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 Mel Lewis Orchestra was arguably the most influential big band since the swing era. They were an unusual band, creating new styles, succeeding in an era when big bands were unpopular and remaining integrated during racially tense periods.

Dutch band Seven Eleven is a mix of funk, jazz and hip hop. Founded in 1987, Seven Eleven is one of the first Dutch bands to perform with rappers, having collaborated with hip hop crew Dope Posse in 1990. Adding a superb horn section to the original line-up, they were awarded the 1993 Camelpop Award. Over the years, Seven Eleven released eight albums and played countless festivals, including three appearances at the prestigious North Sea Jazz Festival. Collaborations with legendary American funk artists such as Fred Wesley, Dawn Silva, Jeanette Washington and Louis Johnson followed. Guitarist Rob Manzoli of pop group Right Said Fred produced Seven Eleven’s 2015 album Back to the Source in London. Today’s broadcast presents the funkiest moments from Seven Eleven’s Back to the Source tour.

The Dutch Hammond organ player Rob Mostert develops, in cooperation with DJAZZ, the programme ‘Mostert Meets’. In this series, the Hammond B3 organ takes centre stage. Rob Mostert invites the world’s finest jazz musicians for a musical collaboration, in which the Hammond Organ plays a major role. The Hammond B3 is an electric organ, which generates sound by creating an electric current from rotating a metal tonewheel near an electromagnetic pickup. Initially, the Hammond B3 was at home in churches, until it entered the jazz scene in the mid-20th century. In this episode, Mostert joins forces with the Australian Hammond organ player Lachy Doley and his regular band. Doley is considered one of the best blues, soul and rock organ players, nicknamed “the Jimi Hendrix of the Hammond organ”.

Thomas Carbou and Patrick Graham share an almost telepathic rapport, blending spontaneous improvisation, electronic looping, and Brazilian and Indian musical influences to create ecstatic groove pieces and dream-like soundscapes. They use a wide array of instruments, including a custom-built 8-string guitar, cuatro, bouzouki, cajón, frame drums, berimbau, udu, and metal percussion instruments, as well as samplers and laptops, adding their own hypnotic vocals to the mix. This concert was recorded at Montréal’s Le Bleury Vinyl Bar, near the Place des Festivals, known worldwide as the venue for the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

Hailing from a long tradition of Malian kora players, Ballake Sissoko has worked with renowned musicians such as Toumani Diabaté and Taj Mahal. He met the French born Vincent Ségal by chance, and the two began jamming together, uncertain of what kind of music might result. As a former member of the French National Orchestra, Ségal's Western classical training does not prevent him from exploring a wide variety of extended techniques, rendering his cello a flexible partner to Sissoko's kora. A childhood spent in the Pigalle district of Paris surrounded by immigrant communities exposed Ségal to African music from an early age. As such, he possesses a natural sensitivity to Sissoko's West-African style. The concert shows a brilliant interplay between the two musicians and combines the several worlds of jazz, Malian and classical music.

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 the 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 amazing Dutch pianist Jeroen van Vliet.

The world-renowned North Sea Jazz Festival features a wide variety of genres, including traditional New Orleans jazz, swing, bop, free jazz, fusion, avant-garde and electronic jazz, blues, gospel, funk, soul, R&B, hip hop, world beat and Latin. The festival was founded by entrepreneur and jazz fan Paul Acket, who sold his highly successful pop magazine publishing house to organize and fund the first edition of the festival in 1976. This broadcast from the North Sea Jazz Archives presents a compilation with music of Ray Charles.

In 1956, Duke Ellington and his Orchestra performed a legendary set at the third annual Newport Jazz Festival. It was tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves’ outstanding 27-chorus solo on “Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue” that revitalized Ellington’s career. The success generated during that performance carried him for the rest of his life. By 1973, festivals carrying the Newport name were organized all over the world. Less than a year before his death, Ellington and his Orchestra, with Gonsalves still in the fold, appeared in Brussels to deliver a timeless performance before a highly appreciative crowd.

Rotterdam’s ‘ BIRD’ is a club, café and restaurant with a live music programme that's deeply rooted in jazz, and also branches out towards soul, funk, hip-hop and electronic music as well. Its name ‘BIRD’ refers to the nickname of the legendary New York jazz saxophonist, bebop co-founder Charlie Parker (1920-1955). BIRD serves Neapolitan pizzas, good wines, no-nonsense beers and an all-round metropolitan rawness. Since 2014, this urban jazz club and DJAZZ.tv have been collaborating for a series of music programmes: ‘BIRD.tv’, allowing you to experience the best BIRD concerts and interviews as from a first row seat! This episode shows you the four-piece jazz/hip hop ensemble BADBADNOTGOOD, whose collaborators include the likes of rapper ‘Tyler, The Creator’, the Haitian-Canadian electronic musician Kaytranada, the vocalist Kali Uchis, and the rapper Ghostface Killah. BADBADNOTGOOD is endlessly inventive: its four members have ultimately crafted their own, lasting mark on hip-hop and electronic beats.

Angus & Julia Stone are an Australian brother-sister folk-blues group which formed in 2006. Their parents played as a folk duo before Julia and Angus were born. Angus & Julia Stone have released two studio albums, A Book Like This (8 September 2007), which peaked at No. 6 on the ARIA Albums Chart; and Down. Here they perform at The Metro Theatre, in Sydney, Australia, on October 10, 2007.

The Newport Jazz Festival, first established in the North-American town of Newport, Rhode Island in the summer of 1954, has now grown to become one of the largest multi-day celebrations of jazz worldwide. It has resulted in numerous famous live albums from top-rate jazz stars, and has spawned several worldwide tours, including editions of the Newport Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. In October 1968, two former colleagues met again on stage, this time leading their own bands at the Newport Jazz Festival in Rotterdam: drummer Art Blakey and pianist Horace Silver were both co-founders of The Jazz Messengers.

