Stingray Djazz

Following a highly successful small-group jazz concert at New York Town Hall on May 17, 1947, Armstrong's manager Joe Glaser dissolved the Armstrong big band on August 13, 1947 and established a six-piece small group. This group was called the All Stars, and in 1964 Louis Armstrong recorded his biggest-selling record, Hello, Dolly! He made assorted television appearances, especially in the 1950s and 1960s – the recorded film was a TV Show in Australia when Armstrong was at the peak of his career. Armstrong kept up his busy tour schedule until a few years before his death in 1971. He also toured Africa, Europe, and Asia under sponsorship of the US State Department with great success, earning the nickname ‘Ambassador Satch’.

Watch the performance of Jamie Cullum live at Jazz à Vienne, in 2017.

Rotterdam’s ‘ BIRD’ is a club, café and restaurant with a live music programme that's deeply rooted in jazz, and also branches out towards soul, funk, hip-hop and electronic music as well. Its name ‘BIRD’ refers to the nickname of the legendary New York jazz saxophonist, bebop co-founder Charlie Parker (1920-1955). BIRD serves Neapolitan pizzas, good wines, no-nonsense beers and an all-round metropolitan rawness. Since 2014, this urban jazz club and DJAZZ.tv have been collaborating for a series of music programmes: ‘BIRD.tv’, allowing you to experience the best BIRD concerts and interviews as from the first row! This episode is a fantastic registration of the after party of the North Sea Jazz Festival: Boogieball. This mega jam session is a great coming together of, amongst others, Anthony Hamilton, Anderson Paak, Christian Scott, Cory Henry and Kneebody!

Legendary free jazz pianist Burton Greene rose to fame in New York City's free jazz scene of the 1960s. Exploring various spontaneous improvisational styles, Greene performs live at Cafe OTO in London, UK.

The Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam is a world-renowned concert hall, known for its first-rate acoustics. It has attracted many famous performers over the years and is one of the Netherlands' most treasured musical institutions. On November 2, 1958, American jazz titan Duke Ellington and his Orchestra performed two concerts at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Among the many talents in the Orchestra were trumpeter Clark Terry, trombonist Quentin Jackson, saxophonist Johnny Hodges and violinist Ray Nance.

The idiosyncratic pianist and composer Thelonious Monk (1917-1982) is one of the all-time greats of jazz. His music went largely misunderstood for the first 15 years of his career, after which he was rightly hailed as a genius, and received credit as a founding father of bebop. Several concerts from his 1966 European tour were recorded for television, featuring his quartet of Charles Rouse (tenor saxophone), Lawrence Gales (bass) and Benjamin Riley (drums). His quartet performed Epistrophy, 'Round Midnight, and Lulu's Back in Town in Warsaw for Polish television on April 4, 1966. On April 17, the same quartet performed a short set in Copenhagen for Danish television, featuring Lulu's Back in Town, Don't Blame Me, and Epistrophy.

To call Omar Sosa an Afro-Cuban jazz pianist would only capture part of his true style. Because while he has always kept one foot firmly within the traditions of his native isle, this citizen of the world also shows an insatiable curiosity, tirelessly exploring music from around the world: from the Caribbean to India and from West Africa to the Arab World. Nothing seems to escape his thirst for discovery. This breadth of experience and sense of openness is clearly reflected in the music the quartet plays. A celebration of rhythm in all its forms - he began his musical life as a percussionist - an Omar Sosa concert always gives the audience an intense, some would say mystical, experience.

English drummer Trevor Richards (1945) is a passionate advocate for traditional jazz. After moving to New Orleans at 21 to master the city's unique drumming styles, he has consistently created opportunities to perform with the genre's elder statesmen. In this concert recording from the Ascona New Orleans Jazz Festival, held in late June and early July 1998 at picturesque Lake Maggiore in Ascona, Switzerland, Richards presents 1930s-style jazz alongside two true legends from that era. The lineup features bassist Charles 'Truck' Parham (1911–2002), a veteran of bands led by Art Tatum and Earl Hines, and tenorist/clarinetist Franz Jackson (1912–2008), who played with Fletcher Henderson and Fats Waller. They are joined by horn players Tom Baker and Dan Barrett. The setlist includes classics like "You’re My Everything", "Nagasaki", "Christopher Columbus", and "If Dreams Come True". A feast for the ears!

