Schedule

Since 1977, Estival is a summer jazz festival in Switzerland, Lugano. Estival offers a thrilling and particularly surprising line-up that explores the rich world of contemporary music whilst promoting the understanding of different cultures, tolerance, and co-existence. The composer, trumpeter and bugle player Franco Ambrosetti performs with his quintet in his native Lugano as part of the Estival.

Aki Rissanen's interest in jazz came after he started taking classical piano lessons. His deep interest in improvised music placed him among top jazz pianist in his home country - Finland. While composing and performing his own music, Rissanen has also collaborated with Verneri Pohjola and Dave Liebman, and today his name appears among the top European jazz musicians. Live from 'Jazzclub Unterfahrt' in Munich, Germany, together with Antti Lotjonen on bass and Teppo Makynen on drums, Rissanen showcases the best of Scandinavian jazz and its DNA - the Nordic Tone.

This selection of unforgettable performances by some of the most iconic and influential jazz guitarists in history showcases these legends’ unique essence. Revel in Wes Montgomery’s virtuosity as he performs the captivating “Nica's Dream” in Holland in 1965, and delight in the expressive beauty of his rendition of “Here's That Rainy Day”, recorded in London in that same year. Experience the timeless appeal of Joe Pass's “You Stepped Out of a Dream” and “You Turned The Tables on Me”, recorded live in Hanover in 1975. The interplay between Jim Hall and Atilla Zoller borders on the impossible as they perform “Extensions” in Hanover in 1973. Enjoy Jim Hall's lyrical solo performance of “I'm Getting Sentimental Over You” from 1964. Witness Sonny Sharrock’s avant-garde fusion of jazz and rock in an exhilarating performance of “Peanut", recorded live in France in 1970. Sharrock is joined by flutist Herbie Mann in a soulful performance of “Memphis Underground” from 1969. Immerse yourself in the magic of jazz guitar!

Vocalist Jazzmeia Horn’s 2019 Malta Jazz Festival appearance was a celebration of jazz’s future, infused with the soul of its past. Featuring Keith Brown (piano), Rashaan Carter (bass), Irwin Hall (flute and saxophone), and Anwar Marshall (drums), the young singer’s performance was a reminder of jazz’s enduring power to speak to the heart. Situated at the Valletta waterfront outside Our Lady of Liesse Church, Horn’s concert was a truly spellbinding experience.

In 2019, the vibrant city of Sofia, Bulgaria, hosted the International A to JazZ Festival. Among the featured acts was the trailblazing jazz trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah. This genre-defying artist captivated the audience with his eclectic “stretch music”; an approach that incorporates hip-hop and reaches back through the American canon into African percussion and its rich melodic content. Trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah’s quintet, which includes drummer Corey Fonville, percussionist Weedie Braimah, pianist Lawrence Fields, and bass guitarist Max Mucha, delivered a performance that defied boundaries and expectations.

On October 19, 2021, John Patitucci (bass), Marco Pignataro (sax and musical director), and Joe Lovano (sax) showcased inspirational new originals at GBH's Fraser Performance Studio in Boston, MA, accompanied by Terri Lyne Carrington (drums), Nadia Washington (vocals), Chico Pinheiro (guitar), and Anastassiya Petrova (piano). This recording, titled 'Tällberg’s Jazz for the Planet', was made in support of the Tällberg Foundation’s message and aims to inspire positive climate action. Since 1981, the Tällberg Foundation has been trying to nurture new thinking, in part by looking at societal challenges through the lenses of artists.

Georgie Fame, known for "Yeh, Yeh" and "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde" makes a triumphant comeback with The Blue Flames. Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames was a popular band in the UK in the '60s, celebrated for its R&B, soul, jazz, ska, and pop sounds. The training was largely inspired by ska, a popular musical style in Jamaican cafes in London at the time. It was the song "Green Onions" from the Booker T & The MG that inspired Georgie to incorporate the Hammond organ into her compositions. This performance by Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames is brimming with blues and soulful sounds that will delight the group's old and new fans.

Charles Mingus showcases an exceptional concert performed in April 1965 featuring his most celebrated lineup: Jaki Byard (piano), Dannie Richmond (drums), Johnny Coles (trumpet), Clifford Jordan (tenor sax) and the great Eric Dolphy (alto sax, flute and bass clarinet). Recorded within an eight-day span, less than three months before Dolphy's death, the three concerts showcase Mingus's visionary leadership and the band's incredible depth and diversity with unique performances and arrangements of classics including ‘So Long Eric’ and the groundbreaking ‘Meditations On Integration’.

