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. The 2018 edition of WOMEX was held in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. One of its showcase participants, Vishten, has been animating audiences for 15 years with its fiery blend of traditional French songs and original instrumentals fusing Celtic, Acadian and contemporary folk influences with energetic virtuosity. The trio comprises multi-instrumentalists Emmanuelle and Pastelle LeBlanc from Prince Edward Island and Pascal Miousse from the Magdalen Islands.

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.

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.

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 teams up with the Dallas-born vocalist Dede Priest. She’s renowned for her raw sound. She knows how to sing blues and gospel like no other!

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.

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.

The term "jam-session" was born in the 1920s, when black and white musicians gathered in smoke-filled bars after their respective concerts to enjoy the kind of jazz they could not play in traditional sets. Bing Crosby was a regular at these sessions, and had fun marking the first and third beats of musical phrases by clapping hands, which the musicians call "jammin 'the beat". Today, the Seine Sessions revive the happy years of "jam sessions", while the cream of jazz, blues, gipsy and funk Parisian scenes occurs on the boards of the legendary restaurant and jazz club Le Réservoir. Entitled "Free & Afro Jazz," this episode hosted by Eddy King features unique performances by artists playing together for the first time, and interviews with Fantazio, Eddy Lopez, Banoit Savard, and many others.

Since 2005, the Morgenland Festival of Osnabrueck has dedicated itself to the fascinating music culture of the Near and Middle East. From traditional and classical music to avant-garde, jazz, and rock, the festival program also features art, such as visual arts, dance, and theatre of interdisciplinary projects. "The Art of Duo" presents an unprecedented duo featuring pianist Salman Gambarov and sheng player, a Chinese mouth-organ, Wu Wei.

Modern jazz with a twist, based on a group effort rather than on personal virtuosity: meet Misc! Composer and pianist Jérôme Beaulieu, double bassist Philippe Leduc and drummer William Côté met during their college years at the Université de Montréal. Their Trio Jérôme Beaulieu quickly made a name for itself, winning the Montreal contest Jazz en Rafale and the Grand Prix du Festi-Jazz in Rimouski within the same year. Since their 2012 debut album L'homme sur la lune was nominated for the Opus Prize for Jazz Album of the Year, the trio has been praised for its musical experiments and its contemporary jazz repertoire. The trio’s music boasts wide-ranging musical influences: from acoustic music enhanced with electronic rhythms and textures, to a palette of diverse textures accented with samples, eccentric percussion, effects and prepared instruments. With unabated musical enthusiasm yet under the new name Misc, the trio launched its self-titled third album in 2016.

World-class Dutch jazz pianist Peter Beets has shared the stage with jazz greats Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis, “Toots” Thielemans, Elvin Jones, George Coleman, Johnny Griffin, Benny Golson, and John Clayton. His mother a music teacher and his father an Oscar Peterson and Art Blakey enthusiast, Beets was surrounded by music from an early age. And though music was in their blood, neither parent associated the word “musician” with a career. In this broadcast, Peter Beets teams up with Anton Goudsmit (guitar) in tribute to guitar icon and founding father of modern jazz Wes Montgomery. The two men share a passion for Montgomery's music, his compositions forming the basis for Goudsmit’s energetic and eccentric solos and Beets's virtuoso piano playing. They are backed by a grooving rhythm section featuring Marius Beets (bass) and Joost van Schaik (drums).

Charles Mingus showcases an exceptional concert performed in April 1965 featuring his most celebrated lineup: Jaki Byard (piano), Dannie Richmond (drums), Johnny Coles (trumpet), Clifford Jordan (tenor sax) and the great Eric Dolphy (alto sax, flute and bass clarinet). Recorded within an eight-day span, less than three months before Dolphy's death, the three concerts showcase Mingus's visionary leadership and the band's incredible depth and diversity with unique performances and arrangements of classics including ‘So Long Eric’ and the groundbreaking ‘Meditations On Integration’.

The Da Pá Virada Sessions series presents the best musicians of contemporary Brazilian jazz, and beyond. Filmed in São Paulo, each session offers a unique experience by giving a fresh look into Brazil's music scene. The artists for each session are selected in consultation with Stingray DJAZZ's music editor. One of the bands taking part in this series is Panorama de Coro. This ensemble combines jazz and traditional Brazilian music. The resulting music has a festive, almost street-like atmosphere. Panorama de Coro consists of Roberta Valente (pandeiro and percussion), Alexandre Ribeiro (clarinet), Gian Correa (7-string guitar), Henrique Araujo (cavaquinho), João Poleto (flute and tenor saxophone) and Yves Finzetto (pandeiro and percussion).

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 Earth, Wind & Fire Experience. In this concert, original Earth, Wind & Fire guitarist, writer and musical director Al McKay performs the band's timeless disco and soul. Together with seven of the thirteen original Earth, Wind & Fire members, he keep hits such as Boogie Wonderland and September alive, touring all over the world.

