Schedule

Biréli Lagrène is a French jazz guitarist born on September 4, 1966 in a family of gypsy tradition. His brother and his father introduced him from an early age to the repertoire of Django Reinhardt, whose influence is still felt in the style of Lagrène. In this performance, Lagrène pays homage to Django Reinhardt with his son, Babik Reinhardt.

Although its music might sound like the soundtrack of any 1970s American car chase movie, the band Sven Hammond Soul is from the Netherlands. This steaming soul machine is headed by Sven Figee, who prefers to attack rather than play his Hammond organ. In April 2012, the band was augmented with vocalist Jenny Lane. Today’s recordings were made at a steaming live performance at Utrecht’s Tivoli in 2012.

Legendary performer Tony Bennett made his debut appearance at London's iTunes Fest at the Roundhouse and this stellar performance features the multi-Grammy award winner performing his biggest hits, among them, "The Best Is Yet To Come," "Fly Me to the Moon," and his signature song "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."

Two top-tier Belgian musicians – guitarist Philip Catherine and bassist Jean-Louis Rassinfosse – accompany American jazz trumpeter and vocalist Chet Baker during this 1985 performance at the beautiful Brussels Jazz Club, located on the Grand-Place, the Belgian capital’s central square. The trio plays Charlie Mariano’s “Crystal Bells”, the title track of their acclaimed 1983 album. Other songs played during this legendary concert include “Down” and “How Deep is the Ocean”.

The Dutch world-class jazz pianist Peter Beets has shared the stage with jazz greats like Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis, “Toots” Thielemans, Elvin Jones, George Coleman, Johnny Griffin, Benny Golson and John Clayton. From birth, Beets was surrounded by music: he heard classical music from his mother, who is a music pedagogue, and he heard jazz from his father, who has a great fan of Oscar Peterson and Art Blakey. Although Beets’ parents originally did not associate the word “musician” with the word “career”, music is definitely in the family’s blood. At this concert at the Kurhaus in Scheveningen, the Netherlands, Peter Beets teams up with the world-famous guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel. With a career spanning almost twenty-five years and including collaborating with dynamic peers like Brad Mehldau, Brian Blade, Mark Turner, Joshua Redman, Chris Potter, as well as esteemed jazz legends like Joe Henderson, Paul Motian and Gary Burton, Rosenwinkel’s indelible mark in music is the consummation of being steeped in the rich and deep traditions of jazz, springing off of the shoulders of such vital underpinnings to elevate his own art to new heights, evolving the language in a way no other guitarist has since his arrival. This collaboration between Beets and Rosenwinkel guarantees brilliant music.

The North Sea Jazz Festival is the largest indoor music festival in the world, known globally as the event where the past, present and future of jazz are featured within three days. Next to a firm base of jazz as the festival’s staple music genre, many others, such as blues, soul, funk, or hip hop, pass by. In 1982, legendary swing band leader jazz clarinettist Benny Goodman performed two sets with his septet at the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague. True to form, with his concert the 'King of Swing' revisited the atmosphere of the swing era – the 1930s – when jazz enjoyed tremendous popularity. Goodman's septet includes Scott Hamilton (tenor saxophone), John Bunch (piano), Phil Flanigan (double bass), Mel Lewis (drums), Warren Vaché (trumpet), and Chris Flory (guitar). Here is the first of two sets recorded at the festival in 1982.

'Münchner Klaviersommer' was an annual concerts series that took place from 1981 to 1998 in Munich, Germany. Although the festival's name suggests a strong focus on piano music, it featured countless famous musicians from jazz and classical music – not just pianists. The concerts were usually held in July at The Gasteig, home of the Munich Philharmonic. In 1988, vocalist Bobby McFerrin appeared at the festival. Known for his incredible vocal technique and unique approach to singing, McFerrin performed an unforgettable solo concert.