The audience at the Montreal Jazz Festival in Canada was in for a treat on July 3, 1982, as a true musical innovator hit the stage: Jaco Pastorius, who transformed the electric bass into a formidable solo instrument. Combining intricate harmonics, fluid melodies, and unparalleled technical skill, Pastorius left a lasting impact on the music world. In this concert, he is accompanied by Peter Erskine (drums), Don Alias (percussion), Othello Molineaux (steel drums), Bob Mintzer (tenor sax and bass clarinet), and Randy Brecker (trumpet and electronics). They perform “Chicken”, “Donna Lee”, “Mr. Phone Bone”, and “Fannie Mae”. Don't miss this extraordinary opportunity to experience Jaco Pastorius’s electrifying performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival 1982!

Legendary jazz pianist Horace Silver's groundbreaking fusion of hard bop, blues, soulful grooves and Cape Verdean influences have left an indelible mark on the world of jazz. At the renowned Umbria Jazz Festival in the picturesque region of Umbria, Italy, Silver is accompanied by a great band of future all-stars: Bob Berg on tenor sax, Tom Harrell on trumpet, Steve Beskrone on bass and Eddie Gladden on drums. During this performance from July 20, 1976, Silver’s quintet stretches out on four Silver originals: “Adjustment”, “Barbara”, “In Pursuit of the 27th Man”, and “Song For My Father”. Tune in and let Horace Silver’s irresistible music mesmerize you!

Recorded in 1971 in Paris, France, Brazilian, classically trained bossa nova guitarist Baden Powell and his quartet play Pai, Lotus (written by Baden Powell), Tristeza (by Haroldo Lobo/Niltinho), Round Midnight (by Thelonious Monk), Nega do cabelo duro (by David Nasser/Rubens Soares), and Aos pes da cruz (by Zé da Zilda/Marino Pinto). Powell is joined by Ernesto Ribeiro-Gonçalves on double bass, Helio Schiavo on drums, and Alfredo Bessa on percussion.

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 amazing Dutch pianist Wolfert Brederode.

Jazz first gained a foothold on Latvian soil in the 1920s. A century onward, this documentary traces the first two decades of jazz in Latvia in this portrait of Jack Michalicky, the first known Latvian jazz pianist. Michalicky was a musician from head to toe – a gifted violinist, he truly felt at home at the piano. Slender and lithe, the imaginative pianist’s fingers flew across the keys like a true miracle. Seemingly indefatigable, Michalicky would play improvised solos during breaks in the band's sets, if the patrons wished. This brief yet insightful documentary, which places this remarkable musician in the context of post-WWI jazz in Europe, was produced by Latvian Mareks Ameriks.

Lithuanian band Olivia Gongas gave an intimate performance at Vilnius jazz dance club Lindyhop.lt in late June 2021. The band, fronted by multi-instrumentalist Remis Rančys, consists of guitarist Laimonas Jančas, bassist Paulius Adomėnas, and drummer Domantas Razmus. Olivia Gongas draw from the band’s indie and world music inspirations for this mellow and cosy concert. The Lindyhop.lt has been Lithuania’s longest running jazz dance venue, in operation since 2003. Located in Vilnius, the country's capital city, it features an in-house jazz band that performs arrangements from the rich history of New Orleans jazz, the golden era of swing, and hot club-style jazz.

The Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam is a world-renowned concert hall, known for its first-rate acoustics. It has attracted many famous performers over the years and is one of the Netherlands' most treasured musical institutions. On November 2, 1958, American jazz titan Duke Ellington and his Orchestra performed two concerts at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Among the many talents in the Orchestra were trumpeter Clark Terry, trombonist Quentin Jackson, saxophonist Johnny Hodges and violinist Ray Nance.

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.

To call Omar Sosa an Afro-Cuban jazz pianist would only capture part of his true style. Because while he has always kept one foot firmly within the traditions of his native isle, this citizen of the world also shows an insatiable curiosity, tirelessly exploring music from around the world: from the Caribbean to India and from West Africa to the Arab World. Nothing seems to escape his thirst for discovery. This breadth of experience and sense of openness is clearly reflected in the music the quartet plays. A celebration of rhythm in all its forms - he began his musical life as a percussionist - an Omar Sosa concert always gives the audience an intense, some would say mystical, experience.

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 Kurhaus in Scheveningen is a grand hotel in the Netherlands renowned for attracting both royal and musical nobility. Doubling as a concert hall, it has been host to several heavy hitters, such as the Rolling Stones and Ike and Tina Turner. On August 2, 1983, American vibraphonist Lionel Hampton performed at the Kurhaus in Scheveningen. Accompanied by his big band, which included talents such as saxophonist Arnett Cobb, the "King of Vibes" gave an invigorating performance with both mallets and voice.

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. Back in 1979, legendary American blues guitarist B.B. King gave an unforgettable performance for the audience in The Hague. Born in 1925 in a small town in Mississippi, 'Lucille' (as he nicknamed his guitar) helped him escape a miserable existence picking cotton. He arrived in Memphis in the late 1940s, where his cousin Bukka White taught him the tricks of the blues. Soon he developed his own style. King’s virtuoso, narrative solos with lots of vibrato, have been an inspiration for most (rock) guitarists after him.

Award-winning saxophonist Michael Blicher, Hammond wizard Dan Hemmer and legendary drummer Steve Gadd joined forces in 2014 to celebrate their shared love for Hammond-organ soul jazz. The band, which tours extensively throughout the world, has released several albums. Their third album, which was released in November 2019, features U.K. vocalist Paul Carrack on the soulful ballad 'The First One To Know'.

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!