BBC Radio 3 and BBC4 Television launched Piano Season at a press conference yesterday. It’s a six-week “suite” of programmes dedicated to the piano. The BBC’s jazz broadcasting has been inflected by this theme.

– Jazz Line-Up will have just one programme, on October 21st, but it’s a significant one : A live set in celebration of the John Taylor 70th with Julian Siegel, Oren Marshall, Chris Laurence, Martin France and Richard Fairhurst.

– Jazz On 3 have several piano-led programmes:

17th September: The Uri Caine Trio recorded live at Ronnie Scott’s

24th September: The Alexander Hawkins Sextet featuring Dylan Bates, Shabaka Hutchings, Otto Fischer, Neil Charles and Tom Skinner

1st October: Robert Mitchell (left-hand piano)and the John Law Trio

15th October:The Ivo Neame Octet

22nd October: A Jazz Piano Relay recorded live at Trinity Laban featuring Liam Noble,Alcyona Mick and Pat Thomas

– Geoffrey Smith’s Jazz and Jazz Record Requests are also taking on the theme, with a piano-devoted JRR on Saturday 22nd and 29th at 5 15pm( Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Albert Ammons….), and a celebration of Stride Piano by Geoffrey Smith on September 29th. In Tune on Tuesday 18th features Boogie Woogie with Chilly Gonzales

– Other (non-jazz) highlights: the Leeds Piano Competition on BBC Four TV on Fridays starting Sept 21st hosted by Suzy Klein- that’s Friday nights for six weeks. There is a Lang Lang night on BBC Four on 2nd November. A masterclass by Peter Donohoe for piano beginner slebs will lead to a concert on 29th October,.. There will also be one of those globe-trotting no-expenses-spared Alan Yentob documentaries about Lang Lang on November 6th.

Here is a link to the BBC Press Release