Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet, Ronnie Scott's

Barely past thirty, and already weighed down by awards and expectation, New York-based jazz trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire has dazzled the music world with the breadth of his inspiration, and mastery of so many contemporary musical styles. He has just released his second album on Blue Note, the elite and historic jazz label, to ecstatic reviews, though critics have struggled to describe in less than several thousand words how he achieves such diversity: as well as perfectly poised trumpet playing, informed by the extraordinary history of the jazz trumpet, there’s a collaboration with gothic-soul vocalist Cold Specks, a string quartet, flautist, and nods to both Radiohead and Joni Mitchell. And he’s certainly no dry technician: one song features an interior monologue by a homeless man, and another a woman serving a life sentence for murder. 

His quintet appears at iconic jazz club Ronnie Scott’s for a single night, and his appearances in London are infrequent. We’re not yet sure exactly what he’ll be playing, but we are pretty sure it’ll be good. On stage modest and retiring, Akinmusire is undoubtedly a giant in the making. Catch him while you can.