Schedule

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, The Garifuna Collective, carries the legacy of Andy Palacio who not only put the music of Belize on the world stage, it also inspired a generation of Belizean musicians to look to their roots. Featuring an intergenerational line-up and the rousing vocal prowess of the Umalali women singers, they celebrate the deep cultural roots of Garifuna music, with the emblematic sound of the two traditional Garifuna drums – the primero and the segunda – along with maracas, turtle shells, jawbones and acoustic and electric guitars and bass grooves.

Annual trade fair, exhibition, and festival jazzahead! is one of the international jazz community’s most important events. Hosted in Bremen, Germany, jazzahead! brings together musicians, bookers, agents, organizers, jazz experts, and music enthusiasts at the world’s largest jazz event. In 2024, jazzahead! paid special attention to the jazz scene of the Netherlands and invited over forty jazz acts to perform over the course of three days. Among the ensembles presenting themselves at jazzahead! 2024 is Dutch saxophonist-composer Tineke Postma’s Aria Group. Postma stands out as a key figure in the dynamic Dutch jazz scene, renowned for her extensive collaborations with American jazz legends such as pianist Herbie Hancock, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, and bassist esperanza spalding. Wayne Shorter, the late saxophonist, endorsed Postma as his successor for his later symphonic and operatic works, including ‘Opera Iphigenia’, ‘Gaia’, and ‘Orbits’, which she debuted in June 2023. Postma’s album 'ARIA' introduces bold, original compositions with guitarist Ben Monder. Howard Mandel of Downbeat Magazine praised the album for its originality and depth, noting its appeal for repeated listens. The lineup includes Tineke Postma (alto and soprano saxophone), David Doružka (guitar), Robert Landfermann (double bass), and Tristan Renfrow (drums).

Annual trade fair, exhibition, and festival jazzahead! is one of the international jazz community's most important events. Hosted in Bremen, Germany, jazzahead! brings together musicians, bookers, agents, organizers, jazz experts, and music enthusiasts. Due to COVID-19, only half of the scheduled performances of the 2021 edition were actually recorded in Bremen. The other performances were captured by the artists themselves on various locations of their own choosing. Among the performing artists is London-based saxophone player, improviser, composer, and educator Camilla George. George's love of fusing African and Western music into a unique style all her own is a key reason why she is a firm fixture on the current London Jazz scene alongside her peers such as Nubya Garcia, Shabaka Hutchings and Zara McFarlane. Her music is a hypnotizing blend of Afrofuturism, hip hop, and jazz. Camilla George is joined by double bassist Daniel Casimir, pianist Sarah Tandy, guitarist Shirley Tetteh and drummer Rod Youngs.

Jazzed Out proves that a jazz session can take place anywhere. Unusual locations, such as garage buildings, multi-storey car parks, street corners, subway trains, and parks, in several of the world’s metropoles, provide the setting for brief jazz performances. The sheer rawness of the metropoles merge with the musical creations of various artists in search of the perfect ‘urban stage’. In this episode, London serves as a backdrop for sets by trumpeter Matthew Halsall, saxophonist Soweto Kinch, and pianist Neil Cowley.

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. This performance of Brazilian Tania Maria promises to make you want to dance. The singer, composer and pianist sets fire to the Estival scene with her pop and jazzy song, magnificently put forward on samba, bossa-nova, Afro-Latin and jazz fusion tunes.

The annual international festival November Music was first held in 1993. Since then, the festival has been promoting contemporary music across various locations in the Netherlands city ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Its 2018 edition included jazz, avant-garde, world and electronic music, sound installations, modern opera and theatre, as well as various interdisciplinary performances. One of the performers in 2018, the pianist Elliot Galvin is a member of the young UK jazz group Dinosaur. Performing with his trio, the gifted musician has been compared to Django Bates for his maverick imagination and ability to blend influences from all over the world.

‘Jazz à Vienne’ is one of the world's most prestigious jazz festivals. Ever since 1981 it has attracted leading jazz artists, with many of them playing return engagements. Unsurprisingly, the festival's 2013 edition did not fall short of expectations: the lineup was filled with the biggest names in music. Among them was the wonderful Richard Bona. He conquered the world with his bass and voice a long time ago. Joined on stage by Mike Rodrigues on trumpet, Luisito and Robert Quinteros on percussions, Ozzy Melendez on trombone, and Osmandy Paredes on piano, Bona once again shows why audiences around the world fall for his 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 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 American saxophone player James Brandon Lewis.

