Seb Rochford
Seb Rochford
Sun 23 November 2025
Stage time / 7:30pm
Doors / 7:00pm
Celebrating the Jazz Clubs
Take Five Alumni
A Jazz in the Round Sunday special for EFG London Jazz Festival, featuring a headline set from Seb Rochford's new band, and an EMERGENCE act to be announced soon.
Sebastian Rochford is the extraordinary, imaginative and adventurous composer, songwriter, producer and instrumentalist who, with his multi-genre output and the help of some key collaborators, has turned British jazz on its head.
In 2003, Sebastian formed Polar Bear – a contemporary jazz group that, over the next decade, helped define a new era in British music. Their sound was bold, open-hearted, and influential, earning two Mercury Prize nominations and widespread acclaim. Since then, Seb’s distinctive voice has been heard across a broad spectrum of music, collaborating with artists including Patti Smith, Damon Albarn, Grace Jones and Brian Eno.
This year he returns as a bandleader with Finding Ways, layering up to three guitars at a time around his drums and bass, the album featuring ten different guitarists. He’s joined by a remarkable set of collaborators and guests including – Tara Cunningham, David Preston, Simon Tong, Leo Abrahams, Matt Hurley, Adrian Utley, John Parish, Seye Adelekan, Anders Christensen and Ruth Goller – each adding something unmistakably their own and it’s this space they’re given to be themselves that defines the sound.
This is honest music-making. Nothing is forced. Nothing boxed in. Finding Ways. That’s what Seb is doing—musically, emotionally, personally.
‘The Finding Ways music is about Finding Ways to keep positive and navigate the world around us’.
For a one-off Sunday special, Jazz In The Round closes off EFG London Jazz Festival 2025 with a set from Finding Ways, with an opening set from our EMERGENCE act, to be announced soon.
Sebastian Rochford is the extraordinary, imaginative and adventurous composer, songwriter, producer and instrumentalist who, with his multi-genre output and the help of some key collaborators, has turned British jazz on its head.
In 2003, Sebastian formed Polar Bear – a contemporary jazz group that, over the next decade, helped define a new era in British music. Their sound was bold, open-hearted, and influential, earning two Mercury Prize nominations and widespread acclaim. Since then, Seb’s distinctive voice has been heard across a broad spectrum of music, collaborating with artists including Patti Smith, Damon Albarn, Grace Jones and Brian Eno.
This year he returns as a bandleader with Finding Ways, layering up to three guitars at a time around his drums and bass, the album featuring ten different guitarists. He’s joined by a remarkable set of collaborators and guests including – Tara Cunningham, David Preston, Simon Tong, Leo Abrahams, Matt Hurley, Adrian Utley, John Parish, Seye Adelekan, Anders Christensen and Ruth Goller – each adding something unmistakably their own and it’s this space they’re given to be themselves that defines the sound.
This is honest music-making. Nothing is forced. Nothing boxed in. Finding Ways. That’s what Seb is doing—musically, emotionally, personally.
‘The Finding Ways music is about Finding Ways to keep positive and navigate the world around us’.
For a one-off Sunday special, Jazz In The Round closes off EFG London Jazz Festival 2025 with a set from Finding Ways, with an opening set from our EMERGENCE act, to be announced soon.
“As well as being a phenomenal drummer Seb Rochford has long been one of the most interesting minds in UK Jazz. His early 21st Century band Polar Bear was catalytic in modern European jazz. Now he has a new project, called Finding Ways, which sees him layering multiple guitars over a firing section of bass and drum rhythms. This is the launch party for that new band and promises to be an electric night in this wonderful intimate in-the-round venue.”
Jez Nelson, Jazz Fm Recommended 2025
