There’s a jam session explosion at the moment with recently launched sessions at Charlie Wright’s, run by the Jazz Warriors, Hannes Riepler downstairs at the Vortex, and the continuing vibrant scene both upstairs at Ronnie Scott’s and downstairs there with the laidback Late Late Show programming. Across Soho at Pizza Express Jazz Club the Whirlwind Sessions is the latest to add to the London scene’s resurgent fecundity, and Friday 8 March from 11.30pm-3am sees the first of the Michael Janisch-helmed label sessions. It’s free to get in, and double bassist Janisch, with saxophonist Zhenya Strigalev, who used to host nights and jam at Charlie Wright’s, in association with Maggie Black Productions, have set up the jam session with a Whirlwind artist leading each running, choosing the format, either quartet or quintet, and then opening the bandstand up for invited guests later. The 8 March jam has Janisch and Strigalev, plus Partisans guitarist Phil Robson (just in action this past weekend with the Hans Koller Ensemble), and Robson’s Partisans bandmate Gene Calderazzo on drums. SG  

The wind’s whipping up: Michael Janisch top