This program presents two concerts from Schloss Ansbach in 1978. The first concert features Gil Evans and his orchestra, consisting of Gil Evans on piano, Steve Lacy on soprano saxophone, Arthur Blythe on alto saxophone, Pit Levin on synthesizers, Earl McIntyre on trombone, Lewis Soloff on trumpet, Geoffrey Berlin on bass and Sue Evans on percussion instruments. The second concert features saxophonist Ornette Coleman at the peak of his musically expressive powers. Coleman is joined by Bern Nix on guitar, Charles Ellerbee on guitar, Albert Arnold on bass, and Shannon Jackson on drums and percussion.

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.

In this DJAZZ Belgium Sessions performance, which was recorded at AED Studios in Lint, Belgium, we witness Europe’s finest jazz musicians at work. A wide variety of international jazz musicians give a creative, up-close and inside insight into their art of playing jazz music. Young talent and established jazz musicians play to their heart’s content: take for instance this unusual performance by the trio Massot/Florizoone/Horbaczewski. This adventurous threesome pushes the boundaries of jazz, folk and classical music. There is a certain commonality between the instruments they play: accordion, tuba and cello share a richness of sound, as well as a broad register and a photogenic appearance. When improvising, the trio produces the weirdest and wackiest, but also most moving sounds.

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.

Sarah Vaughan: Live in '58 & 64 features the Divine One in her prime, wrapping her sultry voice around jazz standards such as “Lover Man”, “Misty”, and “I Got Rhythm” and popular showtunes such as “Over The Rainbow” and “Maria”. One of the greatest voices of the 20th Century, her renditions of songs by Harold Arlen, Leonard Bernstein, Johnny Burke, the Gershwins, and Stephen Sondheim are pure diva magic. These three performances demonstrate why Sarah Vaughan is invariably mentioned in the same breath as Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday.

Rotterdam’s BIRD is a club, café, and restaurant with a live music program that's deeply rooted in jazz, soul, funk, hip-hop, and electronic. Its name BIRD refers to the nickname of legendary New York jazz saxophonist, bebop co-founder Charlie Parker. BIRD serves Neapolitan pizzas, fine 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 programs: BIRD.tv, allowing you to experience the best BIRD concerts and interviews as from a first-row seat! This episode is dedicated to seven brothers from the south side of Chicago: The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble AKA Bad Boys of Jazz, Tha Bros, and Yo Favorite Band! The band freely adds generous doses of hip-hop, soul, and funk to the brass band tradition, creating an intoxicating and boisterous blend: perfect for another episode of BIRD.tv!

Raul Midón appeared at 2017’s Sing Jazz Festival in Singapore with double bassist Romeir Mendez and drummer Billy Williams. Blind since birth, Raul Midón is a singer, guitarist, and songwriter from New Mexico. With a vocal range as dynamic as his guitar playing and a remarkable talent for trumpet mimicry, Midón’s performances transcend musical boundaries, effortlessly blending rock, jazz, folk, and Latin pop into his unique sound. He has worked with numerous legends, including Bill Withers, Herbie Hancock, Sting, and Dianne Reeves, and his album ‘Bad Ass and Blind’ was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2018. No wonder the Sing Jazz audience were ecstatic!

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.

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!

‘Ella Fitzgerald: Live in '57’ features ‘The First Lady Of Song’ in a distinct performance. It's the earliest known complete concert of Ella to be captured on film. Shot in Belgium, this 1957 concert sees her performing with jazz greats Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, Jo Jones and the legendary Oscar Peterson on classics such as ‘Lullaby Of Birdland’ and ‘It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)’. Although she wanted to be a dancer at first, Ella Fitzgerald already listened to recordings of Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby and The Boswell Sisters at an early age. After her debut at an amateur talent show in 1934, Ella joined Chick Webb’s Orchestra with which she recorded several hits; after Webb died, she became the leader of the orchestra. In the late 1940s, Ella Fitzgerald became known as the ‘First Lady of Song’, with her wide vocal range of three octaves. The American jazz singer was particularly appreciated for her pure tone, intonation and phrasing, and unparalleled improvisational abilities. In a career that spanned close to 60 years, Fitzgerald sold 40 million albums and won 13 Grammy Awards, mainly for her definitive interpretations of the Great American Songbook.