How a tiny church night became one of London's most influential music institutions
Church of Sound has become a major destination for London's jazz fanatics
This November, Church of Sound, a pioneering grassroots jazz night, will step out of its usual home at St James the Great church in Clapton to take over Barbican Hall for a celebration of the night’s 10th anniversary.
On Friday 20th November, as part of the prestigious EFG London Jazz Festival, a specially assembled band led by trumpeter and musical director Byron Wallen will celebrate the impact of UK jazz of the 60s and 70s, while also showcasing the scene of today. The band will feature contemporary figures such as saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi, guitarist Oscar Jerome, saxophonist and flautist Tamar Osborn, singer Norma Winstone and drummer Jas Kayser among others.
Byron Wallen bursts with enthusiasm as he discusses plans for the anniversary gig.
“It's about honouring a specific period but also showing the movement forward from there," he tells Shortlist.
"It represents various aspects of the music community, from the more improvised free scene to the groove scene, which in some ways are polar opposites but are actually quite united.
"It will explore the legacy of British jazz, which is inspired by American jazz but came up with a sound of its own. From there it will show how the current musicians and younger musicians are working today”.
At the inception of the night, founders Lex Blondin of legendary studio and cultural space Total Refreshment Centre and multi-instrumentalist Spencer Martin couldn’t have predicted where their project would take them, or that they’d be celebrating this anniversary at the Barbican.
Establishing the night and in fact finding a suitable venue was a challenge from the get-go, as Martin recalls.
"We considered doing a show at one church, but we could never quite convince them to get on board, so after about six months we gave up," he says.
"They then directed us to St James the Great, to the reverend there, Rosemarie Mallett who was Area Dean of Hackney at the time – a charismatic, relaxed and convivial woman. What had felt like an impossible task at the first church suddenly wasn't. We turned up at St James and she basically said, 'When's the first date? Let's go.'"
A unique format
One of the hallmarks of Church of Sound since its inception has been its format. The band on the night plays twice – first performing a ‘song book’ set where they honour a particular artist, period or influence and the second being a showcase of their own music. One particularly notable show saw Ezra Collective pay tribute to the legendary afro-beat originator Fela Kuti.
For Blondin, the format has always been central to what is special about Church of Sound.
“The songbook thing started when we launched. It was an incredible time for the scene and a lot of the artists like Shabaka [Hutchings] were hanging around at Total Refreshment Centre," he recalls.
"I realised at one of Spencer’s nights that [drummer and band leader] Yussef Dayes sounds like Idris Muhammad. I mentioned it to him and the songbook idea germinated from there. I’m a big fan of all this music, but I’d rarely experienced it live because many of the artists had passed away or it was just a personal listening experience. Being able to translate that into the live realm and share it with 400 people in a beautiful way, set the tone going forward."
The founders wanted the night to be a celebration of musical history, but also crucially a forward-looking event that gave space for innovation that is happening now.
As Martin puts it – “It was a really natural and useful way of contextualising music that was happening now, and placing it in a certain lineage, recognising similarities and things that have been inherited. It's nice to pay tribute, but also to use that tribute as a way of showcasing the new music as well. It also allowed us to naturally split things into two sets, which turned out to be a huge part of Church of Sound."
New blood, new sounds
At the heart of the night’s ethos is fostering talent and supporting the jazz scene here in London, to help it continue going from strength to strength — Wallen is unequivocal when talking about the event’s role for the music.
“One of the interesting things about Church of Sound is the building of the community," he says.
"As an artist working there, you're bringing in all facets of the community and especially music that is marginalised. To see that vibrancy of it and young people coming out who haven't necessarily been versed in jazz is incredible. They want to come because they know something special is going to happen and they trust that the music they hear is going to be great. As an artist coming into that situation is a real blessing”.
The list of artists who have played at Church of Sound reads like a who’s who of contemporary UK jazz from the aforementioned Ezra Collective and Shabaka to Moses Boyd, Emma-Jean Thackray and many more.
Blondin and Martin have also managed to bring in many international musicians too, including the late great Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen and legendary saxophonist Gary Bartz. A “pinch me” moment as Lex puts it, came when they booked The Cookers – an extraordinary American jazz super group featuring legends such as saxophonist Donald Harrison and Eddie Henderson on trumpet.
There are huge plans for the future of Church of Sound as it continues to be a significant cultural showcase for London’s jazz scene. As an event that has always celebrated lineage and history while looking to the future, it can now have a moment to reflect on its own history and contribution.
- The ‘Church of Sound 10th Birthday/ British Jazz Songbook’ show comes to the Barbican on 20 November 2026. It is part of the EFG London Jazz Festival.
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