Ponton Road, Nine Elms, London SW11 7BD. It starts at 7:30pm, with doors opening at 6:30pm, and tickets are £20.80 to £31.20 including fees.