Doors 7:45pm, Music 8:30pm

Following the first live recording session of  ORBIT: On the Wings of Freedom in November 2024, tap dancer and bandleader Petra Haller returns to the Vortex Jazz Club with the second chapter: ORBIT: The Fierce Urgency of Now. Taking place on May 13th, this concert will once again be recorded live, contributing to an upcoming album set for release in late 2025 or early 2026.

The recording continues Haller’s fearless journey into collective improvisation—where rhythm, movement, music, and poetry collide in a space that is spontaneous, raw, and unrepeatable.

Petra Haller is a leading force in using tap dance as a percussive voice within contemporary jazz and improvised music. She dissolves the line between dancer and musician, placing tap at the centre of the ensemble as a driving rhythmic instrument. With a background spanning traditional jazz, avant-garde, improvisation, and interdisciplinary performance, she has worked with major figures across the UK and Europe. 

She is joined once again by the formidable Jeffrey Durrant, one of the most captivating voices in the UK’s improvised music scene. Known for his ability to create meaning in the moment, Durrant’s spoken word performances are fluid, urgent, and deeply responsive to his surroundings. Whether appearing at the Vortex or on international stages like the Gibraltar World Music Festival, his voice functions as both narrative and instrument—intertwining with sound in an ever-evolving dialogue.

For this session, they are joined by two extraordinary improvisers: John Bisset on lap steel guitar and Julia Brüssel on violin.

John Bisset is a London-based musician and visual artist whose work ranges from songmaking to free improvisation. Known for his unconventional approach to the lap steel guitar—using preparations and extended techniques—Bisset creates textural, abstract soundscapes that dissolve the boundary between instrument and atmosphere. His collaborations include projects with Jim Finer, Alex Ward, Burkhard Beins, and Ivor Kallin, and his curatorial work includes the legendary 2.13 Club and The Pool.

Julia Brüssel, a violinist, improviser, and composer, brings a rich palette of influences to the group, from jazz and classical to electronic and folklore traditions. A key figure in ensembles like Liasemble, Hilde, and the Ghanaian band Okailey, she is known for her striking ability to blend tradition with experimentation. Brüssel’s deep connection to texture and form makes her a natural fit for ORBIT’s evolving sound world