A New York times profile of Mark Turner titled “the best Jazz player you’ve never heard” called him “possibly Jazz’s premier player”, noting his reputation among his peers and his influential stature in the Jazz world. Born in Fairborn, Ohio, and…

“I was always attracted to different types of melodies, harmonies and grooves. Combining those influences is a matter of getting in touch with the spirit and emotions in the music, and trying to convey those same emotions with honesty. I don’t care…

Theo Croker was born and raised in central Florida but at the age of eleven he heard his grandfather Doc Cheatham (a great jazz trumpeter) playing in New York. Doc died the following year but Theo continued to listen to his recordings. “i would just…

Greg Osby alto saxophonist, producer, composer and educator has made an indelible mark on contemporary jazz as a leader of his own ensembles and as a guest artist with many other acclaimed jazz groups, notably Jack DeJohnnette’s “special edition”…

Bilal came up in Germantown, a northwest neighbourhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A deep interest in jazz was fostered by his father, who took him to the city’s clubs, singing eventually became more than an interest. He attended New York’s new…

Before Hitler’s arrival in 1933, Germany was the centre of the musical world. Within five years, thousands of musicians had fled the country as the Nazi regime tightened its race laws and fashioned its cultural image. "EXIT: MUSIC" explores the lives…

The remarkable life and career of opera singer Soňa Červená: After escaping from the Iron Curtain, she made a career in Western Germany both as an internationally successful opera singer and actress on TV and on the theatre stage. It was not before…

Having made his conducting debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker in 1987, Sir Simon Rattle was appointed as Claudio Abbado‘s successor in 1999. On 7 September 2002, Sir Simon gave his first concert as the orchestra‘s chief conductor. Sixteen years…

In this pilot to a new series about the European musical heritage, soul musician Joy Denalane embarks on a journey to Austria to encounter the world of folk music. For centuries, this musical genre has provided a vital space for love and romanticism…

“Jazz is more than just a style of music”, says Amro Salah. “It’s about freedom.” Salah, a jazz pianist, is an enthusiastic promoter of the genre. Every year he organises the Cairo Jazz Festival, but doesn’t view himself as a festival director: He is…