Queer Jazz: Reinel Bakole w/HANAH (Support)

Queer Jazz exists to platform, nurture and celebrate the emerging queer jazz scene. Programmed by Tina Edwards and Arowah, they have put together an exciting monthly programme of innovative LGBTQI+ artists at The Vortex Jazz Club, supported by Arts Council England.

Tickets are flexibly priced – please select the pricing tier that reflects your situation. We want as many people as possible to access the gigs so if you’re able to, please consider paying for the highest ticket band, otherwise cheaper tickets will be limited and available on first-come first-serve basis

Reinel Bakole

At 27, Reinel Bakole is becoming a defining voice in the avant-garde soul scene. In 2024, she made her mark with the release of her debut album Healing Exhaustion, receiving widespread acclaim through powerful performances across Paris, Brussels, London, Luxembourg, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, and major festivals such as Dour and Gent Jazz. Her year of sold-out shows and international appearances culminated in a prestigious residency with her band at the Montreux Jazz Festival. During her When The Waters Are Strong, You Must Drown tour, Reinel unveiled a new layer of her album, expressed through movement and exploration. Sometimes accompanied by performers, she offered performances that immerse audiences, delving into the forces that drive us, the extremes that both unite and isolate. Reinel merges poetry and physical expression in a narrative that is mysterious, bittersweet, and intense.

As she celebrates the first anniversary of Healing Exhaustion, Reinel reflects on a year marked by unforgettable encounters and milestones. To commemorate this journey, she has released aspecial limited edition pack featuring two LPs, a poster, and an exclusive eight-page booklet offering a glimpse into her inner world. This release serves as a tribute to the community, vulnerability, and relentless passion that have shaped both the album and her artistic evolution.

After an introspective start to the year, Reinel Bakole has just returned from Brazil, where she spent a month and a half not only making her debut on stages in Rio de Janeiro – with a headline performance at Audio Rebel – and in São Paulo, opening for rising artist Bruno Berle, but also immersing herself in writing. This creative journey gave birth to new material with distinctive sonic textures, blending Brazilian influences and collaborations with Brussels-based musicians. Having not released new music since Healing Exhaustion, Reinel Bakole is now preparing her return, with a new single set for release in June. 
HANAH

HANAH is a producer and singer currently based in London, who has spent the best part of a decade developing an utterly distinctive sonic sensibility, merging intimate-sounding loops with her euphonious vocals.

HANAH’s most recent EP ‘Colours of Now & Then’ was recorded at XL Recordings last summer and released on Saffron Records. In the face of the EP’s gravity-defying sound design, which depicts the void of grief with bracing viscerality, HANAH’s voice offers a beacon, a way forward, reminiscent of Eartheater. HANAH will be releasing new music in 2025, her third self-produced EP will follow suit this year.

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