Jazz FM's festive and New Year's schedule
George Benson and Chick Corea featured on 'The Music That Made Me', alongside many hours of special programmes
Last updated 11th Mar 2021
We closed our 30th anniversary year with hundreds of hours of special programmes over the Christmas and New Year period.
Artist takeovers:
Our festive schedule saw artist takeovers on Dinner Jazz featuring Katie Melua (Christmas Eve) and Melody Gardot (Christmas Day), plus a Boxing Day special with soul sensation Jarrod Lawson alongside our Christmas mainstays like Sarah Ward’s Christmas Collection (Christmas Eve) and Jamie Crick’s Christmas Day Requests.
Then, China Moses spent Christmas Day as most people did – virtually with her mum on Zoom, who happens to be Grammy-winning vocalist Dee Dee Bridgerwater!
The Music That Made Me returns:
Elsewhere, there were new episodes of the highly acclaimed The Music That Made Me series with Chick Corea on Christmas Day and George Benson on Boxing Day.
Live music and sessions:
Live music also played an important role with 4 hours of live music on Christmas Day night featuring exclusive live (and in some cases festive) performances from the likes of Jamie Cullum, Warren Wolf, Stacey Kent, Kermit Ruffins, Kurt Elling, Jazz FM Award’s Vocalist of 2020 winner Judi Jackson and many more.
Throughout New Year’s Eve, we revealed 'Jazz FM’s Top 100 Artists', as chosen by you!
Then, we were treated with another star led show, The Sister Sledge Takeover!
And with the prospect of a New Year’s Eve at home for most, Robbie Vincent returned to present a live New Year’s Eve Party seeing in 2021, which was followed by a Northern Soul Dancehall Party hosted by the pre-eminent Northern Soul DJ Richard Searling BEM.
New Year's Day:
Finally, on New Year’s Day, the station was handed over to its late-night weekend curators when Jez Nelson, Ruth Fisher, Tony Minvielle, Chris Philips and Tim Garcia takeover daytime, showcasing the amazing music they find and present each week.
Jazz FM's Christmas and New Year's Full Schedule:
21st – 27th December 2020
Monday 21st December
As normal except…
1800-1900 – Est.1990: The Music That Made Me with Dee Dee Bridgewater (Originally broadcast August 2020)
2200-2300 – Est.1990: Our First Day. Relive Jazz FM’s first day from 5th March 1990 with archive recordings exclusively from the British Library’s vaults (Originally broadcast March 2020)
2300-2400 – Est.1990: Marcus Brigstocke’s Jazz Family Trees – Art Blakey (Originally broadcast April 2020)
2400-0100 – Est.1990: Marcus Brigstocke’s Jazz Family Trees – Miles Davis (Originally broadcast April 2020)
Tuesday 22nd December
As normal except…
1800-1900 – Est.1990: The Music That Made Me with Ramsey Lewis (Originally broadcast August 2020)
2200-2300 – Est.1990: Best of the Birthday. A look back at the guests who joined us on air for our 30th birthday back in March (Originally broadcast March 2020)
2300-2400 – Est.1990: Marcus Brigstocke’s Jazz Family Trees – Sidney Bechet (Originally broadcast April 2020)
2400-0100 – Est.1990: Marcus Brigstocke’s Jazz Family Trees – Jutta Hipp (Originally broadcast April 2020)
Wednesday 23rd December
As normal except…
1800-1900 – Est.1990: The Music That Made Me with Norah Jones (Originally broadcast September 2020)
2200-2300 – Jazz FM Voices present Renell Shaw’s Windrush Suite. A chance to hear our Black History Month special presentation of this specially commissioned piece of music, hosted by Orphy Robinson MBE. (Originally broadcast October 2020)
2300-2400 – Est.1990: Marcus Brigstocke’s Jazz Family Trees – Blossom Dearie (Originally broadcast May 2020)
2400-0100 – Est.1990: Marcus Brigstocke’s Jazz Family Trees – Dr John (Originally broadcast May 2020)
CHRISTMAS EVE – Thursday 24th December
As normal except…
1800-1900 – Est.1990: The Music That Made Me with Gregory Porter (Originally broadcast September 2020)
1900-2100 – Dinner Jazz with Katie Melua. The jazz loving composer and vocalist presents a special edition of Dinner Jazz
2100-2400 – Sarah Ward’s Christmas Collection. Sarah presents three hours of relaxing jazz and global sounds to take us into Christmas Day
2400-0200 – Christmas Day Late Lab – Anne Frankenstein searches high and low for unusual Christmas jazz
CHRISTMAS DAY – Friday 25th December
0600-1000 – Jazz FM Christmas Day Breakfast with Nia Visser
1000-1300 – Nigel Williams
1300-1500 – Jamie Crick’s Christmas Day Requests as the listeners choose the playlist
1500-1800 – China Moses with Dee Dee Bridgewater - China Moses spends Christmas Day as most people will be – with her mum on Zoom. The only difference is mum is a Grammy winning jazz legend and they will be presenting a mother and daughter show together on Jazz FM!
