From the London Palestine Film Festival to Film Africa, London is buzzing with cultural events this November — and the EFG London Jazz Festival, starting on 14 November, is one not to miss.
Celebrated as the UK’s largest jazz festival, the EFG London Jazz Festival is part of a jazz legacy that dates to the 1930s, when American musicians like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington brought the genre to Britain and helped establish jazz clubs in London and other major cities.
Now in its 33rd edition, this year’s festival is bigger than ever, with hundreds of shows bringing together global stars and rising talent, from the grandeur of the Royal Festival Hall to the intimate vibes of The Garage, celebrating jazz in all its forms.
Ahead of the festival, The New Arab spoke with some of this year’s most talked-about acts, including standout MENA artists, such as Tunisian-American singer-songwriter Emel Mathlouthi and Tunisian-Belgian singer-songwriter Ghalia Benali.
As they prepare for their London performances in collaboration with MARSM, the London-based concert producer known for championing alternative and underground Arabic music in the UK, here’s what to expect from both artists in the coming weeks.
Up close with Emel Mathlouthi
The New Arab: London has clearly been an important city for you. What is it about performing here that feels so special, and how does the audience inspire you when you’re on stage?
Emel Mathlouthi: It’s always great to visit London as an artist and performer. For me, London has always been a city I wished I had explored more as an artist. There’s so much music there that has inspired me and shaped my path, so it’s always a special experience to tour here.
The audience is also amazing. The last time I headlined was right after my new album was released, so it’s been a while. The crowd is really eclectic — you find people from all over, such a mix — and that’s really inspiring.
Your new album, MRA, has been evolving on stage for over a year now. How has performing it live changed the way you connect with the music, and can fans expect any surprises or previously unheard tracks at the London Jazz Festival?
We’ve been performing this new album for a little over a year, and the more we explore its sounds, the more we realise there’s an entire world within it. From one performance to another, it keeps expanding.
I’m really excited to bring this new phase of the album to the stage. We’ll be performing tracks that we haven’t actually performed yet — some of the new album songs. There are probably three or four that we haven’t played before, and we’ll probably also explore some tracks from the past.
So, it’s going to be a really eclectic show.
You’ve said your music isn’t strictly jazz, but jazz classics have been a big part of your upbringing. How does that influence show up in your music today, and what draws you to those jazz roots?
At the origin of any music, there’s jazz. By jazz, I mean the classics. I grew up listening to a lot of classical music, but also to jazz legends like Art Tatum and Sidney Bechet.
There’s also a very famous soundtrack, Ascenseur pour l’échafaud (Elevator to the Gallows), which was really important for me growing up. The music was composed by Miles Davis.
So, even though I don’t really identify as a jazz musician, the powerful jazz classics were a big part of my upbringing, for sure!
You’ve talked about your mission to bring Arabic music and artists to a global audience. How do you balance staying true to your cultural roots while also experimenting and pushing into new musical territory?
Contributing to the global recognition of Arabic achievements — whether through artists, musicians, or the evolution of global music — is my lifelong project.
I never came from a place of tradition that expected me, as an Arab musician, to fit a certain cliché.
To me, being Arab and being an Arab musician means highlighting the unique aspects of our culture, but it doesn’t mean we have to stick to tradition. I see an Arab musician as a pioneer — someone who can elevate concepts like jazz and electronic music, and even help redefine Western music.
As a musician, I want to play any music, explore any genre, and push my own perceptions without limits or borders. Having been born in Tunisia, starting my career in France, and later moving to New York, I feel connected to many styles — from Kurdish and Iranian music to metal.
At the end of the day, it’s important for me to be seen as someone rooted in Arabic music and culture, which is part of my identity, but I also strive to be universal.
All eyes on Ghalia Benali
The New Arab: You’ve just wrapped performing the iconic Oum Kalthoum in the London play Oum – A Son's Quest for His Mother, singing contemporary opera, and you also took part in this year’s Voices of Solidarity fundraiser for Gaza health workers. How does it feel to be back in London, but this time exploring the very different world of jazz?