The world-renowned North Sea Jazz Festival features a wide variety of genres, including traditional New Orleans jazz, swing, bop, free jazz, fusion, avant-garde and electronic jazz, blues, gospel, funk, soul, R&B, hip hop, world beat and Latin. The festival was founded by entrepreneur and jazz fan Paul Acket, who sold his highly successful pop magazine publishing house to organize and fund the first edition of the festival in 1976. This broadcast from the North Sea Jazz Archives presents a compilation with music of George Benson & Kenny G.

World-renowned American blues singer and guitarist Magic Slim performed an electrifying set at the French festival Jazz à Vienne 2012. With bandmates John McDonald (guitar & vocals), Andre Howard (bass), and Brian Jones (drums), the blues giant played a string of classic Chicago blues hits. Ever energetic, the veritable blues veteran put on a dynamic show for an enthusiastic audience in the atmospheric ancient Roman theatre of Vienne.

The series Da Pá Virada sessions presents the best musicians of contemporary Brazilian jazz, and beyond. Filmed in São Paulo, each session offers a unique experience by giving a fresh look into Brazil's music scene. The artists for each session are selected in consultation with Stingray DJAZZ's music editor. One of the bands taking part in this series is the duo of Hamilton and Laginha. Grammy-nominated Hamilton de Holanda, who reintroduced the 10-string mandolin in Brazil, teams up with pianist Mário Laginha for stimulating performances of Brazil's musical treasures.

Pianist Grégory Privat's 2020 work "Soley" inhabits a hybrid universe in which voice, piano and synthesizer, Caribbean and electronic music, and the classical and jazz trio traditions coexist and mingle. Aided by Chris Jennings on double bass and Tilo Bertholo on drums, Privat makes his debut as a singer, adding a vocal dimension to the instrumental and narrative levels of "Soley", which lends his music an emotional force that is more powerful than ever before.

This assemblage of authentic luminaries recreates the sound of Paris in the 50's and 60's when the City of Light was Europe's mecca for American jazz musicians. The Paris Reunion Band was formed as homage to Kenny Clarke and the spirit of his fellow Paris jazzmen.

Aki Rissanen's interest in jazz came after he started taking classical piano lessons. His deep interest in improvised music placed him among top jazz pianist in his home country - Finland. While composing and performing his own music, Rissanen has also collaborated with Verneri Pohjola and Dave Liebman, and today his name appears among the top European jazz musicians. Live from 'Jazzclub Unterfahrt' in Munich, Germany, together with Antti Lotjonen on bass and Teppo Makynen on drums, Rissanen showcases the best of Scandinavian jazz and its DNA - the Nordic Tone.

Jazz in Duketown is the largest free outdoor jazz festival in the Netherlands. It's a real gathering for jazz addicts, inviting internationally renowned artists. The talented American singer Michelle David performs pop and gospel music that feeds the heart and soothes the soul. Having grown up with the church, she started singing at the age of four. A year later she joined her first band, The Mission of Love. In 1980 she enrolled at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City, known from the film 'Fame'. During this time, she appeared as an extra in the legendary comedy film 'Ghostbusters'. Musicals and tours with the bands of Diana Ross and Michael Bolton followed.

Rotterdam’s ‘ BIRD’ is a club, café and restaurant with a live music programme that's deeply rooted in jazz, and also branches out towards soul, funk, hip-hop and electronic music as well. Its name ‘BIRD’ refers to the nickname of the legendary New York jazz saxophonist, bebop co-founder Charlie Parker (1920-1955). BIRD serves Neapolitan pizzas, good wines, no-nonsense beers and an all-round metropolitan rawness. Since 2014, this urban jazz club and DJAZZ.tv have been collaborating for a series of music programmes: ‘BIRD.tv’, allowing you to experience the best BIRD concerts and interviews as from a first row seat! In today’s episode Shayna Steele, who can do everything: from background singing with Rihanna via the big Broadway Show on to guest songstress on hit singles by Moby. In order to do so much at once, a versatile voice is a must. And it is exactly this versatility that the American songstress delivers at her concerts, without ever losing the musical direction. From swinging acoustic Samba to storming guitar funk, everything fits like a mould. Presented with a generous portion of charm and impressive dynamic.

Full-time pianist, composer, teacher, and producer Coen Molenaar – aka Conrad Miller – is active all over the world in styles ranging as widely as jazz, fusion, dance, funk, R&B, rock, and neo-soul. In this 2021 performance from Rossini Studios in Stuttgart, Germany, Miller plays contemporary trio jazz with his bandmates David de Marez Oyens (double bass) and Enrique Firpi (drums).

The Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam is a world-renowned concert hall, known for its first-rate acoustics. It has attracted many famous performers over the years and is one of the Netherlands' most treasured musical institutions. On May 5, 1957, jazz impresario Norman Granz presented his Jazz at the Philharmonic tour at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. The Canadian pianist Oscar Peterson and his trio of guitarist Herb Ellis and bassist Ray Brown are later joined by trumpeter Roy Eldridge and drummer Jo Jones. As an added attraction, American violinist Stuff Smith joins the proceedings. American singer Ella Fitzgerald, accompanied by pianist Don Abney, Ellis, Brown and Jones, hits her vocal peak in a stunning set that culminates in a jam session of It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) with the entire ensemble.

Legendary African-American folk singer Odetta (1930-2008) sang her spirituals with immeasurable sorrow and anguish. Her spiritual music expresses the horrific impact of slavery on millions of African people stolen from their homeland. For Odetta, folk music—be it spirituals, blues or field songs—was a vehicle for expressing the racism and injustice experienced by black people dating back to the days of slavery. This 1964 episode of Face au Public shows the melancholy of the era.

'Münchner Klaviersommer' was an annual concerts series that took place from 1981 to 1998 in Munich, Germany. Although the festival's name suggests a strong focus on piano music, it featured countless famous musicians from jazz and classical music – not just pianists. The concerts were usually held in July at The Gasteig, home of the Munich Philharmonic. In 1985, jazz quartet Phalanx appeared at the festival. The quartet featured guitarist James 'Blood' Ulmer, drummer Rashied Ali, tenor saxophonist George Adams, and bassist Sirone. This short-lived group, which was described as "an ad-hoc supergroup that thrived and disappeared", produced three albums in the period 1986-1988.

The Cuban pianist, composer and bandleader Gonzalo Rubalcaba is a star name on today's international jazz scene. Technically dazzling and brilliantly creative, Rubalcaba generates infectious excitement with his music. He says he uses jazz as a reference, but takes in the Cuban and African background which was itself an important influence on jazz musicians in the US. This live recording was made during the Munich Klaviersommer at the Bayerischer Hof Night Club, and includes well-known standards played Rubalcaba-style, as well as the pianist's own compositions. He plays with Jeff Chambers (double bass) and Ignacio Berroa (drums).

Every year since 1970, the German city of Burghausen has been hosting one of the largest jazz festivals in the world. During Burghausen International Jazz Week, Burghausen becomes a 'Bavarian jazz mecca': guests from all over the world join the Burghausers to enjoy the most wonderful jazz performances as the colorful hustle and bustle of spectators and musicians shake up the city. One of the bands performing here in 2019 is the Walter Trout Band. Trout, who was born in New Jersey and is based in Los Angeles, is a world-famous contemporary blues rock guitarist and vocalist.

Singer Dee Dee Bridgewater walks in with considerable credentials, but this documentary related to her album ‘Red Earth’ trumps them all: Red Earth is a Malian journey that merges and melts all borders. While world-beat listeners will recognize the grooves, this is Bridgewater's first time bringing her own experiences as an African-American woman back to the motherland. It results in a fusion of feeling, visions, and music.

Since 1985, the Dutch city of Nijmegen has been welcoming the International Music Meeting Festival every Pentecost. Ranging from jazz and improvisational music to traditional music and unique crossovers, this adventurous festival is all about musical encounters and international collaborations. In 2019, the band Nubiyan Twist performs at the International Music Meeting Festival. This London-based group operates on the intersection of soul and jazz.

Recorded at the Amsterdam Arena during the Amsterdam South East Jazz Festival, Michiel Borstlap tickles the ivories of his Steinway in performances of all his favourite songs on his solo albums ‘Blue’, ‘Reflective’, and ‘Frames’. An unprecedented event: a solo piano concert at the home base of football club Ajax Amsterdam! During the concert, the sound of a seagull or an aeroplane might mingle with the gentle touch of the Dutch master pianist. A must-see concert for all fans of piano music, with a wonderful encore: a performance of Thelonious Monk’s famous standard ‘Round Midnight’.

These portraits of artists, concerts and festivals give a good impression of the jazz world. Both famous and less famous jazz artists will give a new insight in their life. DJAZZ asked them why they wrote that special song, what was the first record they bought and what is his or her most precious musical memory. The festival portraits are beautiful reports filmed at the most special jazz festivals and concerts. They revive the memory of the festival, the music and the experience.