Matt Carmichael: Live at Kings Place
The stage at London’s Kings Place was teeming with titans of the finest British jazz when Matt Carmichael met Callum Au and the Kings Place Jazz Orchestra.
Matt and Callum were joined by some of the most exciting players around, including the delightfully understated Dom Ingham on violin and the stunning Fergus McCreadie on piano, who I last saw with his trio in Cambridge.
This was a show of two halves, with KPJO setting off by roasting through Bandwagon Blues, introducing us to many of the key soloists. A swinging ballad was up next, with trombonist Daniel Hyam taking on Count Basie’s I Can’t Stop Loving You, followed by an Ellington moment with Mood Indigo and Cottontail.
Callum Au’s arrangements and originals fill the stage and he really is an extraordinary band leader as well as a world-class trombonist. The interval beckoned with Galt’s Motor, taken from Callum’s latest album - Sing Seven Seas.
As promised, the second set brought a new tone, as Ingham’s violin joined the big band setting and Matt Carmichael took the solo spot. Playing some compositions from his forthcoming album - Held in the Dark - and some from earlier work, there were some simply lovely juxtapositions between the small and large ensembles. Matt’s arrangement add a different flavour that combines huge chords and ensemble sections with gorgeously understated wind backings.
Prayer, Red Sky and Flood Lines, all tracks from Held in the Dark, brought the music into a different context with the extraordinary musicians of KPJO. All of Matt’s compositions transported the audience from central London to a wild Scottish landscape, demonstrating his skill as composer, arranger and, as always, a phenomenal sax player.
I interviewed Matt for Harmonious World in August 2026 and Kings Place jazz programmer Hannah Hutton in September 2026. When this brilliant concert finished with Callum’s Swipe Right, it proved exactly what a brilliant writer he is, and Matt’s solo concluded a wonderful performance with aplomb and style.
The afternoon began with the third KPJO Young Artist Platform performance with the Casey Whyte Quartet of Casey Whyte (violin), John Haslam (piano), Herbie Rees (bass) and Cian Burton (drums). Find out more about the vast array of live music to discover at Kings Place
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