Jazz FM - Established 1990

A warm welcome from Nick Pitts (Jazz FM's Content Director):

"May I be the first to welcome you the digital home of Jazz FM’s 30th-anniversary celebrations.

Jazz FM was established on-air on 4th March 1990. It’s hard to believe that so much amazing jazz, soul and blues has been broadcast to such a music-loving audience. Although we launched on that date, let’s take a moment to think back slightly earlier, and to this exact time of the year, 30 years ago…

By August 1989 “Jazz London Radio” had been awarded the contract to broadcast across the capital city from the then Radio Authority as one of the first-ever “incremental licences” advertised and awarded across the UK. Jazz FM (along with Sunset Radio, Sunrise Radio, XFM and Choice FM) was to be one of the first commercial radio stations to launch in London in over 18 years with the last being that for Capital Radio which launched in October 1973.

So, back to January 1990, there were a group of people frantically now working to try and build the brand new “Jazz radio station for London”. They’d just returned from a Christmas break (which let’s face it, probably was very short for those involved) and were now frantically putting the final touches to the setup – finding and kitting out studios and employing the 42-strong team of staff and presenters. This frantic pace continued right until the night before launch – all of the presenters of the time talk about the studios only being in full working order just in time for Diana Luke to welcome London to “102.2 Jazz FM” and play them Early in the Morning by vocalist Joe Williams.

Over the next 12 months, this area of JazzFM.com will be full of so many delights for even the most latent of Jazz FM fans, more so AFTER our actual birthday in March. We’ll have blog posts from current and previous members of the team, special surprises and unearthed audio to remind you just how important Jazz FM is to the UK jazz music and broadcast landscape, plus trailblazing programmes and videos that will be central to our celebrations. Watch this space.

We hope you enjoy the time with us as we celebrate playing 30 years of the world’s greatest jazz, soul and blues, from the world’s greatest artists."

Jazz FM… Established 1990.

My Jazz FM:

They were there at the start and are still part of it today. Listen to Chris Philips, Helen Mayhew and Jez Nelson tell the stories of the early days of Jazz FM, plus play the music that has influenced their presentation over the last 30 years as we start our landmark anniversary celebrations.

Nina Simone, Donald Byrd and Van Morrison

We delved into the archive to revisit interviews with iconic artists. Across a three-part series, we returned to three special interviews conducted by David Freeman from the past thirty years - Nina Simone, Donald Byrd and Van Morrison.

Hugh Masekela

‘When Sarah Ward met Hugh Masekela’ - a chance to revisit this archive interview when the iconic musician and civil rights campaigner came to Jazz FM in 2015.

Our Birthday Programmes - 4th March 2020

Our Opening Moments

These are the opening moments of our 30th birthday celebrations, just before 6am on the 4th of March:

Our First Day

Thanks to the ‘Save our Sounds’ Project at the British Library, dive into the rich soundscape that was our first day of transmission! An hour of audio from the first day that hasn’t been heard since day one.; featuring the presenters, interviews and music – even adverts!

Somethin' Else at 30

Jez Nelson and Chris Philips re-unite for a special edition of the show they co-founded back in 1990. 30 years since its inception, join Chris and Jez for one night only for a LIVE celebration of the show, fit with special guest appearances from the likes of Giles Peterson and Julian Joseph, plus messages from listeners and archive audio of conversations with legendary bebop saxophonists Johnny Griffin and James Moody.

Ella Fitzgerald Jazz FM interview and performance with the Count Basie Big Band

Listen in to uncovered archive interview with Ms Fitzgerald, conducted by George Reid, as featured on Jazz FM Breakfast at the Weekend with Nigel Williams.

Revisit the iconic moment when Jazz FM launched in March 1990, with help from Ella Fitzgerald and the Count Basie Big Band.

Comedian and jazz fan Marcus Brigstocke's 'Jazz Family Trees'

As part of our 30th anniversary, comedian and jazz fan joining Jazz FM for a series of programmes in which he turns on full-on-jazz-geek and looks at 'Jazz Family Trees', whereby he takes an artist and then - much like the game ‘six degrees of separation’ - will show how jazz is a truly collaborative art form with the artists constantly working with each other.

You can listen to all the shows here.

David Bowie - Jazz Genie

Back in January 2016, jazz musician Neil Cowley recorded a special programme, celebrating the life of David Bowie - a jazz musician favourite - shortly after he died. In this repeat, you’ll hear tributes from Robert Glasper, composer Maria Schneider, drummer Dylan Howe, Ian Shaw and Bowie's long-time jazz pianist Mike Garson.

You listen to the programme here: