Schedule

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.

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).

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 2023, jazzahead! paid special attention to Germany’s jazz scene and invited thirty jazz acts from all over the world to perform over the course of three days. Among the ensembles presenting themselves at jazzahead! 2023 is the Dutch AVA Trio. This Groningen-based trio is made up of Italian saxophonist Giuseppe Doronzo, Italian drummer Pino Basile, and Turkish bassist Esat Ekincioglu. Their music combines elements of improvisation, jazz, and music from the Middle East, into a satisfying, concentrated mixture.

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. Among the biggest ensembles appearing at jazzahead! 2022 is Hungary’s Modern Art Orchestra (MAO), based at the Budapest Music Center. Founded by trumpeter and composer Kornél Fekete-Kovács in 2005, each MAO member masters classical, jazz, and ethnic music, allowing the orchestra to weave in and out of genres with apparent effortless fluidity. The musicians are Kristóf Bacsó (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, flute), Dávid Ülkei (alto saxophone, clarinet), János Ávéd (tenor saxophone, flute), Árpád Dennert (tenor saxophone, clarinet), Bence Bajusznács (baritone saxophone, bass clarinet), Balázs Szalóky (trumpet), Gábor Subicz (trumpet), Zoltán Bacsa (trumpet), Zoltán Varga (French horn), Attila Korb (trombone), Gábor Barbinek (trombone), Miklós Csáthy (bass trombone), Péter Kovács (trombone), Áron Komjáti (guitar), Gábor Cseke (piano), József Barcza-Horváth (bass), László Csízi (drums), conducted by Kornél Fekete-Kovács (trumpet).

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 Swing Dealers, an ensemble that finds its roots in the swing jazz of the mid-20th century, but at the same time, it is strongly influenced by a more soulful and contemporary sound. The band evolves around saxophonist Vincent Mardens and vocalist/bassist Jean van Lint. The interaction between saxophone and vocals creates a unique and characteristic sound.

“God Bless The Child”, “Foolin’ Myself”, and “I Loves You, Porgy”: timeless songs that were made classics by the inimitable Billie Holiday. ‘Lady Day’, as her loyal friend and musical partner Lester Young nicknamed her, was a highly original jazz and pop singer. In a career that spanned most of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, she displayed an uncanny ability to convey emotion through her voice. Her vocals, which were strongly inspired by instrumental jazz, are admired for their deeply personal and intimate sound. This compilation features recordings from the 1950s of Billie Holiday singing a string of her greatest successes. Enjoy this unique footage of one of jazz’s all-time greats!

'Münchner Klaviersommer' was an annual concerts series that took place from 1981 to 1998 in Munich, Germany. Although the festival's name suggests a strong focus on piano music, it featured countless famous musicians from jazz and classical music – not just pianists. The concerts were usually held in July at The Gasteig, home of the Munich Philharmonic. In 1987, American pianist Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea was one of the artists appearing here. Together with Frank Gambale on guitar, Eric Marienthal on saxophone, John Patitucci on bass and Dave Weckl on drums, Corea performed jazz fusion with his Elektric Band - a jazz subgenre inspired by the rock music and electronic instruments of the day. The band was nominated for two Grammy Awards.

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.

In 2019, the vibrant city of Sofia, Bulgaria, hosted the International A to JazZ Festival. Among the featured acts was the trailblazing jazz trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah. This genre-defying artist captivated the audience with his eclectic “stretch music”; an approach that incorporates hip-hop and reaches back through the American canon into African percussion and its rich melodic content. Trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah’s quintet, which includes drummer Corey Fonville, percussionist Weedie Braimah, pianist Lawrence Fields, and bass guitarist Max Mucha, delivered a performance that defied boundaries and expectations.

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 1987, smooth jazz saxophonist and crowd-favorite Kenny G serenaded those attending the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague. After beginning his career in the Love Unlimited Orchestra, he now brings his own band for this hypnotic performance.

Georgie Fame, known for "Yeh, Yeh" and "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde" makes a triumphant comeback with The Blue Flames. Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames was a popular band in the UK in the '60s, celebrated for its R&B, soul, jazz, ska, and pop sounds. The training was largely inspired by ska, a popular musical style in Jamaican cafes in London at the time. It was the song "Green Onions" from the Booker T & The MG that inspired Georgie to incorporate the Hammond organ into her compositions. This performance by Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames is brimming with blues and soulful sounds that will delight the group's old and new fans.

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’.

‘Jazz a 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 2012 edition did not fall short of expectations: the lineup was filled with the biggest names in music. Among them was vocalist Gregory Porter transcends the jazz bubble. His 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.