By the time this set was recorded at Brussels Jazz Club in the summer of 1980, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard had already built an impressive resume. During the 1960s he became a leading voice in the hard bop movement while not shying away from avant-garde sessions with the likes of John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy. In the 1970s, Hubbard expanded his palette by recording in more diverse settings that included electric instruments and orchestral arrangements. On this club date, Hubbard showcases all of the experience he had accumulated up to this point. The working group consists includes David Schnitter on tenor saxophone, Billy Childs on keyboards, Larry Klein on bass, and Sinclair Lott on drums. Watch as the quintet deftly switches between acoustic and electric instruments and Hubbard entertains the crowd with his onstage antics.

Pierre Courbois has been one of Europe’s leading jazz musicians since the mid-sixties. This concert, recorded at the renowned Amsterdam jazz club Bimhuis, sees the drummer playing with his QWINTETT. On the occasion of his 75th birthday in 2015, Courbois hit the road for the Pierre Courbois 75 Years Anniversary Tour. The PC QWINTETT consists of several highly acclaimed Dutch jazz musicians with whom Courbois has worked before in his long and versatile career. Among them are pianist Nike Langenhuijsen, double bassist Egon Kracht, trumpeter Toon de Gouw, and trombonist Ilja Reijngoud. QWINTETT honours the Charles Mingus tradition of thematic and melodic ensemble jazz - but also with an unmistakable Courbois groove! Courbois, known for his own way of combining compositions with improvisations, melodically melts constructions with uneven breaks.

Estival Jazz Lugano is an annual open-air music festival that takes place over five days at the picturesque city of Lugano, Switzerland. Since 1979, this musical Mecca has been a must-attend event for all jazz and world music fans worldwide. On July 3, 1985, pianist and space-faring jazz icon Sun Ra and his Arkestra crash-landed at Estival Jazz Lugano. Featuring saxophonists Marshall Allen, John Gilmore and Danny Ray Thompson, clarinetist Eloe Omoe, flautist James Jackson, trombonist Tyrone Hill and a cavalcade of other costumed talents, Sun Ra puts on a truly out-of-this-world concert.

Legendary Cuban pianist Chucho Valdés brought his band ‘Jazz Batá 2’ to the Malta Jazz Festival on July 19, 2019. The air was thick with anticipation as Valdés took to the stage, revisiting the small-group concept of his mythical 1972 Cuban album ‘Jazz Batá’. The batá repertoire – the deep classical music of West Africa – permeates Valdés’ piano solos throughout the concert. Valdés’s band consists of Dreiser Durruthy (Batas and vocals), Yaroldy Abreu (percussions and vocals), Abraham Mansfarroll (percussion), Ramón Vazquez Martirena-Bajo (bass guitar). They delivered a performance that reverberated through the historic island.

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 1979, American singer Ella Fitzgerald gave an unforgettable performance at the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague. Fitzgerald, who was noted for her purity of tone, phrasing, "horn-like" improvisational ability and tremendous work ethic, had recorded a live album with the Count Basie Orchestra at the Montreux Jazz Festival the night before. On the program are a number of songs she rarely performed, such as Make Me Rainbows, Some Other Spring, Dindi, and Theme from Love Boat.

Since 1960, the legendary saxophonist Charles Lloyd has lent his adventurous, lyrical sound to collaborations with likes of Cannonball Adderley, Keith Jarrett and The Beach Boys. His early and highly successful experiments blending jazz and rock music charted a path that led to the electric fusion of Miles Davis and The Headhunters, while his exploration of spirituality and transcendental meditation added a new depth to his sound. Lloyd moves from hard swing to subtle ballads, blending gorgeous textures and Eastern influences. This 1966 recording features Lloyd’s quartet, accompanied by Keith Jarrett (piano), Cecil McBee (double bass) and Jack DeJohnette (drums), playing some of Lloyd’s own compositions.

The mere mention of the name John Coltrane evokes a deeply emotional, often spiritual response from even the most casual jazz fan. Dexter Gordon was a fantastic saxophonist. Miles Davis was a genius. Coltrane stood above - he was a visionary, a saint-like figure. By the standards of most jazz musicians, his life was uneventful. Sure, he had a heroin habit for a while, and Miles Davis punched him, but once he'd experienced the “spiritual awakening” described in the liner notes of his 1965 album A Love Supreme, he dedicated himself to his music with extreme single-mindedness. This broadcast of Coltrane's 1965 performance at the short-lived Belgian jazz festival in Comblain-la-Tour features Trane's classic quartet with Elvin Jones (drums), Jimmy Garrison (bass) and McCoy Tyner (piano).

