BBC Music Jazz has unveiled its schedule in a collaboration between the BBC and Jazz FM.
Stars including Will Young, Jamie Cullum, Gregory Porter and Sir Van Morrison will appear on the pop-up station between 10th and 14th November. The schedule includes special programmes for the pop-up service alongside archive shows and interviews. The BBC expects the service to cater for everyone, whatever their knowledge and experience of the genre.
Will Young will play his favourite jazz classics on the show, from Tony Bennett and Jill Scott to Billie Holiday and Nina Simone.
“I am a jazz singer at heart,” said Will.
“Jazz is that simple connection with the audience, saying ‘here have a listen and see what you think’, so it was the biggest treat to spend an hour sharing some of my favourite jazz artists on the airwaves for the BBC Music Jazz pop-up – I felt really privileged to be asked. I hope everyone enjoys the pop-up, I know I’ll be tuning in!”
Musician Sir Van Morrison also joins the list of big name guests for the pop-up, appearing alongside broadcaster and saxophonist Leo Green to discuss his relationship with jazz over the years, and the influence it has had on his music.
Restaurant critic and writer Jay Rayner, who moonlights as a jazz pianist, will serve up and hour of food and drink-based jazz in Jay Rayner: Jazz and Food. He’ll also present a special edition of Jazz Voice from the EFG Jazz Festival Opening Gala stage on Friday night.
The movie star Don Cheadle, who wrote, produced, directed and starred in the 2016 Miles Davis biopic Miles Ahead, will speak to Jazz FM’s Jez Nelson and choose his favourite Davis songs.
Singer Gregory Porter will explore the music and technique of his favourite vocalists, musician Laura Mvula will celebrate Miles Davis and The Scissor Sisters’ Ana Matronic will take listeners through a guided tour of her own jazz 78s.
Other programmes in the schedule include a special Sunday Love Songs, with Steve Wright playing a selection of jazz tracks chosen by his audience. The jazz-loving comedian Stewart Lee, musician Cerys Matthews, actor and DJ Craig Charles, writer Hardeep Singh Kohli, and broadcaster Colin Murray will all host their own programmes with their own favourite jazz tunes.
After last year’s ’50 Greatest Jazz Artists’ Geoffrey Smith and Helen Mayhew will present a countdown of the 50 Greatest Jazz Albums as voted for by the Jazz community over four programmes.
Jan Garbarek and his group are set to perform live from the EFG London Jazz Festival and saxophonist and BBC Radio 3 presenter Soweto Kinch will host a special live edition of Jazz Now from the Dean Street Pizza Express in London’s Soho.
The Godfathers of Jazz series will focus on Tony Bennett, Lalo Schifrin, Herbie Hancock and Sonny Rollins over the weekend. An archive interview with American pianist and composer Keith Jarrett, which has never aired on radio, will be introduced by Alyn Shipton.
The pop-up service launches at 10am on Thursday 10 November and continues until 10am on Monday 14 November on DAB digital radio, online and in the iPlayer Radio app.
BBC Music Jazz will be the seventh pop-up service from BBC Music, following special stations for 50s music, country and Eurovision.
The full schedule can be seen here (PDF).