Gazelle Twin

Elaine Mitchener is set to be as intense and emotional as it is thought-provoking. I’m interested in the idea that experimental and improvised music reflects movements against political injustice, and this goes in deep. The amazing trumpeter Byron Wallen is part of the lineup – I was astonished to play with him recently during a collaboration at Club Inégales.

Jazz for Toddlers – I’m like a moth to a lamp for these workshops, led by vocalist Juliet Kelly and saxophonist Tony Kofi. My kid loves brass, and I hunger after musical things to take him to that aren’t formal, sit-down concerts, or painful, nursery rhyme-led chaos. There are several sessions to choose from.

Iggy Pop doesn’t really need an explanation or recommendation: one of the greatest of all time, and one who we’re privileged to have championing new British music on BBC 6Music (such as Sleaford Mods, the Comet is Coming, and me). It’s sold out, but get yourself on the waiting list and hope for the best.

• Elaine Mitchener is at Purcell Room, 21 November. Jazz for Toddlers is at Kings Place 23 November, and at Southbank Centre, 15-16 November. Iggy Pop is at Barbican, 21 November. Gazelle Twin + NYX are at Queen Elizabeth Hall, 20 November.

Makaya McCraven

I’m picking two artists with whom I share musical affinities: Kassa Overall, who is also a drummer/producer/bandleader, and Emma-Jean Thackray, a multi-instrumentalist and producer. It’s exciting to see these producers pushing the boundaries of how we create music and bringing that to the live stage.

Kassa is a multidimensional artist, producer and drummer. Rapping, beatboxing or playing, he brings a fresh vibe that crosses the lines of genre and generation. His music is full of surprises and is well versed in hip-hop and jazz that will get your head bobbing and your toes tapping. Drummer-led bands are always cool – if I say so myself! – and I can’t wait to see what he’ll bring.

Emma-Jean creates music in a very contemporary and creative way that utilises the studio almost as another instrument. Her music brings together live instrumentation, looping and slick DJ chops. Her sense of rhythm and texture is great and to hear her tracks come to life in her home town of London will be brilliant.

• Kassa Overall is at Pizza Express Jazz Club, 21 November. Emma-Jean Thackray performs as part of Total Refreshment Centre & Blue Note: Artists and Repertoire at Queen Elizabeth Hall, 15 November, and Terri Lyne Carrington’s Experiments in London, Kings Place, 16 November. Makaya McCraven is at Village Underground, 19 November, and in Soweto Kinch’s The Black Peril, EartH, 22 November.

Cleveland Watkiss

If I had to pick one thing from this year’s lineup, it would be Elaine Mitchener performing Vocal Classics of the Black Avant-Garde. I caught this event at Cafe Oto in Dalston earlier this year, with the same exceptional lineup of Jason Yarde on sax, trumpeter Byron Wallen, pianist Alexander Hawkins, bassist Neil Charles, drummer Mark Sanders and poet Dante Micheaux. Drawing inspiration from important experimental works of Eric Dolphy, Jeanne Lee, Archie Shepp and more, that sonically mirrored the experiences of racial injustice in 1960s and 70s America, Elaine and this great ensemble deliver a global sound, and a call rooted in the now.

• Elaine Mitchener performs is at Purcell Room, 21 November. Cleveland Watkiss is at Queen Elizabeth Hall, 24 November.

Laura Jurd

George Crowley’s distinctive, expressive and gutsy approach to the tenor saxophone makes him one of my absolute favourite saxophonists in the UK today. He brings his amazing energy and musicianship to just about any context, and is at the beating heart of London’s jazz scene. Tirelessly running grassroots gigs for more than a decade, many of George’s nights have provided a platform for some of the most celebrated UK bands today. London’s not short of great saxophonists, but when this guy plays one, I want to hear what he has to say.

• George Crowley is at The Oxford, 18 November. Elliot Galvin and Laura Jurd are at Purcell Room, 22 November.

Marius Neset

Hermeto Pascoal is a fantastic Brazilian musician and composer, a huge inspiration who has created incredible music over the years. I remember the first record I heard of him, in 2003, his 1977 album Slaves Mass . I got so inspired by the harmonies and melodies, and the enormous creativity. I have never heard him live before – a big failing.

Vula Viel are an amazing band with a unique way to groove: I love their album Do Not be Afraid. I used to play a lot with Jim Hart as a vibraphonist, but in this band he is a drummer, and he is amazing. The trio of Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein and Bill Stewart are some of my jazz heroes. Bill Stewart is one of the greatest drummers, with such an incredible sense of time and creativity. The first time I heard Stewart and Goldings was in Michael Brecker and Pat Metheny’s quartet in 2000 – I had never heard anything like it before.

• Hermeto Pascoal is at Ronnie Scott’s 18-19 November. Vula Viel are at Crazy Coqs, 18 November. Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein and Bill Stewart are at 606 Club, 20 November. Marius Neset: Viaduct is Queen Elizabeth Hall, 21 November.

Omar Hakim

My listening habits are very similar to my career as a musician – very eclectic and open. I’m always looking for inspiring music that gets my imagination going and my mind turned on to new and fresh ideas. This year’s festival lineup falls in line with my idea of a fantasy musical adventure made real – I just need an avatar that would allow me to be on stage Saturday night so I can go to the other gigs as well. Tell me about the amazing gigs I missed in the pub after.

Terri Lyne Carrington is one of my favourite drummers. She can play whatever she wants at any moment with total control and effortlessness. And she’s a master at creating a project that frames her musical vision every year. Herbie Hancock is one of my all-time musical heroes. I toured with him and Wayne Shorter in the 90s – he and Wayne had shaped my musical world years before I met them. How many artists can claim to have created music that was the beacon and compass for bebop, soul/funk, fusion, pop, hip-hop and modern jazz? I still put on the Thrust album; I never get tired of hearing the moody elegance of Butterfly or the hyper-jazz funk of Actual Proof.

• Terri Lyne Carrington is at Kings Place, 16 November. Herbie Hancock is at Barbican, 17 November. Omar Hakim performs as part of Ozmosys at Queen Elizabeth Hall, 16 November.