Schedule

‘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.

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. The Dave Brubeck Quartet gave an unforgettable performance at the North Sea Jazz Festival of 1982. The open-eared American pianist was one of the first to weave elements from both classical and African music into his improvisations and compositions. Known the world over for the million-selling 1961 crossover hit ‘Take Five’, the earlier, third stream-like output of his late 1940s Octet shows the origins of this ever-adventurous artist. Original Dave Brubeck Octet clarinettist Bill Smith (1926-2020) joined Brubeck for his 1982 North Sea Jazz Festival concert.

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.

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.

Pianist Kenny Barron’s June 27, 2019 appearance at the Alfa Jazz Festival in Ukraine’s Lviv was a celebration of sublime jazz virtuosity. The revered elder statesmen of jazz piano brought his regular working trio of Kiyoshi Kitagawa (bass) and Jonathan Blake (drums), augmented by stellar jazzman Marcus Strickland (tenor saxophone) and young lion Riley Mulherkar (trumpet). Their seamless blend of classic bebop and modern explorations spoke of a deep, emotive connection to each note, captivating the Ukrainian audience with lyrical improvisations during this unforgettable concert.

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 vintage program, ‘Jazz Marmalade’, shows expatriate American musicians plying their trade in two Parisian jazz clubs in 1962. First, American stride pianist Joe Turner (often confused with blues shouter ‘Big’ Joe Turner) opens this atmospheric broadcast with a swinging piano-bass duet recorded at the Mars Club. Joe Turner (1907–1990) would remain in Paris for the rest of his life. From the American-owned Mars Club just off the Champs-Élysées, a hangout for showbiz people and expatriate Americans in Paris, the program cuts to the Blue Note. There, a Paris-based American quartet that includes drummer Kenny Clarke, organ player Lou Bennett, and tenor saxophonist Don Byas performs ‘Salut Les Copines’. Returning to the Mars Club, the American jazz trio of house pianist Art Simmons (1926–2018) performs a jaunty take on ‘C-Jam Blues’. Rounding off the program at the Blue Note, the quartet of drummer Kenny Clarke, organist Lou Bennett, and tenor saxophonist Don Byas returns for a swinging ‘April in Paris’. These recordings offer an invaluable glimpse into expatriate American jazz-making in Paris in the early 1960s.

Steven Gene Wold, commonly known as Seasick Steve, (born circa 1941) is an American bluesman, although he prefers to be called "a song and dance man". He plays guitars (mostly personalized), and sings, usually about his early life living rough and doing casual work.

Join us for an insightful look at the creative process of saxophonist Michael Blicher, organist Dan Hemmer, and drummer Steve Gadd as they craft the repertoire for their acclaimed 2016 album "Omara." Following in the footsteps of legendary organists like Jimmy Smith, Shirley Scott, and Jimmy McGriff, organist Dan Hemmer and his two musical peers prove that the organ trio format continues to be a force to be reckoned with in jazz and beyond. The album “Omara,” recorded live during their 2016 tour of Germany, England and Denmark, captures the trio’s unique blend of jazz, soul, and blues in performance at some of Europe’s most intimate jazz clubs. Witness the passion, dedication, and inspiration that led to this wonderful album in ‘Blicher Hemmer Gadd – The Making of “Omara”’.

This broadcast is the first part of a concert performed by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, recorded at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris in December 1959. Co-founded in the early 1950s by American jazz drummer Art Blakey and pianist Horace Silver, this hard bop ensemble performed and recorded until Blakey died in 1990. Many jazz greats got their start in this band, including trumpeters Lee Morgan and Wynton Marsalis, saxophonists Benny Golson and Wayne Shorter, pianists Joanne Brackeen and Keith Jarrett.

Explore the music of one of the most influential and innovative saxophonists in jazz history: John Coltrane! Immerse yourself in this collection of remarkable performances from the early 1960s that showcase Coltrane's unparalleled artistry and unique sound during a transformative period in the artist’s career. Recorded in various European cities, Coltrane is seen playing the songs “Autumn Leaves”, “Hackensack”, “My Favorite Things”, “I Want To Talk About You”, “Vigil”, and “Naima”. Tune in and experience why the music of John Coltrane has touched the lives of so many!