Schedule

Visions of Music - World Jazz invites the viewer on a journey to the roots of music, introducing the enormous impact that traditional music from around the world has had on contemporary jazz. This program features legendary musicians such as BB King, Dino Saluzzi, Tito Puente, Carlos Santana, Zawinul Joe, Manu Dibango, Abdullah Ibrahim, as well as new generation representatives such as Nicholas Payton, Cyro Baptista, and Don Byron. This episode of the Visions of Music series is about trumpet player Nicholas Payton, a dynamic performer who plays acoustic jazz and post-bop and enjoys going beyond the boundaries of traditional jazz. Considered by many to be one of the greatest artists of our time, Payton believes that the term "jazz" is old-fashioned and prefers to call it "Black American Music" (BAM). BAM combines spirituals, gospel, blues, jazz, and soul.

Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk... these names are synonymous with the great Jazz Age. But how many people know Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, to whom we owe the recorded memory of our Jazz legends? Two German Jews who emigrated from Nazi Germany to New York "discovered" an American art form which at the time received little serious attention from mainstream America: Jazz Music. Without money or connections and speaking little English, the two men began to record practically unknown musicians, following their own taste and judgment. Today this list of artists reads like the Who-is-Who of Jazz. "Blue Note - A Story of Modern Jazz" tells the story of Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff and their record label. It is the story of the rise of Modern Jazz, of a friendship in exile and of uncompromising artistic excellence. Told by the musicians, by friends and associates and by fans of the Blue Note recordings from all walks of life, the film Blue Note recreates an era of American cultural history.

Since 1994, World Music Expo (WOMEX) has been attracting musicians, agents, a great number of press agencies, as well as media companies from all over the world. Its main exposition event has been held in various locations throughout Europe, including Berlin, Brussels, Marseille, Stockholm, Seville, Cardiff, and Budapest. In 2018, WOMEX was held in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. One of its showcase participants, Moonlight Benjamin, blends together Voodoo blues, Haitian rock and Creole roll into a riff-heavy, groove-laden sonic concoction built on the tension between her powerful voice and saturated electric guitars.

Duke Ellington: Live in '58 features the earliest-known filmed full-length concert by one of the 20th Century's greatest songwriters and bandleaders. Filmed at Amsterdam's famed Concertgebouw, this 80-minute concert features the 16-piece Duke Ellington Orchestra two years after their stunning performance at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, which Duke considered his second birth. This epic performance includes legendary players Clark Terry, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Paul Gonsalves, Quentin Jackson and Ray Nance performing some of the most beloved American music ever written.

Pioneering folk/pop quartet The Brothers Four was formed in 1957 by University of Washington fraternity brothers Bob Flick (upright bass, vocals), Mike Kirkland (guitar, banjo, vocals), John Paine (guitar, vocals) and Richard Foley (guitar, vocals). Their consistently smooth, warm, and lush harmonies set The Brothers Four apart from others. They turned professional as a result of a practical joke. A member of a competing fraternity arranged for a woman to telephone the band members, identifying herself as the secretary to the manager of Seattle's Colony Club and inviting the quartet down for an audition. As soon as The Brothers Four got there, they found that there was no invitation or any audition scheduled – but since they were there anyway, the club manager asked them to play a few songs and ended up hiring them. A few years later, The Brothers Four appeared at a short-lived Belgian jazz festival in Comblain-la-Tour, where they sang the entire book of American Folk Songs.

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 artists taking part in this series is pianist Hércules Gomes. Due to his impressive technical skill and expressive choice of repertoire he is considered one of Brazil's foremost pianists today. Hércules has performed with numerous renowned Brazilian musicians, including Arismar do Espirito Santo, Letieres Leite, Alessandro Penezzi, Wilson das Neves, and Banda Mantiqueira.

Since his first appearance at Jazz in Ramatuelle in 2010, saxophonist Émile Parisien has made his mark among the most talented musicians of his generation. On the soprano saxophone, his favorite instrument, he invented a unique lyrical style. As part of his participation in the 2016 edition of Jazz à Ramatuelle, Parisien invited two European jazz legends to join his ensemble: the German pianist Joachim Kühn (*1944) and the legendary multi-instrumentalist Michel Portal (*1935). Over 80 years old, the latter is an incomparable saxophonist, clarinetist and bandoneonist, a musical adventurer who skilfully combines jazz, classical music and film music. Guitarist Manu Codjia, bassist Simon Tailleu and drummer Mario Costa complete the sextet conducted by Parisien, who delivers a memorable performance at Jazz in Ramatuelle.

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. Miriam Makeba, also named Mama Africa, was a South African singer, actress, United Nations goodwill ambassador, and civil-rights activist. Her career flourished in the US, where she released several albums. Makeba was among the first African musicians to receive worldwide recognition. She brought African music to a Western audience, and popularized the world music and Afropop genres. Her performances at Estival Lugano is beyond incredible. Her voice, the power and the soul summarizes her musicality in 40 minutes, together with her band and extremely talented backing-vocals.

Every year, the Jazz en Baie festival takes place in the beautiful bay of Mont Saint-Michel. Today’s broadcast shows a special gathering between saxophone heavyweights Peter King and Steve Grossman. These experienced musicians’ trip to the bay amounts to much more than a social call. The quintet, which is rounded out by bass player Duylinh N'Guyen, drummer Stéphane Huchard and pianist Alain Jean-Marie, delivers an amazing show. Although the two saxophonists have an average age of 70, these jazz titans will convince you you’re watching young musicians on stage – albeit with 70 years of 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.

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 Swiss jazz band VEIN accompanied by saxophone player Greg Osby.

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.

The mythical duo Arsenik is a rap group from France, made up of two brothers, Lino and Calbo. The team performs at Olympia Paris to celebrate their 20 years since their first album, Quelques gouttes suffisent… It’s a unique concert: Arsenik plays the entire album with numerous special guests for the first time. The album has sold over 300,000 copies in France. Today it’s being considered a classic, and it continues to be cited in the top five of the best French rap albums of all generations. Enjoy Arsenik’s live show in Olympia Paris!