Rufus Hound to be Perfectly Frank on Jazz FM
Comedian and Sinatra fan Rufus Hound, Marcus Miller, Jarrod Lawson and Family Tormé line-up for Jazz FM's star studded Christmas schedule.
The halls are fully decked at Jazz FM as the UK’s jazz, blues and soul station announces a packed schedule of holiday treats, including a programme fronted by actor, comedian, singer and writer, Rufus Hound.
Central to this year’s offerings, self-confessed Frank-ophile Rufus will be celebrating 100 years of Frank Sinatra in a programme called “Perfectly Frank” on Christmas Day at 6pm. Rufus (who starred in BBC1’s ‘Our Way’ earlier in the year and more recently in ‘Doctor Who’) will introduce choices from fellow admirers, along with the results countdown from a recent Jazz FM listener poll to find the nation’s favourite Sinatra song which closed on what would have been Frank's birthday on 12th December.
Rufus Hound commented “Being part of Jazz FM’s celebration of Frank Sinatra’s centenary along with their phenomenal christmas schedule is an honour for me. Having been a fan of Frank for more years than I can remember, I can’t wait to play an hour of his music and find out what the public have voted as number 1, although it better have something from my favourite Sinatra album of all time ‘Live at The Sands’. If not, there’ll be hell to pay!”
Other highlights this year include a special Christmas Eve jazz and carol concert recorded in Chelsea’s Holy Trinity Church for the charity ‘Children and The Arts’. This will feature music from vocalist Rebecca Ferguson and saxophonist YolanDa Brown, plus special festive readings from actors Brian Blessed and Ronni Ancona.
On Christmas Day Afternoon, Jazz FM will visit the Hollywood hills with James and Daisy Tormé. They will offer up an American-style family Christmas with great music and some star guests dropping in, plus a celebration of their father Mel Tormé who famously wrote ‘The Christmas Song’ 70 years ago. Christmas Day also sees the welcome return of Jamie Crick’s Christmas Requests at 4pm.
Singer Joe Stilgoe and novelist (and jazz fan) Ian Rankin OBE will guest-present ‘Dinner Jazz’ on Christmas and Boxing Days respectively while David Freeman raids Jazz FM’s 25 year old archive and revisits some of the interviews he has gained over the years; from Nina Simone and Donald Byrd nearly 20 years ago to Sir Van Morrison at Love Supreme Festival earlier this year.
On December 31st, we say goodbye to 2015 with an 8-hour non-stop jazz funk party as ‘Funky Sensation’ returns, including a set from US soul sensation Jarrod Lawson who DJs alongside other Jazz FM presenters. In the morning, listeners will wake up in style with Claire Anderson’s ‘Late Lounge Breakfast’, then Grammy award winning bassist Marcus Miller, who takes over the New Year’s Day midmorning programme from 10am.
For more information visit our Christmas programme page here.