Schedule

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. Among the performing ensembles is the Russian LRK Trio. This Moscow-based threesome consists of pianist Evgeny Lebedev, bassist Anton Revnyuk, and drummer Ignat Kravtsov. Unmistakably modern in their sound, the trio incorporates many distinctive elements of Russian culture.

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 acts presenting themselves at jazzahead! 2024 is the duo of alto saxophonist Ben van Gelder and guitarist Reinier Baas. These two prominent figures in the Dutch jazz scene have a long-standing musical partnership, having performed together hundreds of times. Ben van Gelder and Reinier Baas are celebrated for their dynamic yet refined stage synergy and innovative performances. Their concerts seamlessly combine complex compositions with spontaneous improvisation, offering a compelling display of contemporary jazz, highlighting the innovative spirit of the Dutch jazz community.

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, Zurich serves as a backdrop for sets by pianist Stefan Rusconi, Grand Pianoramax, and Nik Bartsch.

The Brussels Jazz Club was filled to the brim with both musicians and audience members when the Maynard Ferguson Big Band performed there during their Winter Tour of 1980. From the first notes of the cover of Weather Report’s “Birdland” that opens the performance to the final notes of “Gonna Fly Now” that closes it, Ferguson gives his young sidemen ample time to shine. The mutual admiration shared by the leader and his sidemen makes this performance a delight to watch.

Having played in New York with jazz icons Dave Liebman, Eliot Zigmund, Ari Hoenig, and Chris Cheek, Catalan bass player Manel Fortià now returns to his roots to reinvent traditional Catalan repertoire. Manel Fortià teams up with Antonia Lizana (saxophones), Pere Martínez (vocals), Max Villavecchia (piano), and Raphael Pannier (drums) to form ‘Libérica’, reimagining Catalan music and Flamenco through the eyes of a New York jazz musician. Their 2021 album ‘Arrels’ explores Catalan hymns, including ‘El cant dels ocells’ and ‘Els tres tambors’, heard here during a live performance at Nova Jazz Cava in Barcelona.

In 2013 it is 25 years ago that singer and trumpet player Chet Baker mysteriously died, caused by a fall from the window of his hotel room in Amsterdam. His music is more popular than ever. This concert is performed by Fay Claassen, who became internationally known through her album ‘Two Portraits of Chet Baker’. In the U.S. this album was the ‘Best Vocal Album of the Year’. In this concert Fay Claassen brings a tribute to Baker with the most beautiful songs and improvisations.

Trumpeter Jacques Kuba Séguin’s ensemble unites some of Montreal’s most expressive musicians: apart from Jacques Kuba Séguin, double bassist Frédéric Alarie, pianist Jonathan Cayer, and drummer Kevin Warren deliver subtle but strong lyrical moments, that make it hard not to be touched by the musical bond of this group. The experience of their ‘Litania Projekt’ seems to stop time for an instant. Together with his expressive musicians, Jacques presents a program that swings between modernity and tradition.

Count Basie is one of the most important bandleaders of the swing era. With the exception of a brief period in the early '50s, he led a big band from 1935 until his death almost 50 years later. Basie's orchestra was characterized by a light, swinging rhythm section that he led from the piano, lively ensemble work, and generous soloing. Basie was not a composer like Duke Ellington or an important soloist like Benny Goodman. His instrument was his band, which was considered the epitome of swing and deeply influenced jazz. In this 1961 concert recording, Count Basie takes the stage in Charleroi.

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.

Four exceptional musicians team up to perform classic pop and soul songs made famous by the likes of Gregory Porter, Stevie Wonder, U2, Seal, and many more. Pianist Alfio Origlio signed up to do the arrangements. Walter Ricci, an accomplished jazz vocalist from Naples, eases us into his musical universe with his stunning sensitivity. He is accompanied by an exceptional rhythm section composed of Manu Katché on drums, Jérôme Regard on bass, and Alfio Origlio on piano. This concert was recorded at Festival Jazz au Sommet 2020 in France.

When Daryl Hall and John Oates took to the stage at Sydney’s Entertainment Centre as the iconic bass line of ‘Maneater’ began to play, the fans knew they were in for a treat. This duo may have been opening concerts with that irresistibly smooth number for years, but it never seems to lose its magic, and the crowd – an eclectic mix of teens and baby boomers alike – lapped it up. Daryl Hall and John Oates wisely reunited a few years ago after a string of solo projects, and although Oates no longer sports his signature ‘tache, they put on the kind of show that makes it hard to believe they even considered going their separate ways. Earworms like ‘I Can’t Go For That’, ‘Out Of Touch’ and ‘Kiss On My List’ were surefire reminders that these guys are absolute hit machines, and their catchy synth-soul classics probably deserve to permeate the airwaves as much today as they did decades ago. These Philly crooners still have it in bucket-loads, so this show should have everyone from diehard Daryl Hall and John Oates fans to kids of the 80's groovin’ along in no time.

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 May 28, 1967, American singer and actor Sammy Davis Jr. appeared at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam for a live, nationwide TV broadcast. Supported by his band conducted by George Rhodes, Davis Jr. combined his singing talent and infectious sense of humor as he covered songs from a variety of genres.

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.

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. In 1980, American singer Betty Carter gave a powerful performance with her trio at the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague. Our two-song snippet of the concert contains the tribute to Billie Holiday "Don't Weep for the Lady", and "Swing, Brother, Swing".

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).

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!

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!