Guitarist Mike Stern and violin player Didier Lockwood sharing a stage: that promises a good show! After playing for years with Blood, Sweat & Tears, Mike Stern landed a gig with drummer Billy Cobham and then broke through with Miles Davis’ comeback band in the 1980s. Didier Lockwood played in jazz fusion band Magma during the 1970s and is known for his use of electric amplification and experimentation. Together they perform a unique duo concert at the beautiful antique theatre in Vienne, France.

‘The legend of the groove’ is a series of documentaries devoted to the musicians who were most influential on contemporary hip hop, soul, rhythm 'n' blues, and on the course of history. Between the late 1950s and now, these musicians radically changed music. Although sometimes hardly in the public eye, they have all been major sources of inspiration for today's major artists: Prince, Erykah Badu, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.

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!

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.

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 2022, jazzahead! paid special attention to Canada’s jazz scene and invited forty jazz acts from all over the world to perform over the course of three days. One of the bands appearing at jazzahead! 2022 is the Ofer Mizrahi Trio, performing their trademark fusion of jazz, folk and Eastern music. Guitarist, trumpeter and vocalist Ofer Mizrahi studied with Pt. Budhadev Das Gupta, one of India’s notable masters of Hindustani music. Mizrahi designed and built his own 24-string Whale Guitar, a modified Indian slide guitar, combining acoustic and electronic sounds and layered overtones. He is joined by cellist Mayu Shviro and double bassist David Michaeli.

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.

A veteran bluesman that can hold his head high next to our neighbors to the south, Martin Goyette made his bones with an undeniable and incredible voice. Powerful, whisky-throated and raw, it drives home the sound, twinned with his super-watt harmonica playing. The Montreal artist arrives with songs from a new album released in 2013, Sweet Warm Jelly, a sonic jam of blues, jazz and gospel guaranteed to warm the heart. In 2002, he won Le Prix de la Relève at Festiblues International de Montréal leading the formation Riverside Blues. Then he toured France as an opening act for Mr. Bob Walsh. More recently, Martin played the Montreal International Jazz Festival, Sherblues Festival, au Tremblant International Blues Festival, Trois-Rivières en Blues, Joliette’s October Blues or as an opening act for the prince of soul and funk, Lee Fields.

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, Malagasy power trio Toko Telo, combines dazzling musicianship with sparkling compositions inspired by their shared southern Madagascar roots, featuring the soulful voice of Monika Njava and dexterously interweaving guitar wizardry from D’Gary and Joël Rabesolo.

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.

The MotorMusic Studios in Mechelen, Belgium, attract many great musicians to the city. A wide variety of visiting international jazz musicians share their art of making jazz music with us in the DJAZZ series ‘Belgium Sessions’. In these sessions, some of Europe’s finest musicians perform their own, original music. This episode is all about the Habanera Duo, which sprung from a meeting of minds between flutist Marc Grauwels and accordion player Christophe Delporte, around their shared passion for the Argentine tango and the music of Ástor Piazzolla. After hearing how well their instruments blended, these two musicians founded the Habanera Duo. The duo offers the audience an eclectic repertoire that is simultaneously refined and audacious. Expect a beautiful hodgepodge of classical music and jazz, inspired by composers ranging from Piazzolla to Gioacchino Rossini.

Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk... these names are synonymous with the great Jazz Age. But how many people know Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, to whom we owe the recorded memory of our Jazz legends? Two German Jews who emigrated from Nazi Germany to New York "discovered" an American art form which at the time received little serious attention from mainstream America: Jazz Music. Without money or connections and speaking little English, the two men began to record practically unknown musicians, following their own taste and judgment. Today this list of artists reads like the Who-is-Who of Jazz. "Blue Note - A Story of Modern Jazz" tells the story of Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff and their record label. It is the story of the rise of Modern Jazz, of a friendship in exile and of uncompromising artistic excellence. Told by the musicians, by friends and associates and by fans of the Blue Note recordings from all walks of life, the film Blue Note recreates an era of American cultural history.

To close its 2019 edition, Jazz à la Villette pays tribute to the queen of soul Aretha Franklin, who died in the summer of 2018. The musical direction of the evening has been entrusted to Antibalas, an Afrobeat group from Brooklyn attached to the Daptones label, accompanied for the occasion by several guest singers: Bettye LaVette, José James, Alice Russell, Nona Hendryx & Zara McFarlane.

After a period at Columbia Records, Franklin signed to Atlantic Records in 1967, where she achieved her commercial acclaim and success with songs such as "Respect", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", "Spanish Harlem" and "Think". By the end of the 1960s Franklin's chart dominance soon earned her the title Queen of Soul, while at the same time she also became a symbol of black empowerment during the Civil Rights Movement.