Kinch Leads New BBC Jazz Show

BBC Radio 3 announces that award winning saxophonist Soweto Kinch, singer Emma Smith and Irish trumpeter Al Ryan are to present a new-look weekly Monday night contemporary jazz show 11pm – 12:30am. Jazz Now will examine the vibrant new and underground Jazz scene which is taking the genre forward and introducing jazz to new audiences alongside established ones. From less traditional spaces like car parks and dance music clubs through to break-through artists in established venues, the presenters of Jazz Now, who are all performers in their own right, will get under the skin of how jazz is moving forward and the names to watch-out for.
The programme will launch on Monday 4 April at 11pm with an exclusive broadcast performance by British trio Malija, MOBO jazz act winners Binker and Moses and an on-the-road interview with Norwegian pianist Tord Gustavsen.
The show will regularly feature concerts and in-house sessions specially recorded for the programme, together with in-depth artist features, record reviews, and news reports from around the world on jazz happening now. Also, a regular spot in the show will include masterclasses with instrumentalists and singers, starting with virtuoso saxophonist and composer Patrick Cornelius. Jazz Now is one of four dedicated jazz strands on BBC Radio 3, the others are Jazz Line-up, Geoffrey Smith’s Jazz and Jazz Record Requests.
Says Soweto: “Jazz Now … is a brilliant opportunity to reach out to new audiences, discover new voices, and to shake up our jazz world with a bit of controversy. On a personal level, I’m also hugely excited and grateful to get the chance to present my first ever jazz radio series for BBC Radio 3 which has such an important heritage in bringing jazz to listeners all over the UK.”
The programme is produced by production company Unique, a 7digital broadcasting company under the stewardship of executive producer Alyn Shipton and BBC Radio 3 editor Tony Cheevers. Unique have a long track record of producing jazz programming for BBC Radio, including Jazz Library, Sunday Features and episodes of Jazz File for BBC Radio 3, and series with Moira Stuart and Dame Cleo Laine for BBC Radio 2.