Jazz - "J to Z" New R3 programme replacing JLU from 7 April.

[Serial_Apologist]

Yep.

I have this programme on now.

It has a bit of a vibe. I like the logo on the website. I feel that I am at something of a disadvantage in being aware of Jumoke's local radio work. While her presenting style is similar there, the context is very different. Obviously she is versatile. But I think this programme will only be heard as a truly fresh splash by those outside of London who will think she is all about the jazz. Whatever the provisos, she does have a jazz background as an artist so she means it and I have to say that her voice has translated to Radio 3 effectively. I wasn't sure before I listened to the programme that it would. She is, of course, one of three presenters. In my opinion, this underpins that two is not enough for Music Planet. The music content seems ok to me. But I find the scheduling of jazz totally bizarre. Three of the programmes all within nine hours and one right on top of the other. R3 similarly piles - or is it boxes? - the spoken word. Alyn's spot sits fine. I'd have one of the other two programmes on a Sunday afternoon and the other very late on Sunday night in a similar time slot to Monday's Jazz Now.

Hope this is helpful.

As Soweto said (on his debut album), everyone's welcome on Planet Jazz.

[uncleboko]

Jazz A to Z is very disappointing - mostly records, with just partial sets of live performance in 2 blobs - "Jay Phelps in concert" it says. I would expect at least 40 minutes continuous "in concert! Both Jazz Now and Jazz On Line had become increasingly guilty of this in recent months. What genius decided on this format?

You should learn from BBC Radio Scotland - Take the Floor has a weekly live session of just under one hour, Quay Sessions has 2 live sets of up to 40 minutes (although interupted by interview and records), Travelling Folk frequently has up to 60 minutes of live performance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Serial_Apologist]

Jazz A to Z is very disappointing - mostly records, with just partial sets of live performance in 2 blobs - "Jay Phelps in concert" it says. I would expect at least 40 minutes continuous "in concert! Both Jazz Now and Jazz On Line had become increasingly guilty of this in recent months. What genius decided on this format?

You should learn from BBC Radio Scotland - Take the Floor has a weekly live session of just under one hour, Quay Sessions has 2 live sets of up to 40 minutes (although interupted by interview and records), Travelling Folk frequently has up to 60 minutes of live performance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Agree about A to Z: it seems to be following a similar format to JLU which, if it continues, will make the name of programme change somewhat pointless. I'm anticipating the makers will be getting complaints along these lines over the forthcoming weeks, which they'll either take notice of, or ignore, as seems to be the Radio 3 thing when it comes to "audience insultation".

Welcome to the "jazz bored", by the way, uncleboko.

[uncleboko]

As a sometimes attendee of Barnet Jazz Club in the early 60s (in between seeing Screaming Lord Sutch and other rockers at the same venue) I became indoctrinated by banjo-pumping Trad Jazz - which Radio 3 "Jazz" programmes have conveniently ignored for many years, as if it doesn't exist!!!

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

"And the Lord sent a thousand monstrous winged beasts, burning rains, vampires, locusts, gryphons and TRAD BANJOS...and the people of the Earth did scream and wail, "Oh Lord, not those Fkg Clunking Banjos!" - Revelations Bk2 Verse 14.

[Lat-Literal]

Agree about A to Z: it seems to be following a similar format to JLU which, if it continues, will make the name of programme change somewhat pointless. I'm anticipating the makers will be getting complaints along these lines over the forthcoming weeks, which they'll either take notice of, or ignore, as seems to be the Radio 3 thing when it comes to "audience insultation".

Welcome to the "jazz bored", by the way, uncleboko.

Now I'm really confused.

Surely it is J to Z.

Perhaps the rebranding wasn't so great after all!

[Alyn_Shipton]

I am not sure which programme Uncle Boko above has been listening to when he says: "just partial sets of live performance in 2 blobs... - both Jazz Now and Jazz On Line had become increasingly guilty of this in recent months." (I assume Jazz On Line is JLU?) As Executive Producer of Jazz Now I'd just like to confirm that of recent concerts we broadcast: Tommy Smith, 53 minutes of continuous concert; Zehnya Strigalev, 54 minutes; Kit Downes, 53 minutes; Markus Stockhausen/Florian Weber, 45 minutes; Julian Siegel, 74 minutes and Django Bates 74 minutes. In several cases there might have been a two minute interview within the concert, but as a general rule the concert set has gone out as an entity. Soweto, Al, Emma and the production team are all committed to presenting full concerts wherever possible. However tomorrow's Ivo Neame set is a little shorter than usual in order to accommodate our obit to Cecil Taylor, whose recent death has been somewhat ignored elsewhere on BBC Radio.

