Schedule

Guitarist Jurgen Burdorf was trained at the Amsterdam Conservatory and is a much sought-after session musician today. His passion lies in his self-written songs that have the characteristic sound of jazz, rock, and Americana. An agenda emptied by COVID-19 has made the Burdorf's new music rich and varied, with his expressive power as a guitarist and composer only increasing. He and his Jurgen Burdorf Band play new repertoire from his fourth studio album.

Forq is an instrumental quartet with an aggressive sound and a penchant for sonic exploration. Originally founded by keyboardist Henry Hey (David Bowie, Empire of the Sun, and Jeff "Tain" Watts) and bassist Michael League (Grammy-winning founder of Snarky Puppy), Forq is joined by guitarist Chris McQueen and drummer Jason "JT" Thomas. Their group sound draws from various musical paths of its members, whether it’s Jason’s swampy grooves and shuffles, Chris’ singular sonic approach to guitar, Henry’s zeal for unique keyboard sounds and twisted ear candy, or Michael’s driving world-influenced grooves. The band pushes further down the sonic rabbit hole with their stunning music. This concert was filmed during Mondriaan Jazz Festival 2017, The Hague.

On ‘Diggin’ the Duke’, Deborah J. Carter tackles the compositions of Duke Ellington. Taking his original compositions as her point of departure, Carter expresses many facets of her own personality. She applies the necessary vocal technique, but it’s the way she handles the lyrics that draws you in: her scat solos are as creative as they are provocative! Carter is accompanied by a quality band, consistent of bass player Mark Zandveld and Leo pianist Bouwmeester. Mark and Leo wrote new, updated arrangements of Ellington’s compositions, and Deborah penned original lyrics to a number of Ellington’s instrumentals. The band uses a mix of swing, Latin and fusion rhythms, in combination with adventurous harmonies. Carter’s name has become so well-known that she probably had little trouble finding guests musicians willing to contribute to this project, among whom the phenomenal saxophonists Efraim Trujillo and Emiel Wienholts.

Art Farmer: Live in '64 highlights an amazing one-hour concert featuring the great flugelhornist in his prime. Farmer’s band includes legendary guitarist Jim Hall (fresh from Sonny Rollins’ band), drummer Pete LaRoca, and Steve Swallow on bass. The legendary ensemble plays both standards and originals with ease and finesse and highlights why Farmer was considered one of the most innovative horn players in all of jazz.

Wes Montgomery: Live in '65 shines a light on one of the most unique and influential guitarists in music history. These beautifully filmed programs from the spring of 1965 feature Wes, in intimate studio settings, leading three different lineups through some of his best-known tunes, including “Four On Six”, “Jingles”, and “West Coast Blues”. This rare footage, featuring rehearsals, between-song banter, and closeup camera angles, illuminates Wes's extraordinary musical vocabulary and unconventional picking technique.

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 Crusaders, an American jazz fusion group that was popular in the '70s employed a two-manned front-line horn section. The group’s sound was rooted in hard bop, with an emphasis on R&B and soul. Their performance at Estival is beyond soulful and an amazing show to watch.

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.

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 two grandmasters of French jazz: pianist Jacky Terrasson and trumpeter Stéphane Belmondo. The two team up for an amazing concert in which jazz is combined with soul and a touch of chanson française. The Franco-American pianist Terrasson delights in travelling the world, collaboration with others and leading his own trio, quartet, or quintet. With his long-time friend, Stéphane Belmondo, Terrasson has produced wonderful CDs and beautiful concerts. One then finds the trumpeter on the pianist’s album ‘Gouache’; on another, the pianist guests on Belmondo’s ‘Ever After’. At the Jazz en Baie festival, the duo plays its amazing piano and trumpet music. Highly recommended!

The legendary hard-bop group Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers performed in Olympia Hall in Paris, France on March 16, 1963. Led by drummer Art Blakey, the Jazz Messengers consisted of Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Reggie Workman on double bass, and Cedar Walton on piano. Each of these players became jazz legends in their own right. The group performed Cedar Walton's arrangement of That Old Feeling (written by Sammy Fain), Wayne Shorter's arrangement of I Didn't Know What Time It Was (written by Richard Rodgers), and Caravan (written by Juan Tizol and Duke Ellington).

Texan pianist Sammy Price (1908-1992) played everything from blues and boogie-woogie to swing and jump-blues. Starting in Dallas as a singer and dancer in Alphonso Trent’s orchestra, he went to Kansas to form the Texas Bluesicians. At the end of the 1930s, and as a house pianist for the Decca label, he backed many stars, including Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Trixie Smith. Price was equally at home playing the blues in a trio, or leading a bigger band playing the jump-blues people loved to dance to. In this 1958 recording, Sammy plays the Comblain-La-Tour Jazz Festival with his band.

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.

Dutch free jazz, jazz rock, and electronic music pioneer Pierre Courbois threw a belated 80th birthday bash at Amsterdam’s renowned BIMhuis in January 2022. Courbois, a celebrated drummer and percussionist, also masters the tabla, conga, bass guitar, and vibraphone, and is a prolific writer with over 100 compositions to his credit. Proving that any age is just a number, Courbois (*1940) teams up with Jesse Schilderink (*1995, tenor and baritone saxophone) and Wiro Mahieu (*1964, bass) in his new band 3GEN3. Billed 3GEN3 PLUS for this festive occasion, this exciting new ensemble is augmented by pianist Jasper van ‘t Hof. Known for his virtuosity and his innovative contributions to European jazz, Van ‘t Hof (*1947) has been hailed as Europe’s finest jazz pianist. He is the recipient of the Buma Boy Edgar Award 2018. Let 3GEN3 PLUS surprise you with their fresh, innovative music in this sparkling concert recording from January 2022!

Many of pianist Chick Corea’s compositions have become jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the late 1960s, he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. In the 1970s, Corea founded the legendary jazz fusion group Return to Forever. Along with Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner and Keith Jarrett, Corea is one of the biggest modern jazz pianists. He continued musical collaborations with a diverse range of artists, exploring various musical styles. This broadcast features three performances that illustrate Chick Corea's many talents.

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!

Every year since 1970, the German city of Burghausen has been hosting one of the largest jazz festivals in the world. During Burghausen International Jazz Week, Burghausen becomes a 'Bavarian jazz mecca': guests from all over the world join the Burghausers to enjoy the most wonderful jazz performances as the colorful hustle and bustle of spectators and musicians shake up the city. One of the bands performing here in 2019 is the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, which consists of eight sons of jazz trumpeter and one-time Sun Ra Arkestra member Phil Cohran. He trained his children to play their horns and instilled in them a profound sense of the deeply spiritual roots of the music. The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble's music ranges from hypnotizing grooves to jazzy funk.

George Shearing, blind since birth, is one of the world's greatest jazz pianists. Filmed on both sides of the Atlantic, this tribute to Shearing showcases the music which took the jazz world by storm. Specially-shot performances and archive clips feature music spanning the six decades of his remarkable career and classics such as ‘September in the Rain’, ‘Lullaby of Birdland’, ‘Greensleeves’, ‘Donna Lee’ and ‘Freedom Jazz Dance’ are included, as well as many other recent compositions.