Press room

Barbican and its Associate Producer Serious today announce a summer of performances as part of their Summer Jazz Series 2025. Across June and July, a handpicked array of jazz superstars and international talent take to the stage at the Barbican. The series concludes with an exclusive three-night residency from the legendary Herbie Hancock.  

• Mon     16 Jun -     Tigran     Hamasyan: The Bird of a Thousand Voices + Alice Zawadzki
• Tue 24 Jun- Brad Mehldau Trio
• Sat 12 Jul - Take Me to the River All-Stars:     Memphis Soul Revue
• Thu 24-     Sat 26 Jul -     Herbie     Hancock 

Full details of all ticketed performances follow below.  

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Tigran Hamasyan: The Bird of a Thousand Voices 

+ Alice Zawadski 

Monday 16 June 2025, 7.30pm 

Barbican Hall 

Tickets from £27.50 plus booking fee 

One of the most remarkable and distinctive jazz-meets-rock artists of his generation, pianist and composer Tigran Hamasyan returns to the Barbican as a quartet performing The Bird of a Thousand Voices (naïve, 2024). 

Inspired by an Armenian folk tale in which a hero travels into unseen realms to find and bring back a mythical bird, The Bird of a Thousand Voices is Hamasyan’s latest conceptual album inspired by the mythical creature whose myriad songs were said to travel the word to spread harmony. This summer, the album will take shape as a one-of-a-kind musical experience with immersive light installation, shadow play, digitally-programmed voices and live music blending improvised jazz and Armenian folklore. 

Hamasyan will be joined by Yessaï Karapetian (keyboards), Marc Karapetian (bass), and Matt Garstka (drums).  

Support for the evening will come from vocalist, violinist, songwriter and composer Alice Zawadszki who has established herself in the peripheries and crossovers of the classical, folk, jazz and art-pop worlds. The award-winning singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer has released three albums of her solo work, the latest her highly lauded Za Górami, released on the iconic ECM Records in 2024. 

Produced by Serious 

Part of the Summer Jazz Series 2025 with Serious 

Find out more 

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Brad Mehldau Trio 

Tuesday 24 June 2025, 7.30pm 

Barbican Hall 

Tickets from £32.50 plus booking fee 

One of the most lyrical and intimate voices of contemporary jazz piano, Brad Mehldau returns to the Barbican as part of its Summer Jazz Series 2025 with the Brad Mehldau Trio of Felix Moseholm (bass) and Jorge Rossy (drums) - the new trio’s debut performance in London. 

Across his career, Mehldau has forged a unique path which embodies the essence of jazz exploration, classical romanticism and pop allure. From critical acclaim as a bandleader to major international exposure in collaborations with Pat Metheny, Renee Fleming, and Joshua Redman, Mehldau continues to garner numerous awards and admiration from both jazz purists and music enthusiasts alike. His forays into melding musical idioms, in both trio and solo settings, has seen brilliant re-workings of songs by contemporary songwriters like The Beatles, Cole Porter, Radiohead, Paul Simon, Gershwin and Nick Drake; alongside the ever-evolving breath of his own significant catalogue of original compositions. With his self-proclaimed affection for popular music and classical training, “Mehldau is the most influential jazz pianist of the last 20 years” (The New York Times). 

Produced by Serious 

Part of the Summer Jazz Series 2025 with Serious 

Find out more 

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 Take Me to the River All-Stars: Memphis Soul Revue 

Saturday 12 July 2025, 7.30pm 

Barbican Hall 

Tickets from £25 plus booking fee 

Following the success of their performance in EFG London Jazz Festival at the Barbican last year, Take Me to the River All-Stars return with Memphis Soul Revue – a celebration of classic Memphis music. 

Memphis Soul Revue is a collection of legendary Memphis musical talents who have created countless classic hits that have stood the test of time. Across the celebration the performance will feature the Queen of Memphis Soul, STAX legend and GRAMMY Nominee Carla Thomas who collaborated with R&B star Otis Redding, the legendary Hi Rhythm Section (the band behind 27 Gold and Platinum Records in a row, including all of Al Green’s classics, along with classics from Ann Peebles, Otis Clay, and many others) along with vocalist Jerome Chism, GRAMMY award-winners Boo Mitchell and Martin Shore. Expect to hear the best of Al Green, BB King, Otis Clay, along with classic songs Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes), B-A-B-Y, and the greatest hits from STAX and Hi Records.  

Co-produced by the Barbican and Serious 

Part of the Summer Jazz Series 2025 with Serious 

Find out more 

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Herbie Hancock 

Thu 24 – Sat 26 July 2025, 8pm 

Barbican Hall 

Tickets from £40 plus booking fee  

GRAMMY award-winning legend Herbie Hancock returns with three exclusive UK shows at the Barbican to celebrate his 85th birthday, over 50 years since his first ever London show.  

Herbie Hancock is a true icon of modern music. Throughout his explorations, he has transcended limitations and genres while maintaining his unmistakable voice. With an illustrious career spanning five decades and 14 GRAMMY Awards, including Album of the Year for River: The Joni Letters, he continues to amaze audiences across the globe. 

There are few artists in the music industry who have had more influence on acoustic and electronic jazz and R&B than Herbie Hancock. As the immortal Miles Davis said in his autobiography, “Herbie was the step after Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, and I haven’t heard anybody yet who has come after him.” 

This exclusive three-night residency at the Barbican will mark 51 years since his first London show and audiences can expect a thrilling journey through over five decades of Herbie Hancock’s pioneering catalogue. 

Presented by Serious and Marshall Arts in association with Barbican 

Part of the Summer Jazz Series 2025 with Serious 

Find out more