[Alyn_Shipton]

PS when it comes to banjos JRR can (depending on that week's postbag) make up for the shortfall elsewhere on BBC Radio 3. Emanuel Sayles with Percy Humphrey yesterday and Gentleman Jim McIntosh with Mac Duncan the week before...

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Everything in moderation...esp Jazz B.......s. Less should be much less. But for some reason I do like the Jack Elliot/Derrol Adams "folk" dates. Reserve banjos for such highway hitching and bluegrass, they are happy there and know their place.

[uncleboko]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd2PmWwV7h8

[uncleboko]

Thank you Alyn, my tired eyes most probably missed the longer concert broadcasts you mention. Would it be at all possible to mention in the programme notes on the website when a partial set is broadcast and if it's intended to broadcast the rest?

[burning dog]

[Serial_Apologist]

Now I'm really confused.

Surely it is J to Z.

Perhaps the rebranding wasn't so great after all!

Wishful thinking on my part.

[Ian Thumwood]

Wishful thinking on my part.

The programme sounds familiar but the content is definitely more jazz-orientated. JLU suffered from too may fringe acts and too many people being interviewed who did not wish their music to be classified as jazz. The programme initially had a more mainstream and British remit when it first started on Saturday afternoons with Stacey Kent producing. In the end, it started to sound like the radio equivalent of Jazzwise magazine.

I think that there will be a negative backlash on this board next week when the programme features the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. You can all most sense this now with the likes of SA seriously questioning why a band like this can be given airspace. Well, I think it does demonstrate the sometimes parochial attitude on this board. The PHJB is a different beast from the band that existed when I was discovering jazz. Back then, it featured veteran New Orleans jazz musicians and held somewhat is awe by a good many fans due to it's authenticity. Nowadays, the band has a far broader remit and the two recent albums they have produced have had really favourable reviews.

The J to Z programme is at least recognising that jazz has a wide meaning. JLU also recognised that but by featuring a lot of stuff that was not pure jazz. Personally, if a programme is brave enough to recognise New Orleans jazz at the expense of someone playing New Age music on a hang, this is a good thing. I would rather hear something authentic than a colourless, flavour of the month act.

What is interesting to me is that the JRR shows that the audience prefers "pure" jazz. Like it or lump it, most fans are going to prefer something within "the tradition" as opposed to improvised music which owes more to New Age or Smooth Jazz or even Improv which is a really niche market which probably gets more attention on Radio 3 that more orthodox forms of jazz which perhaps don't get the popularity the music deserves amongst the jazz audience. How much airspace does big band jazz get, for example. There was a complaint about a Geraldo track popping up on JRR a few weeks back but although I am no fan of British dance bands or early British jazz, the music has little airplay. J-Z offered some interesting perspectives and included the contemporary with the historic. I like this balance.

[Serial_Apologist]

The programme sounds familiar but the content is definitely more jazz-orientated. JLU suffered from too may fringe acts and too many people being interviewed who did not wish their music to be classified as jazz. The programme initially had a more mainstream and British remit when it first started on Saturday afternoons with Stacey Kent producing. In the end, it started to sound like the radio equivalent of Jazzwise magazine.

I think that there will be a negative backlash on this board next week when the programme features the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. You can all most sense this now with the likes of SA seriously questioning why a band like this can be given airspace. Well, I think it does demonstrate the sometimes parochial attitude on this board. The PHJB is a different beast from the band that existed when I was discovering jazz. Back then, it featured veteran New Orleans jazz musicians and held somewhat is awe by a good many fans due to it's authenticity. Nowadays, the band has a far broader remit and the two recent albums they have produced have had really favourable reviews.

The J to Z programme is at least recognising that jazz has a wide meaning. JLU also recognised that but by featuring a lot of stuff that was not pure jazz. Personally, if a programme is brave enough to recognise New Orleans jazz at the expense of someone playing New Age music on a hang, this is a good thing. I would rather hear something authentic than a colourless, flavour of the month act.

What is interesting to me is that the JRR shows that the audience prefers "pure" jazz. Like it or lump it, most fans are going to prefer something within "the tradition" as opposed to improvised music which owes more to New Age or Smooth Jazz or even Improv which is a really niche market which probably gets more attention on Radio 3 that more orthodox forms of jazz which perhaps don't get the popularity the music deserves amongst the jazz audience. How much airspace does big band jazz get, for example. There was a complaint about a Geraldo track popping up on JRR a few weeks back but although I am no fan of British dance bands or early British jazz, the music has little airplay. J-Z offered some interesting perspectives and included the contemporary with the historic. I like this balance.

You're judgement on my judgements of next week's programme may be a bit premature there, Ian. But you could well be right.