On Friday afternoon the great
American singer Kurt Elling is a guest on In Tune (Radio 3, 5:00pm). Mr Elling
is in town to help celebrate a birthday. Tonight (Wednesday) he will join a
glittering cast list at the Albert Hall in A Night at Ronnie Scott's: 60th
Anniversary Gala. If you're thinking: I'm in striking distance of
west London, I fancy going to that - don't bother, it's been sold out
for months. And four of Elling's five concerts with the Guy Barker Quintet at
Ronnie's on Frith Street are sold out. A few tickets remain on sale for
Friday's late show.
Saturday's edition of J to Z (Radio
3, 5:00pm) is a repeat of a programme first broadcast earlier this year. Claire
Martin (star performer at Hoochie Coochie earlier this month with the Strictly
Smokin' Big Band) can be heard with her trio. At midnight, again on Radio 3,
there is the first in a new series presented by vibraphonist Corey
Mwamba. Freeness will focus upon the freer end of the jazz
spectrum and this inaugural edition includes performances by Cath Roberts' Sloth
Racket and J Frisco (soon to be heard in Newcastle).
And finally, this all Radio 3 report
brings news of another landmark birthday. Jazz Record Requests (Sunday,
4:00pm) presented by Alyn Shipton celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of ECM
Records. Listeners' selections include Lester Bowie.
Russell
2 comments :
Jazz FM played Elling's Lonely Town - what a fantastic version - even better than the original Sinatra version. In fact at first I thought it was Frank with a digitally updated backing - they can do these things in the modern world - but no, it was Kurt. Then, in the instrumental bit, came a great piano solo that made me think Harry Connick Jr. but again no. I don't know who the pianist was but he too deserved a mention.
The pianist on the track is Joey Calderazzo.
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