1800-1900 – Music That Made Me on Christmas Day – in conversation with Grammy winner Chick Corea and the songs that inspired him to be the world-beating musician
1900-2100 – Dinner Jazz with Melody Gardot
2100-0100 – Christmas Night Live – with 4 hours of Live Music from either sessions or full concerts, all exclusive to Jazz FM, featuring Jamie Cullum, Kurt Elling, Judi Jackson and so many more
BOXING DAY – Saturday 26th December
As normal except…
1300-1500 – Soul voice Jarrod Lawson selects the songs in the special Boxing Day takeover
1500-1800 – YolanDa Brown on Boxing Day
1800-1900 – Music That Made Me on Boxing Day – the legendary George Benson talks about his life as a musician through the songs that inspired him to be the George Benson we know and love
1900-2100 - Dinner Jazz with Stacey Kent
2100-2200 – Space Is The Place – our final omnibus instalment in this series of our drama featuring the life of Sun Ra in 5 acts
2200-2300 – Tony Minvielle's LA Lockdown. Tony Minvielle revisits the west coast jazz scene one year on and understands how they continued to be a creative hub throughout the pandemic
2300-0100 – The Blueprint Presents: Beth Hopkins and Jelly Cleaver. Musicians and members of Tomorrow’s Warriors Beth and Jelly share their favourite releases of 2020. Plus, new sounds to look out for in 2021.
Sunday 27th December
As normal except…
2200-0100 – Est.1990 – The Herbie Sessions. Chris Philips and Jez Nelson (from the day one line up in 1990) revisit one of their very innovative broadcasts from the first years of Jazz FM’s Life – The Herbie Sessions plays his back catalogue non-stop with thought and archive interview from two of our original broadcasters.
28th December 2020 – 1st January 2021
Monday 28th December
As normal except…
1800-1900 – Jazz on the Corner 2 with Martin Freeman and Eddie Pillar. A chance to hear the conversation with Hollywood A-lister Martin and Acid-Jazz’s Eddie Pillar talk us through their record collecting and second compilation album from April (Originally broadcast April 2020)
2100-2200 – Est.1990: Blues People – 100 Years of The Blues. Part 1. A chance to hear David Freeman’s look at a century of blues music. (Originally broadcast June 2020)
2200-2400 – Jazz FM’s Virtual Jazz Festival. A chance to relive the highlights of Easter’s virtual festival, recorded in the homes of the musicians at the height of UK lockdown (Originally broadcast April 2020)
Tuesday 29th December
As normal except…
1800-1900 – Lord Sebastian Coe’s Jazz. He’s known as a world record-breaking sports man and the driving force behind London 2012, but few know that Lord Coe is a jazz head! Ruth Fisher finds out. (Originally broadcast December 2020)
2100-2200 – Est.1990: Blues People – 100 Years of The Blues. Part 2. A chance to hear David Freeman’s look at a century of blues music (Originally broadcast June 2020)
2200-2400 – Est.1990: Live at Ronnie Scott’s. The highlights of 4 weeks of summer concerts brought to use by Ronnie Scott’s in celebration of 30 years of live music on Jazz FM (Originally broadcast July 2020)
Wednesday 30th December
As normal except…
1800-1900 – Jazz FM Awards 2020 highlights. Held as a Covid Secure event at Ronnie Scott’s in October, hear the winners and performances in a repeat of the highlights programme. (Originally broadcast October 2020)
2100-2200 – Est.1990: Blues People – 100 Years of The Blues. Part 3. The final part of David Freeman’s look at a century of blues music (Originally broadcast June 2020)
2200-2400 – Love Supreme Revisited. With no Love Supreme Jazz Festival in 2020, enjoy the highlights of six hours of 7 years previous Love Supreme Festival’s that brought the festival to the back garden including performances from James Taylor Quartet, Go Go Penguin, Moonchild, Ezra Collective and Avery Sunshine. (Originally broadcast July 2020)
NEW YEAR’S EVE – Thursday 31st December
As normal except…
0900 – 1800 – Jazz FM’s Top 100 Artists. We’ve asked the listeners who the 100 most important Jazz FM artists of all time are. Nigel Williams, Anne Frankenstein and Jamie Crick count them down.
1800-2000 – The Sister Sledge Takeover. Debbie Sledge, daughter Camille Sledge and longtime member Tanya Tiet from one of the world’s original “girl groups” do it for the sisterhood with two hours of female-only jazz-funk tunes as they get us ready to party at home for New Years Eve 2020.
2000-0030 – Robbie Vincent’s New Year’s Eve Party. With no big parties to go too to celebrate the new year, Robbie Vincent provides the soundtrack live with listener interaction via Social Media
0030-0300 – Richard Searling’s Dancehall Party. Stomping into 2021 with Northern Soul and Motown with the UK’s pre-eminent Northern Soul curator and DJ.
0300-0600 – Late Lab New Year. Anne Frankenstein continues the party
NEW YEAR’S DAY – Friday 1st January 2021
NIGHT IN DAY on JAZZ FM
Jazz FM’s night-owls take control of the schedule to showcase their music and curations that you can hear late nights each weekend.
0600-0900 – Tony Minvielle
0900-1200 – Jez Nelson
1200-1500 – Ruth Fisher
1500-1800 – Chris Philips
1800-2100 – Tim Garcia