The BBC are drawing attention to a feast of jazz programming in May, notably several hours of programming on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th May. What is also noteworthy is that there is a joined-up approach to presenting this information from the radio stations 2, 3, 4 and 6 and the TV Channels.

The full text of the release, put out on Sunday, and from which this  information is drawn, is here

 A few highlights:

23rd May BBC FOUR (TV) New Nat King Cole Documentary
23rd May BBC FOUR (TV) Young Jazz Musician of the Year Final

24th May BBC FOUR (TV Jazz Musicians In Their Own Words
24th May BBC FOUR (TV) Jazz 625 At the BBC

BBC Radio 2 – Four shows from Cheltenham Jazz Festival

– Friday Night Is Music Night (Friday 2 May, 8-10pm); with Curtis Stigers, Lianne Carroll and Kurt Elling, the Guy Barker Big Band and the BBC Concert Orchestra.
– Jamie Cullum (Saturday 3 May, 3-6pm).
– Clare Teal will present her weekly show from the Festival for the first time (Sunday 4 May, 9-11pm).
– Jamie Cullum’s weekly Radio 2 jazz show willbe recorded at the festival (broadcast on Tuesday 6 May, 7-8pm).

BBC Radio 3

– Jazz On 3 with Thomas Stronen, acclaimed American trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, and German pianist Michael Wollny.
– Iain Ballamy’s50th birthday concert from Kings Place, London,(Jazz Line-Up),
– Loose Tubes to celebrate their 30th anniversary reunion,
– Barry Guy’s New Orchestra
– Led Bib,
– The BBC Young Musician Jazz Award winner on BBC Radio 3’s Jazz Line-Up on Saturday 24 May.

BBC Radio 4

– Blood Count (Friday 11th April, 2.15-3pm) – a drama about a day in the musical life of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn
– Bombay Jazz (Monday 21 April, 4-4.30pm)Jazz in India
– Sun Ra (w/t, Mon 19 May, 4-4.30pm ) documentary with Jez Nelson

BBC 6 Music

– Iggy Pop special on his love of the saxophone, (Sunday 18 May, 4-6pm).
– Gideon Coe will be delving into the BBC Archives to play some classic jazz sessions and concerts in his shows that week (Monday 19 to Thursday 22 May, 9pm-midnight).
– Lauren Laverne will host a People’s Playlist asking listeners to make their jazz recommendations (Thursday 22 May, 10am-1pm).
– Craig Charles in his Saturday night Funk and Soul show (Saturdays, 6-9pm)
– Cerys Matthews (Sundays, 10am-1pm),
–  Gilles Peterson (Saturdays, 3-6pm) will be picking  favourite jazz tracks.