Schedule

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. In 2019, one of these artists is the legendary bluesman Lucky Peterson, master of the blues guitar and Hammond organ, who celebrates 50 years on stage. Peterson is accompanied by his band The Organization, augmented by the talented vocalist Tamara Tramell. In a singular performance, she offers a fascinating mix of southern soul and modern R&B, exploring the limits of blues and funk.

Considered one of the most technically brilliant players in the history of the trumpet, jazz musician Wynton Marsalis is also a master of classical music and a fine composer. Marsalis takes the cameras with him around New York, to his home town of New Orleans, and to his rehearsal studios where he and his assembled band of musicians are seen putting together the album Blood on the Fields. He also talks about his music and his way of working.

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.

'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 1997, American pianist Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea was one of the artists appearing here. He performed a set with longtime duet partner, vibraphonist Gary Burton. This concert was a reunion of sorts for the two, who had not appeared as a duo for many years, and the first of many more joint performances to come. Today, both musicians have more than earned their jazz legend status.

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, an outstanding lineup played shoulder-to-shoulder at the 7th Newport Jazz Festival held in Rotterdam's then-recently built concert venue De Doelen. These four masterful groups consisted of alto saxophonist "Cannonball" Adderley and his quintet (Nat Adderley on cornet, George Duke on keyboards, Walter Booker on bass, and Roy McCurdy on drums), Hammond organist Jimmy Smith and his band (Art Farmer on flugelhorn, Illinois Jacquet on tenor saxophone, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Clark Terry on trumpet, and Roy Haynes on drums), pianist Dave Brubeck and his trio (Jack Six on bass, Alan Dawson on drums) with accompaniment from Paul Desmond on alto saxophone and Gerry Mulligan on baritone saxophone, and bassist Charles Mingus and his group (Joe Gardner on trumpet, Hamiet Bluiett on baritone saxophone, John Foster on piano, Roy Brooks on drums) with the great high-note trumpeter Cat Anderson as a guest.

Legendary free jazz pianist Burton Greene rose to fame in New York City's free jazz scene of the 1960s. Exploring various spontaneous improvisational styles, Greene performs live at Cafe OTO in London, UK.

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 artists performing here in 2019 is Al Di Meola. This pioneering guitarist blends world music, rock and jazz. His ongoing fascination for complex rhythmic syncopation, combined with provocative lyrical melodies and sophisticated harmony, has been at the heart of his music throughout a celebrated career. The Grammy Award-winner has achieved international fame both as a solo artist and due to his collaborations with the world's biggest artists.

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.

Lugano Estival Jazz is an annual open-air music festival that takes place over five days at the picturesque city of Lugano, Switzerland. Since 1979, this musical Mecca has been a must-attend event for all jazz and world music fans worldwide. On July 3, 1986, American pianist and composer Keith Jarrett is joined by bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette at Estival Jazz Lugano. Known as the Standards Trio, they put on an enthralling performance that shows these master musicians at their best.

The world-renowned North Sea Jazz Festival features a wide variety of genres, including traditional New Orleans jazz, swing, bop, free jazz, fusion, avant-garde and electronic jazz, blues, gospel, funk, soul, R&B, hip hop, world beat and Latin. The festival was founded by entrepreneur and jazz fan Paul Acket, who sold his highly successful pop magazine publishing house to organize and fund the first edition of the festival in 1976. This broadcast from the North Sea Jazz Archives presents a compilation with music of George Benson & Kenny G.

Decades after the 1930s swing era came to an end, one of its giants, pianist Teddy Wilson (1912–1986), kept the flame of this music alive during countless international concert tours. During a hectic spring tour of Europe, the acclaimed pianist appeared at Geneva’s Théâtre de l’Atelier on March 21, 1969. Before Wilson’s concert, Swiss actor Jean Landier recorded an episode of Radio Télévision Suisse’s program ‘Variétés: Jasons Jazz’ with him. After a brief but insightful interview, Teddy Wilson performed ‘After You've Gone’ and ‘Body and Soul’, both with the local rhythm tandem of drummer Peter Giger and double bassist Isla Eckinger. This broadcast is a priceless document of masterful jazz piano in the best of taste.

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 was 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.

Instead of children’s songs, the sound of jazz standards was always present. They practiced intricate drum rhythms instead of Bach etudes: Simon Oslender and Jérôme Cardynaals have jazz running through their veins! Under the name ‘Twogether’ both youngsters celebrate a very unique and soulful style of funky blues-jazz. They create a sound that leaves even renowned jazz artists speechless. The two, exceptionally talented boys met in a youth big band, and before long they became a musical team. Immediately after that, they won the first prize in the Prinses Christina Jazz Concours in Amsterdam, which got the whole thing started. In this concert, they perform with wonderful artists such as the Dutch saxophonist Benjamin Herman and the American vocalist Madeline Bell.

Swedish pianist Jacob Karlzon is joined by Danish bassist Morten Ramsbøl and Swedish drummer Rasmus Kihlberg at the Steinway piano factory in Hamburg to present their album ‘Open Waters’. Karlzon, a classically trained pianist who shared a stage with Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone, and Billy Cobham keeps the rich tradition of Swedish jazz eclecticism alive. Back in 2012, Karlzon explored the world of heavy metal, after that allowing electronic elements to set the pulse.

As part of the International Duke Ellington Conference 2014, we welcome the Concert Big Band of the Conservatory of Amsterdam for a special concert. Under the direction of David Berger, they will play Duke Ellington’s only written big band symphony, ‘Black, Brown and Beige’. It has been more than 70 years since Ellington’s “B, B & B” was played in its entirety during its premiere at Carnegie Hall (New York). Duke Ellington said the following about it: “We thought we wouldn’t play it in its entirety tonight because it represents an awfully long and important story and that I don’t think too many people are familiar with the story. This is the one we dedicate to the 700 Negroes who came from Haiti to save Savannah during the Revolutionary War.” Jazz composer, trumpeter, arranger and conductor David Berger is internationally recognized as the expert on Duke Ellington's music and music from the swing era. From 1988 to 1994, he worked for the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra where he transcribed more than 500 pieces by Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.

The veritable tombak virtuosos of Trio Chemirani, consisting of Chemirani Senior and Juniors, enrapture the Festival de Saintes. The tombak is a Persian percussion instrument, but its rhythms are universal. The Trio Chemirani’s music is accessible to all and will certainly resound with each listener. The members of the trio, Djamchid Chemirani (born in Teheran in 1942) and his two sons and pupils Keyvan and Bijan, are living in France. Their concert performances bring them all over the world, as they explore the endless potential of their Persian percussion instruments. The trio finds also inspiration in Mediterranean modal music and jazz. These three musicians, who might well be thought of as poets, are in search of a common language that connects several cultures.

Coleman Hawkins: Live in '62 presents two incredible concerts featuring stellar European and American legendary side-musicians including Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison on trumpet and drummer ‘Papa’ Jo Jones. Coleman Hawkins, ‘The Father of Jazz Saxophone,’ demonstrates why he is still considered one of the most important innovators in the history of jazz.