BBC Music Jazz returns November 10th

BBC Music and Jazz FM have announced the return of BBC Music Jazz, a pop-up radio station, running from 10th - 14th November 2016 for five days of broadcasting during the EFG London Jazz Festival.

Last year saw the inaugural run of the temporary station, with 41 hours over four days. This year’s pop-up is bigger in ambition and scale, with a marathon 96 hours of continuous content.

A collaboration between BBC Music, BBC Radio and Jazz FM, the 2016 pop-up sees commercial and public service broadcaster come together for a diverse range of the best jazz music for all. It will feature all-star presenters, and performers, archive gems, live concerts from EFG London Jazz Festival in partnership with BBC Radio 3, bespoke content from BBC Radio 2, 3, 4, 6 Music, BBC Radio Scotland and Jazz FM. 

A star-studded roster of presenters including Gregory Porter, Laura Mvula, Neil Cowley, Joe Stilgoe, Cerys Matthews, Jamie Cullum, Soweto Kinch, Jools Holland, Jay Rayner, Julian Joseph and Claire Martin, plus Jazz FM's own Helen Mayhew, Chris Philips and Jez Nelson amongst others.

Alongside programmes from BBC jazz presenters Jazz FM’s programming include evenings celebrating great jazz icons Quincy Jones and Cleo Laine.

There’s also a chance to hear again January’s tribute to The Starman in David Bowie Jazz Genie, which looked at the influence of Bowie on generations of jazz musicians, and at the influence jazz had over Bowie’s music. Joe Stilgoe will be bringing his highly successful touring show Songs on Film to BBC Music Jazz with a programme called Jazz On Film whilst the Jazz FM Archive is put to it’s test to present some of the highlights from the first 26 years. 

There will be special editions of TransAtlantic Jazz with Marcus Miller, True Brit with Helen Mayhew, The Performance Series with Ruth Fisher, The Blueprint with Chris Philips and Somethin’ Else with Jez Nelson. There will also be another pioneering joint programme presented by Helen Mayhew and Radio 3’s Geoffrey Smith counting down the Top 50 Jazz Albums of all time.

Jazz FM’s CEO Jonathan Arendt said, “It’s a privilege to be working with BBC Music and Radio 3 again following our ground-breaking collaboration in 2015 with the EFG London Jazz Festival. This year’s pop-up digital radio station will reflect the tangible increase in popularity for jazz across the UK over the last year.  We are delighted that the station will include substantially more content from Jazz FM with specially commissioned shows and some of our most popular archive material”.