Ghalia Benali: Honestly, this time, it’s more about me being there.
I’ll be singing my own songs and performing with Moufadhel Adhoum on oud, Laurent Blondiau on trumpet, Sylvain Debaisieux on saxophone, Vincent Noiret on double bass, and Honoré Kouadio on percussion to showcase a project that combines poetry and music and allows me to tell my stories in my own way.
I’m especially looking forward to returning to the London audience I love, many of whom come from across the Arab world.
At the same time, I’m eager to reconnect with the Western audience who first supported me, a feeling I experienced again at the Barbican for Oum.
I’m also excited to meet the people I connected with through Voices of Solidarity, who came together for the same cause that unites us.
Every concert feels like a gathering. You never know who will be there or how we’ll come together. I can’t wait to take the stage, and I hope it's a full house.
Can you tell us about the project you’ll be performing that you’ve just mentioned, Maqam Al-Ghazal, which has been described as exploring the ‘haziness of the soul’ that only love can create?
For me, jazz is like Arabic music — it’s about improvisation, freedom, and connection.
So, simply put, Maqam Al-Ghazal is about love, the poetry of the heart, and expressing emotions that bring people together, inspired by a Sudanese poet who encouraged me to sing about love — especially love in Palestine — which audiences really connect with.
With this in mind, even when I sing in Arabic, people feel it — I’ve had listeners who didn’t understand the language tell me they understood every word.
That’s exactly what this project at the London Jazz Festival is about: creating a shared emotional experience and connecting people through music and poetry.
The London Jazz Festival takes over the city every November, from grand concert halls to tiny, intimate venues, showcasing everything from global stars to rising talent. How do you connect with jazz personally? What’s the first word that comes to mind when you think of it, and why is it important to celebrate its rich history through events like this?
The first word is freedom. Jazz is freedom.
I remember my first jazz experience with Belgian musician Laurent Blondiau, who will be performing in the show. Actually, we spent a week rehearsing. But the rehearsal was mainly about how to improvise, how to be on stage, how to come in and out, just how to be.
We did try to check some tunes, but that was about it. Then, on the first day of the tour concert, we arrived, and I asked, ‘Okay, where’s the set list?’ They said, ‘We don’t have one.’ I said, ‘Okay, cool — we’re going to have fun.’
We started from scratch, and by the end, I felt free. You listen, respond, and share treasures with other musicians.
Ultimately, for me, jazz is the art of playing “out of tune.” It’s another way of thinking, another system — and yet, you can still connect with others.
To reach that kind of freedom, you need to know the rules — like understanding how makams are made — respect them, and then you can truly be yourself. And I think jazz is a really intuitive way of learning how to be in life — like a warrior, someone responsible, someone respectful, someone free.
Looking beyond the festival, what’s next for you? Are there any exciting musical projects you’re envisioning for the future?
I’ve realised that, no matter the project, I’m always talking about the same thing: love and gathering.
I’m not doing concerts anymore; I focus on hadra, which means 'gathering' in English and, for me, is about being fully present with the audience.
My secret project, Arak, which means “I see you,” is the base of all my work. I compose alone at home, using poems, music, and sounds, and later perform these songs with musicians who are free to add their own voice.
The songs have structure — melody, rhythm, silence, emotion — but the musicians can respond freely, and we adapt to the audience.
It’s freedom, not just “I am free,” but “we are free” — free to create love, follow the vibe, shine, and be comfortable together.
Tickets for Emel’s show at The Garage on 16 November are available here, and tickets for Ghalia’s performance at Dingwalls on 22 November are available here.
Stay tuned for our festival coverage of both performances by following @thenewarabfeatures on Instagram.
Zainab Mehdi is The New Arab's Associate Editor and researcher specialising in governance, development, and conflict in the Middle East and North Africa region
Follow her on Instagram: @zaiamehdi_/@zainabmehdiwrites_