Singer Dee Dee Bridgewater walks in with considerable credentials, but this documentary related to her album ‘Red Earth’ trumps them all: Red Earth is a Malian journey that merges and melts all borders. While world-beat listeners will recognize the grooves, this is Bridgewater's first time bringing her own experiences as an African-American woman back to the motherland. It results in a fusion of feeling, visions, and music.

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).

There’s no question about it: with a Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album for her recording ‘Made In Brazil’, seven previous Grammy nominations, four ‘Gold Disc Awards’, and three ‘Best Vocal Album Awards’ in Japan, Eliane Elias has taken her place in the pantheon of music giants. In her projects, Elias wears many hats: she serves as producer, composer, lyricist, arranger, pianist, and vocalist. In this concert broadcast, recorded live at the Philharmonie in Munich, Elias shows her distinctive and immediately recognizable musical style, which blends her Brazilian samba roots and her sensuous, alluring voice with her impressive instrumental bebop, jazz, classical, and compositional skills. She is an artist beyond category, and in this concert she performs with Jay Randall Anderson (bass) and Adam Nussbaum (drums).

This documentary shows a song cycle by the Danish singer-songwriter Trinelise Væring and pianist Jonas Berg, featuring the Scandinavian Barokksolistene ensemble headed by solo violinist and artistic director Bjarte Eike. Væring’s songs possess a timeless quality with their gracefully swung melodies, while they are truly modern at the same time with their ‘in your-face’ approach to catchy hook lines and the largely groove-based arrangements. The music balances intelligently between being clever and being emotional. It is executed brilliantly by some Europe’s finest baroque musicians of the Barokksolistene ensemble. Væring is a remarkable vocalist who masters both the intensely fragile and the more powerful nuances. She is complemented by a pianist whose exquisitely tasteful playing builds on the great Scandinavian piano tradition, adding a pinch of Swedish folklore, pop music and free jazz. In combination with Trinelises unvarnished voice, the unique timbre of the baroque instruments, the vibrato-less sounds, and the ‘on the beat’ approach to groove, the music is far removed from the usual romantic setting of sweet pop songs. This music has edge, and is performed with engrossing vitality.

Woody Herman: Live in '64 features a blistering one-hour concert from 1964 showcasing one of the very hottest line-ups of the "Swinging Herd," including trumpeter Bill Chase, trombonist Phil Wilson, and the amazing saxophonist Sal Nistico on the front line, as well as drummer Jake Hanna, bassist Chuck Andrus, and pianist-arranger Nat Pierce in the rhythm section. The band roars throughout the entire show which includes standards such as "Lonesome Old Town", "After You’ve Gone", and new originals including Charles Mingus’s "Better Git It In Your Soul."

The Dutch world-class jazz pianist Peter Beets has shared the stage with jazz greats like Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis, “Toots” Thielemans, Elvin Jones, George Coleman, Johnny Griffin, Benny Golson and John Clayton. From birth, Beets was surrounded by music: he heard classical music from his mother, who is a music pedagogue, and he heard jazz from his father, who has a great fan of Oscar Peterson and Art Blakey. Although Beets’ parents originally did not associate the word “musician” with the word “career”, music is definitely in the family’s blood. At this concert at the Kurhaus in Scheveningen, the Netherlands, Peter Beets teams up with the world-famous guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel. With a career spanning almost twenty-five years and including collaborating with dynamic peers like Brad Mehldau, Brian Blade, Mark Turner, Joshua Redman, Chris Potter, as well as esteemed jazz legends like Joe Henderson, Paul Motian and Gary Burton, Rosenwinkel’s indelible mark in music is the consummation of being steeped in the rich and deep traditions of jazz, springing off of the shoulders of such vital underpinnings to elevate his own art to new heights, evolving the language in a way no other guitarist has since his arrival. This collaboration between Beets and Rosenwinkel guarantees brilliant music.

Antonio Faraò features prominently in the rich group of talented Italian pianists. He is the winner of the 1998 prestigious Concours Martial Solal, awarded by Herbie Hancock, and he has made his mark as a player of elegance and lyricism. This has allowed him to collaborate with the best European and American musicians. In his album ‘Evan’, recorded in the USA, he leads an all-star band, notably starring Joe Lovano on tenor. In this particular recording at Jazz à Ramatuelle, he appears at the Theatre de Verdure in the company of another sax legend - Dave Liebman, a musician of unfailing generosity and himself the repository of more than 40 years of modern jazz history. With refined ballads and feline groove, this meeting sparkles, perhaps even lighting up some new stars in the night above 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. Discover the special bond between pianist Carla Bley and bassist Steve Swallow. The two have performed in the same bands since the '60s and have been romantic partners for more than two decades. Watching them perform is the definition of musical telepathy. Together with musicians Wayne Krantz, Victor Lewis, Larry Willis, and Don Alias, they form an amazing sextet at Estival in 1986.

World-renowned American blues singer and guitarist Magic Slim performed an electrifying set at the French festival Jazz à Vienne 2012. With bandmates John McDonald (guitar & vocals), Andre Howard (bass), and Brian Jones (drums), the blues giant played a string of classic Chicago blues hits. Ever energetic, the veritable blues veteran put on a dynamic show for an enthusiastic audience in the atmospheric ancient Roman theatre of Vienne.

Short Documentary about Jazz in The City: London.

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 1972, the Newport Jazz Festival in Rotterdam welcomed the Giants of Jazz, an all-star band featuring drummer Art Blakey, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, bassist Al McKibbon, pianist Thelonious Monk, saxophonist Sonny Stitt and trombonist Kai Winding. Part 2.