Schedule

If any two musicians share a special bond when they perform, it’s pianist Carla Bley and bassist Steve Swallow. The two have performed in the same bands since the 1960s and have been romantic partners for more than two decades. Watching them perform is the definition of musical telepathy. A glance or a smile seems to change the feel of the music. In 1988, Swallow and Bley began performing duet concerts in Europe, United States, South America and Japan. This performance of Duets, their album of songs arranged for piano and bass, was released that same year. The performance showcases their approach to traditional jazz, folk and classical music, as well as their poignant musical story.

This recording brings a great performance by Larry Graham & Graham Central Station from Bataclan in Paris. Numerous ‘funkateers’ came together to cheer the bass player and funk hero. In the sixties, Graham was mainly known for his work with Sly and the Family Stone, the popular and influential psychedelic soul and funk band. As founder and front man of Graham Central Station he has also enjoyed a successful solo career. It is often said that Graham pioneered the art of slap-pop playing on the electric bass, which has become a staple of modern funk. During this Paris performance, Graham shows he is one of the heroes of funk!

In the 1960s, composer Michel Magne transformed the Château d'Hérouville, an 18th-century country house north of Paris and former home of lovers George Sand and Frédéric Chopin, into the first residential recording studio. In addition to its excellent facilities, the complex featured a swimming pool and a beautiful garden, allowing artists to stay for weeks or months at a time. From David Bowie and Iggy Pop to Pink Floyd and Chet Baker, countless stars recorded unforgettable music here until the studio closed in the 1980s. Three decades later, Château d'Hérouville has reopened its doors. This program follows American singer-songwriter Melody Gardot as she visits the legendary studio. After an accident in 2003 left her hypersensitive to light and sound, Gardot discovered the healing power of music. At Hérouville, she gives an interview and plays a breathtaking live set. Her performance opens with a beautiful version of ‘Baby I’m a Fool’ and includes ‘If The Stars Were Mine’ and ‘Les Étoiles,’ before concluding with the Chet Baker hit ‘You Don’t Know What Love Is.’ Melody Gardot (piano, guitar, vocals) is accompanied by Charles Staab (drums), Sam Minaie (double bass), Mitchell Long (guitar), Sylvain Gontard (trumpet), Ludovic Beier (accordion), Artyom Manoukyan (cello), and Guillaume Latour, Alexandra Kondo, and Benjamin Ducasse (violin).

Cannonball Adderley: Live in '63 boasts two beautifully filmed concerts from one of the most celebrated sextets in jazz history, captured at the top of their game. Cannonball Adderley (alto sax), Nat Adderley (cornet), and the masterful Yusef Lateef (tenor sax, flute, oboe), provide a massive three-horn frontline attack, while the stellar rhythm section featuring a pre-Weather Report Joe Zawinul (piano), Sam Jones (bass), and Louis Hayes (drums) fuel the songs with a deep infectious swing. Quincy Jones’ "Jessica’s Day" leaps from the gate with a huge big band sound that is extraordinary for only six musicians. This recording is a reminder that Cannonball Adderley was one of the most outstanding and highly respected alto saxophonists in the history of jazz. He was a bluesy jazzman who could play anything in superb fashion.

Self-taught musician Les McCann became the international jazz superstar he is today after the release of his album “Swiss Movement” which he recorded in 1968 with the late Eddie Harris. Yet there is much more to this musician than that one record. McCann moves comfortably from one jazz style to the next, demonstrating impressive chops in all areas, from bop to fusion, and from vocals to the keys of the electric piano, clavinet, or synthesizer. His mix of church and swing music captures the spirit of the time perfectly, even when an illness prevented him from playing with more than one finger at a time in the early 1990s. In today’s broadcast, McCann takes gospel back to New Orleans, where he played this set in 1983. McCann’s vocals shine in the soulful performances of several of his hits, including “Just Like Magic”, backed by his wonderful “Magic Band” of saxophonist Bobby Bryant Jr., bassist Curtis Robertson Jr., and drummer Tony St. James.

English drummer Trevor Richards (1945) is a passionate advocate for traditional jazz. After moving to New Orleans at 21 to master the city's unique drumming styles, he has consistently created opportunities to perform with the genre's elder statesmen. In this concert recording from the Ascona New Orleans Jazz Festival, held in late June and early July 1998 at picturesque Lake Maggiore in Ascona, Switzerland, Richards presents 1930s-style jazz alongside two true legends from that era. The lineup features bassist Charles 'Truck' Parham (1911–2002), a veteran of bands led by Art Tatum and Earl Hines, and tenorist/clarinetist Franz Jackson (1912–2008), who played with Fletcher Henderson and Fats Waller. They are joined by horn players Tom Baker and Dan Barrett. The setlist includes classics like "You’re My Everything", "Nagasaki", "Christopher Columbus", and "If Dreams Come True". A feast for the ears!

Double bassist Avishai Cohen’s trio with Noam David (drums) and Omri Mor (pianist) joined forces with the international Symphony Orchestra ‘INSO-Lviv’, conducted by Christian Schumann. On June 24, 2017 they brought Avishai Cohen’s signature blend of influences from Eastern Europe, American jazz and the Middle East to the Alfa Jazz Festival in Lviv, Ukraine. Cohen, who also supplies vocalizations in the Judeo-Spanish dialect Ladino, came to prominence internationally in the 1990s when jazz great Chick Corea offered him a place in his trio and a recording deal. Thirty years later, Cohen has become a house-hold name himself, leaving his Ukrainian audience enthralled and connected through the universal language of music.

Pianist Kenny Barron’s June 27, 2019 appearance at the Alfa Jazz Festival in Ukraine’s Lviv was a celebration of sublime jazz virtuosity. The revered elder statesmen of jazz piano brought his regular working trio of Kiyoshi Kitagawa (bass) and Jonathan Blake (drums), augmented by stellar jazzman Marcus Strickland (tenor saxophone) and young lion Riley Mulherkar (trumpet). Their seamless blend of classic bebop and modern explorations spoke of a deep, emotive connection to each note, captivating the Ukrainian audience with lyrical improvisations during this unforgettable concert.