David Kayode and Marlon The Pannist

EFG London Jazz Festival: Take Five Showcase

A double-bill performance featuring Take Five alumni David Kayode and Marlon The Pannist Hibbert.

Emerging as one of the most distinctive new voices in UK jazz, David Kayode is a London-based saxophonist, composer and bandleader rooted in Yoruba tradition, Afro-diasporic rhythm and contemporary jazz. His music fuses carnival energy, spiritual depth and modern improvisation into a sound that is both unmistakably London and globally connected.

Shaped by creative work across Belgium, Ghana and the UK, Kayode's music explores themes of ancestry, migration and cultural continuity - positioning him among a new generation of artists redefining what UK jazz can sound and feel like. Known for commanding, groove-driven live performances that centre rhythm, movement and collective energy, he is steadily establishing himself as a compelling bandleader within the contemporary scene.

Marlon Hibbert is a leading voice in contemporary steelpan performance, blending jazz, calypso, and modern fusion. An award-winning steelpan musician, composer, arranger, and educator from South East London, he is the founder of the Endurance Steel Orchestra. A Guildhall School of Music & Drama alumnus, he made history there as the first musician to graduate performing on steelpan. In 2026, he took part in Serious’ prestigious Take Five programme, further establishing his emergence as a solo artist with a jazz-led sound shaped by calypso, modern fusion, and Caribbean heritage.