Singer Eska Mtungwazi has been added to the Whirlwind Festival as a guest with Robert Mitchell in a concert featuring music from the pianist’s recent left hand-only album The Glimpse. It’s part of a double bill which includes a performance by guitarist Romain Pilon a launch for his new album Colorfield. Eska, a singer’s singer with an extraordinary technique and natural improvisational sense, is best known for her work with The Invisible and Matthew Herbert.

New York-based trumpeter/trombonist and singer Nick Vayenas has also been added to the festival line-up, co-leading a quintet with saxophonist Alex Garnett.

Also to appear, as previously reported, are Partikel trio, the Sam Crowe Group, Gareth Lockrane’s Grooveyard Unplugged, and the Ollie Howell Quintet, the latter launching their album Sutures & Stitches.

Programmed by Whirlwind Recordings, the independent jazz label founded in 2010 by bassist Michael Janisch, and staged at Kings Place in London, alto saxophonist Rachael Cohen, a new signing to the label, will also launch her debut Halftime during the festival, which runs from 10-12 October.

The Whirlwind Quartet, Konrad Wiszniewski and Euan Stevenson’s New Focus, Phil Robson’s IMS Quintet, Jazz For Babies, Patrick Cornelius, Jim Hart’s Cloudmakers trio, Zhenya Strigalev’s Smiling Organizm Quartet, Andre Canniere Group, the Aruan Ortiz and Michael Janisch Quintet featuring Greg Osby, Mike Gibbs, and Nia Lynn’s Bannau Trio plus Norma Winstone are also included in the line-up.

Full details and tickets from www.kingsplace.co.uk

ESKA pictured