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 artists appearing at jazzahead! 2022 is vocalist and charango player Sofia Rei. A native of Buenos Aires, Sofia Rei originally entered the conservatory there to become an opera singer. Following enriching experiences with Bobby McFerrin and the Maria Schneider Orchestra, she keeps creating daring new soundscapes that blend South American folk with pop, electronic music, and improvisation. She is joined by JC Maillard (guitar, bass, electronics), Sabrina Romero (percussion and vocals), and Jorge Glem (cuatro).

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 DZ’OB, an electro-acoustic ensemble from Dnipro, Ukraine. Bandleader Oleksii Badin, who emphasizes the importance of continuing artistic endeavors in Ukraine, leads a group that is known for its innovative fusion of genres, including jazz, classical music, IDM, techno, and dubstep. DZ’OB believes in the power of music as a supportive tool: “We musicians can and must use music as a tool and help those who need support.” DZ’OB includes Oleksii Starshynov (bassoon), Vasyl Starshynov (oboe), Iryna Li (violin), Oleksii Badin (cello, electronics), and Andrii Yarovyi (drums).

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.

To celebrate the release of Django, the Parisian New Morning Club pays tribute to the legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt. The program showcases the magic of Reinhardt’s compositions, as well as the virtuosity of one of his most famous heirs: Stochelo Rosenberg. With unbridled passion and enthusiasm, Rosenberg interprets the music that marked French musical heritage: gypsy jazz. Rosenberg cultivates an exceptional technique with a unique vibrato and sets an example for guitarists and other instrumentalists who aim to keep music alive. On stage at New Morning Club, Rosenberg is supported by Hono Winterstein (guitar), Mathias Levy (violin), Rocky Gresset (guitar), and Xavier Nikqi (double bass).

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.

“God Bless The Child”, “Foolin’ Myself”, and “I Loves You, Porgy”: timeless songs that were made classics by the inimitable Billie Holiday. ‘Lady Day’, as her loyal friend and musical partner Lester Young nicknamed her, was a highly original jazz and pop singer. In a career that spanned most of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, she displayed an uncanny ability to convey emotion through her voice. Her vocals, which were strongly inspired by instrumental jazz, are admired for their deeply personal and intimate sound. This compilation features recordings from the 1950s of Billie Holiday singing a string of her greatest successes. Enjoy this unique footage of one of jazz’s all-time greats!

Two top-tier Belgian musicians – guitarist Philip Catherine and bassist Jean-Louis Rassinfosse – accompany American jazz trumpeter and vocalist Chet Baker during this 1985 performance at the beautiful Brussels Jazz Club, located on the Grand-Place, the Belgian capital’s central square. The trio plays Charlie Mariano’s “Crystal Bells”, the title track of their acclaimed 1983 album. Other songs played during this legendary concert include “Down” and “How Deep is the Ocean”.

This recording brings a great performance by Larry Graham & Graham Central Station from Bataclan in Paris. Numerous ‘funkateers’ came together to cheer the bass player and funk hero. In the sixties, Graham was mainly known for his work with Sly and the Family Stone, the popular and influential psychedelic soul and funk band. As founder and front man of Graham Central Station he has also enjoyed a successful solo career. It is often said that Graham pioneered the art of slap-pop playing on the electric bass, which has become a staple of modern funk. During this Paris performance, Graham shows he is one of the heroes of funk!

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 the quartet of Mongolian pianist Shuteen Erdenebaatar. Jazz blog Marlbank described her quartet’s debut album as having a “stand-out-a-mile in the crowd factor.” Shuteen Erdenebaatar (piano) performs with Nils Kugelmann (bass), Valentin Renner (drums), and Anton Mangold (saxophone, flute).

Pioneering folk/pop quartet The Brothers Four was formed in 1957 by University of Washington fraternity brothers Bob Flick (upright bass, vocals), Mike Kirkland (guitar, banjo, vocals), John Paine (guitar, vocals) and Richard Foley (guitar, vocals). Their consistently smooth, warm, and lush harmonies set The Brothers Four apart from others. They turned professional as a result of a practical joke. A member of a competing fraternity arranged for a woman to telephone the band members, identifying herself as the secretary to the manager of Seattle's Colony Club and inviting the quartet down for an audition. As soon as The Brothers Four got there, they found that there was no invitation or any audition scheduled – but since they were there anyway, the club manager asked them to play a few songs and ended up hiring them. A few years later, The Brothers Four appeared at a short-lived Belgian jazz festival in Comblain-la-Tour, where they sang the entire book of American Folk Songs.