One vocalist from Paris and the other from Bern, and two contrasting personalities. Brought together by a chance encounter in 2014, the two singers were surprised to discover how much they had in common: they both do more than just sing well. Leïla Martial and Andreas Schaerer intend to explore and experiment, stretching their vocal boundaries. From the deepest abyss to the most exquisite tones the human voice can produce, they leave no stone unturned in their quest to express themselves, each in their own individual way and always with a generous dose of humour and zest.

The Da Pá Virada Sessions series presents the best musicians of contemporary Brazilian jazz, and beyond. Filmed in São Paulo, each session offers a unique experience by giving a fresh look into Brazil's music scene. The artists for each session are selected in consultation with Stingray DJAZZ's music editor. One of the bands taking part in this series is the ensemble Samba das Flores, which dedicates itself to exploring the world's different rhythms, thus keeping the Brazilian heritage alive. The individual voices of the ensemble members color Samba das Flores's unique sound. Let Brazilian culture and global rhythms inspire you during this Samba das Flores performance!

The UK based band Metronomy started out as a bedroom project by Joseph Mount, who during its early stages was the sole contributor to the band's repertoire. After the debut release, Mount started expanding the band's personnel: first by adding two members, and later increasing it by one more. Metronomy's critical acclaim comes from frenetically hybrid indie pop style knitted together with trademark electronic sounds inspired by Mount's favorite acts, namely Autechre and Funkstorung. Here Metronomy performs at Beck's Festival Bar, in Sydney, Australia, on January 15, 2009.

Unlike many of his fellow jazz cats, vocalist Gregory Porter transcends the jazz bubble. After sustaining a shoulder injury, this former American football player turned to jazz singing. He was discovered in a Californian jazz club by pianist, saxophonist and composer Kamau Kenyatta. Porter lent his vocal skills to gospel choirs across the country and a string of successful musicals before turning his talent to his own compositions. His rise since then has been meteoric. Porter’s magnificent, burnished baritone can sink into a lyric with luxurious ease, the melody gently sculpted into new shapes at every turn, with the rhythm tugging subtly back and forth across the bar line. This live performance at the Olympia showcases this man's worth, and is a truly amazing experience!

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 1980, American soul legend Ray Charles brought the Raelettes and the Ray Charles Orchestra to the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague. With the full force of these two groups behind him, Charles showed why throughout his storied career he has been viewed as one of the most recognizable voices in music.

When Daryl Hall and John Oates took to the stage at Sydney’s Entertainment Centre as the iconic bass line of ‘Maneater’ began to play, the fans knew they were in for a treat. This duo may have been opening concerts with that irresistibly smooth number for years, but it never seems to lose its magic, and the crowd – an eclectic mix of teens and baby boomers alike – lapped it up. Daryl Hall and John Oates wisely reunited a few years ago after a string of solo projects, and although Oates no longer sports his signature ‘tache, they put on the kind of show that makes it hard to believe they even considered going their separate ways. Earworms like ‘I Can’t Go For That’, ‘Out Of Touch’ and ‘Kiss On My List’ were surefire reminders that these guys are absolute hit machines, and their catchy synth-soul classics probably deserve to permeate the airwaves as much today as they did decades ago. These Philly crooners still have it in bucket-loads, so this show should have everyone from diehard Daryl Hall and John Oates fans to kids of the 80's groovin’ along in no time.

Moondog, a gaunt, mysterious and extravagantly-garbed blind street musician was celebrated among New Yorkers for two decades before gaining acclaim in Europe as an avant-garde composer conducting orchestras before royalty. Artists such as Charlie Parker, Leonard Bernstein, Steve Reich and Philip Glass have called him one of the great musical visionaries of our century. Day in and day out, the man whose real name is Louis T. Hardin, was as taciturn and unchanging a landmark of the midtown Manhattan streetscape as the George M. Cohan statue in Duffy Square. No matter the weather, he invariably dressed in a homemade robe, sandals, a flowing cape, and a horned Viking helmet - the tangible expression of what he referred to as his “Nordic philosophy”. For this show, he teams up with renowned saxophone ensemble London Saxophonic for an eccentric performance.

Innovative contemporary jazz and improvised music, the search for modernity, mind blowing sounds, rock and pop… Indeed PARADOX Tilburg goes beyond jazz, crossing musical boundaries into the unknown soundscapes of electronic music. Indie artists, blues veterans and jazz superstars all pour their hearts and souls at the Paradox. From young, local talents to top national and international artists, PARADOX Tilburg is the most intimate jazz club in the Netherlands, with a devoted audience from all across Europe. In their TV show PARADOX LIVE you get a taste of the greatest concerts and interviews with artists from all around the world. This episode of PARADOX LIVE presents the Tilburg based Bertus Borgers and his Young Retro's!