This year, BLJF’s fifth edition, Friday was headlined by anaiis & Brazil’s Grupo Cosmo, Saturday by jazz-funk legend and Gil Scott-Heron collaborator Brian Jackson, and Sunday by multi-award-winning London rising star Joe Armon-Jones, who is also a member of Mercury Prize-winning band Ezra Collective.
Our hot picks for Sunday’s final day of the brilliant 2026 Brick lane Jazz Festival include: Leif Kaner-Lindström, BONITA, Ria Moran, Resolution 88, Arjuna Oakes, Scholto & Finn Rees, Alici, Eliane Correa, JGrrey, Stella & The Longos, and headliner Joe Armon-Jones.
This festival is not all jazz though; the three-day roster spans jazz, alt-rap, neo-soul, R&B, neo-classical, electronic music and more.
Tasmania-born, Melbourne-based, Finn Rees is an ace keyboard player, band leader and composer, who has joined forces with drummer, musician, and producer SHOLTO (Oscar Robertson).
The annual Brick Lane Jazz Festival is now in its fifth year and its 2026 edition offers more venues and more bands and artists then ever before.
Having established itself as a cornerstone of East London’s musical landscape, Brick Lane Jazz Festival has earned a reputation for spotlighting local artists and emerging trailblazers from the city’s thriving underground scenes, whilst honouring the jazz legends that have come before them.
Latin London outfit BONITA(stylised upper case) is an exciting nine-piece Latin Orchestra; who combine Salsa, Latin Jazz, Cumbia, Folklore and Psychedelia.
Arjuna Oakes is a New Zealand-born singer, songwriter, pianist, composer, and producer, now based in London, blending elements of soul, jazz, electronica, funk, and world folk into a deeply rooted but fresh sound.
In a bid to support the next generation of talent, the 2026 festival debuted new conference programme with a range of talks, workshops, exhibits, and exclusive performances.
They boasted an impressive roster of eclectic speakers and for the festival itself, a superb line-up of circa 120 bands and artists; growing the festival from four stages in 2022 to today’s 12 venues spanning Brick Lane and Shoreditch.
Neo-soul and r&b rising star Jgrrey blasted onto the alt soul scene with her 2023 mixtape “If Not Now?” and has notched up millions of streams and a decent following.
Born in Vauxhall, JGrrey grew up across various areas of London, and spells in Watford and Manchester, and now lives on the UK coast.
Reflecting on this fifth birthday edition, festival founder Juliet Kennedy says, “From day one, Brick Lane Jazz Festival has been about shining a light on the incredible talent in London’s jazz scene. Five years on, Brick Lane Jazz Festival has grown into a landmark celebration of the UK’s underground music community.
“It’s been incredible to see the festival become a space where artists and audiences connect so powerfully – and this is only the beginning. Our ambition is to keep pushing boundaries and championing the next wave of talent for many years to come. We’re only just getting started!”
Joe Armon-Jones has earned widespread acclaim both as a solo artist with records on Brownswood and his own label AQUARii, and as a founding member of the Mercury Prize-winning band Ezra Collective, who sold-out Wembley Arena.
Joe has also appeared on albums by Moses Boyd, Nubya Garcia, SEED Ensemble, Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela. He headlined Village Underground Sunday night in fine style.
A class act.
Since 2024, the festival has also amplified its impact with the launch of BLJF Presents – a year-round series of events showcasing the UK’s most exciting artists, record labels, and parties.
After sell-out shows in Manchester, Brighton, London and more, BLJF Presents is heading to new heights with more regional stops in Bristol and Glasgow, as well as two international shows in Brussels.
Alici draws from her diverse upbringing split between Brazil, Seattle, and the UK to redefine the idea of what Bossa Nova and Trip Hop sounds like to a contemporary audience. Inspired by timeless acts such as Gal Costa, J Dilla, Sade and Portishead, Alici is breathing new life into Brazilian-inspired r&b and jazz.
All the festival venues are within a short walk from the central hub at the iconic Truman Brewery space on Brick Lane, transforming the site and surrounding area into a vibrant hive of gig-hopping excitement for three days every April.
Eliane Correa studied piano and composition Havana, before relocating to London where she is a sought-after composer, musician and bandleader.
She spent years as arranger, pianist and director for internationally renowned Salsa and Cuban bands, and mixes her career as musical director of large format Latin orchestras, with her touring with the legendary Hans Zimmer as a soloist, musical director for pop artists, and playing in various jazz-centric settings in her own right.
South East London-based Leif Kaner-Lidström performed on Saturday as part of transcendental cult collective Levitation Orchestra, and on Sunday as the LKL Quintet.
Leif also records meditative solo works under the pseudonym Erik Sigurd. At BLJF on day three, the versatile pianist fronted his cinematic, jazz-inflected quintet.
Berlin-based multinational band Stella & The Longos formed following the acclaimed 2022 release “Détends-Toi”, the first collaboration between lead singer Stella Zekri and producer Ed Longo.
The duo forged a powerful live ensemble of Berlin’s finest musicians and it was a hit at BLJF 2026
Jazz-funk luminaries Resolution 88 are one of the UK’s leading exponents of funk jazz. Their music is synonymous with the sound of the Fender Rhodes piano, and they have supported a slew of big names, including Snarky Puppy, Roy Ayers, Marcus Miller, and Yellowjackets.
Resolution 88 was started in 2012 as an original jazz-funk-fusion project. Their music is based around complex changes and heavily syncopated funk / broken beats, inspired by Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters.
Do check out our Friday’s and Saturday’s coverage…
Photos by Manja Williams
Words by Steve Best
[Sax player top of page is part Aruna Oakes’ band]
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