Sandy Brown Jazz

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JAZZ ON THE RADIO

We are occasionally sent details of local jazz radio stations and some are listed here. Please let us know of more if you would like to add them.

National radio stations in the UK that have jazz programmes include:

Community and Local Radio are providing some services and there is probably more in your area than you realise. Nobody would pretend that this is an alternative to a national jazz radio station, but there are people who are making time, often on a voluntary basis, to promote jazz either within a local radio 'on air' or through the internet where you can stream radio programmes or listen to them on your computer or tablet. Check out what is going on in your area and let us know if you have a favourite.

Trumpeter Chris Hodgkins who retired from the organisation Jazz Services earlier this year is presenting a weekly show in London called "Jazz Then and Now" on Jazz London Radio. The concept of the show is as Chris puts it “what it says on the tin”. Chris will be delving into the history of the music and present what is happening on the scene today with a watchful eye on British contemporary jazz.  The show will run every Monday at 3pm and 8pm repeated on Wednesdays; and will complement nicely Todd’s Turntable by Todd Gordon which runs on Sundays at 12pm repeated Wednesday evenings. www.jazzlondonradio is a jazz internet station that broadcasts twelve hours a day, seven days a week.

Mike Whitaker is just one of the presenters on 10Radio, a community radio show in Somerset. Mike has a relaxed style and like many community radio shows, sounds like he is talking to a group of friends. Mike says: 'Sounds Like Jazz is broadcast on a Tuesday evening between 8.00 pm and 10.00 pm. It is repeated twice. There's a Night Owl repeat on the Saturday after the live broadcast,  from 2 am to 4 am and another repeat on the following Thursday from 10 am to 12 noon. Repeats are more of a technical challenge than you might think and only a few of the 10Radio crew can do them. And I'm not one of them !  I mention this as repeats don't always turn out exactly right!' You can listen online to Sounds Like Jazz at: www.10radio.org .

Another of our correspondents, vocalist Grace Black (click here for a video of her singing Feeling Good), hosts a Scottish community radio jazz programme, The Jazz Lounge, on K107fm Community Radio on Sunday afternoons from 4pm to 6pm. Grace says: 'I am playing all the classics but also inviting Scottish and UK artistes to send me cds and MP3's so that I can showcase the vast array of talent that we have on the current jazz scene. People can contact me on jazz_lounge@yahoo.co.uk or on Facebook by searching for The Jazz Lounge on K107fm.' This is another programme that is available online at http://www.k107.co.uk and some shows are also on Mixcloud.

Jenny Green

Similarly, vocalist Jenny Green (website:Jenny Green sings) hosts a jazz programme on Ridge Radio in the Surrey area every Friday from 11.00 am to 1.00 pm in which she features and interviews jazz musicians www.ridgeradio.dreamhosters.com

Let us know about your local or community radio station, but in the meantime send in your comments to the BBC to let them know what you think about their Jazz programming. As Kerstan Mackness says: 'It’s is really important that we have our say at a time when there are cuts across BBC and jazz may be under threat.' https://consultations.external.bbc.co.uk/bbc/music_radio

Hot Biscuits - A Jazz Radio Show

There are many jazz programmes on local radio stations, many of them with faithful and regular listeners. Saxophonist Frank Griffith recommends two: One in Holland being Take 5 Jazz, and another in the United States - Pure Jazz Radio

Let us know about local radio shows that you tune into and I'll create a list. Local radio jazz broadcasts often seem to create a regular community where listeners are able to communicate with the presenter making them 'family affairs'. In the UK, broadcaster and writer Steve Bewick tells the story of his local radio show Hot Biscuits at FC Radio in the Greater Manchester area:

The history of Hot Biscuits is also a personal history and a glimpse into the politics of football. Sound strange? This is about as strange as my jazz preferences. I started with Hospital Radio way back and then enjoyed doing live radio when funding was available for an RSL (Radio short term Licence to broadcast). Going back to patient requests was never quite the same. I always wanted to undertake a regular specialist programme with Jazz and contemporary music in mind.

Chances came from within the protest movement at Manchester United Football Club against the sale of the club to the Glazier family. This yellow and green protest led to a break in support for the club out of frustration at being refused a voice. A group of 2,000 supporters at a public meeting voted to tear up their season tickets and establish a new FCUM (Football Club United of Manchester) in the North West League of the non-league structure.

The radio station came from a group of media students who wanted to support the fledgling club through radio and TV and so was born FC Radio and TV. Some twelve years later the club has an official, unofficial media platform. The radio station is rather like 5 Live with 6 Music.

I now have my own radio jazz show with an emphasis on local jazz music in the Greater Manchester area and the North West generally. Resident bands, touring bands, jazz clubs, festivals ..... and so it goes. I very much like to record and make available live jazz music in the area. This has become a staple part of the Hot Biscuits mix although over time and distance I have made contacts with friends, musicians and bands around the world. Oh, and the rest of the UK.

I am always interested in new sounds. I broadcast under the banner of “Hot Biscuits” and you can catch me on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9.00 pm and late Saturdays at 11.00 pm at FC Radio (you will only see me on this link at those times). It's one new show a week usually, repeated twice. I have a back catalogue of shows here.

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