Tune in to Jamie's radio show on 7th February to hear Jamie interviewing Sir Paul McCartney for a special, in-depth interview about Sir Paul’s love of jazz! The two discuss how elements of jazz such as improvisation have affected the way Paul writes music, from his days of studio spontaneity in The Beatles’ to the current day, where Paul is releasing an collection of original compositions and standards that he grew up listening to. BBC Radio 2, 7pm.
These Are The Days by Jamie Cullum (written by Ben Cullum) was used in American TV show 'Unforgettable' last week. The series follows a police detective with an unusually detailed memory and is on the CBS Network.
May 2012 sees the return of the ever-popular and ground-breaking Cheltenham Jazz Festival, one of the country’s most celebrated musical events and an absolute highlight of the arts calendar for spring this year.
Always a hit with both audiences and artists, the Cheltenham Jazz Festival prides itself on offering a wonderful range of musicians from across the world of jazz and related music, and 2012 is no exception. Audiences will be treated to the exceptional guitarist Bill Frisell, making a welcome return to the festival; jazz, funk and soul from master bassist Marcus Miller; the classic New York jazz sound of drummer Jeff Williams; world-class piano playing from the UK’s own John Taylor; and American sax sensation Chris Potter unveiling his collaboration with the Birmingham Conservatoire.
Cheltenham also welcomes back both Jamie Cullum as Guest Director - his involvement with the festival in recent years has proved an unparalleled success - and Paloma Faith as Artist In Residence. As well as performing a special one-off concert with trumpeter Guy Barker, Paloma will also be inviting some of her favourite artists to perform and exploring the link between film and music with a range of personally chosen film noir screenings. And of course, no Cheltenham Jazz Festival would be complete without BBC Radio 2’s Friday Night Is Music Night, broadcast live on Friday 4th May and celebrating the life and music of the great Ray Charles.
This is just a small taster of what’s to come at the 2012 festival, with more names from the full line-up to be announced in the coming weeks. Keep an eye on the Festival’s official website for more details: www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/jazz
Booking for Cheltenham Festivals Members opens on Monday 13th February.
This week Jamie Cullum features British jazz composer and pianist Zoe Rahman who will be performing tracks from her forthcoming album Kindred Spirits in session at the BBC Maida Vale studios.
As well as her personal music projects, Zoe Rahman works with the likes of Courtney Pine and Clark Tracey’s New Quintet plus other projects within the UK jazz scene and abroad. Tune in from 7pm on BBC Radio 2 on Tuesday night!
Head over to http://www.facebook.com/wrennemusic to check out a new song from Wrenne called 'Gotta Go'.
Here at AirMTM we're looking forward to a host of great new releases in the opening months of 2012, and high up the list is 'OC DC' from Get The Blessing.
Released on 5th March via Naim Label, 'OC DC' is the band's third long-player and continues to showcase their love of irreverent jazzy post-rock. Bassist Jim Barr and drummer Clive Deamer have long shared rhythm section duties with seminal trip-hop legends Portishead, and Clive has recently been hired to perform live with Radiohead as their second drummer in 2012. With a wealth of mainstream influences colliding happily with their jazz backgrounds, it's no surprise that Get The Blessing have a strong following across the board, and 'OC DC' is set should gain them many more fans in the coming year.
Catch Get The Blessing live at the Southbank for a free show on Friday 20th January 2012, with more gigs to follow.
You can now listen to Jamie interviewing Kate Bush by visiting the BBC iplayer via this link http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b017t6vd/Jamie_Cullum_06_12_2011/
The show will be available for 7 days.
Jamie interviewed platinum selling artist Eliza Doolittle this week, talking about her musical influences and her story so far - The toured together in 2010 on Jamie's UK tour. Also you can catch a duet at the end of the broadcast.
Click here to listen back to the show: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00rr86v
The Brand New Heavies, one of the most successful and enduring acts of the acid jazz scene, are celebrating their milestone 20th anniversary with two shows at Under the Bridge on December 13th and 14th. These performances will coincide with the release of The Best Of 20 Years, a 2 CD compilation documenting the band’s career to date.
Tickets from £30 and are available from www.underthebridge.co.uk.
Under the Bridge
Stamford Bridge
Fulham Road
London
SW6 1HS
On the eve of his first release, State of Art, Ben Williams is one of the most sought after bassists in the world, his resume a who's who of jazz wisdom: Wynton Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, Terence Blanchard and Roy Hargerove to name a few. Ben was the winner of the 2009 Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition, a prestigious and important award that has propelled many a promising career. Williams brings his great natural skill and determination to explore, to expand boundaries while sustaining tradition. State of Art is a mature statement stamped with his voice, the next step in Ben Williams' evolution: