YAAAY, I've just heard that there's more good news for 2007 - Jazz FM is going to be launched! Don't know any more about it, it's just something else to add to the list of good things happening in 2007!

Yaaayyyy!!!!

Wonder if it'll be a national station, and whether it'll be like the original Jazz FM which recently changed it's name (and playlist) and became Smooth FM?

From what I've been told (same source of info as the Gershwin programme), it's going to be along the same lines as Classic FM, only for jazz - so yes, national

Sounds like how Jazz FM in London was when it was launched then (just before it became Smooth FM, a lot of the trad jazz/big band music was taken off the playlist).

Oh good!

The jazz press seem to be cautiously optimistic about the new station. Here's the press release:



theJazz, a new DAB digital radio station dedicated to playing jazz night and day, launches nationally at 9am on Christmas Day. theJazz will operate as a sister service to Classic FM, the UK’s most popular commercial radio station with 6.3 million listeners, including more than 400,000 4-14-year-olds. theJazz will do for jazz what Classic FM has done for classical music, in making the genre accessible to a UK-wide audience.

Like its sister service, Classic FM, theJazz will be more than a radio station, developing as a brand to include live concerts, CDs, books, podcasts, downloads, a website and TV programming.

theJazz will play music from across the jazz spectrum, including bebop, swing, cool jazz, trad, blues, modern jazz. Artists featured on the station will include Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Stan Getz, Oscar Peterson, Charles Mingus, Louis Armstrong, Weather Report, Branford Marsalis, Denys Baptiste, Jamie Cullum, Diana Krall and Madeleine Peyroux.

theJazz will be available on DAB digital radio, online at theJazz.com and on Sky and ntl:Telewest. The station will be cross-promoted from its launch in December across GCap Media’s existing brands, including Classic FM. Throughout the course of 2007, the station will be engaging existing jazz fans and new listeners by asking the question ‘What is Jazz?’ The debate will take place on-air, online and at live events.

Listeners will also be asked to vote online for their top three jazz tracks and the second phase of the station’s launch will come over the Easter weekend with theJazz 500 – a countdown of the UK listeners’ all-time greatest jazz music.

Speaking about the launch of thejazz, Station Manager of Classic FM and theJazz Darren Henley said: “Just as Classic FM has taken classical music into the mainstream, so we want to make jazz a part of everyday life in the UK with theJazz. Jazz fans now have their own radio station, dedicated to playing the music they love night and day.”

-ends-

For further information:

Charlotte Rosier, Head of Media Relations, 020 7344 2742

*must go and buy a digital radio, must go and buy a digital radio*

Oh wowww, thanks TSax And it starts on Christmas Day! What a wonderful Christmas present! Happy Christmas jazzfans!

Wow, well done for finding that out! You MUST find out more and let us know re. when (WHAT TIME???) and so on so we don't miss the inaug program! Thanks.

EDIT
Re. time, I have to leave the computer now to buy the newspapers - shd be IN THERE! Hope we don't miss it as we go to church in the morning. Is it definitely 9am?

I went out yesterday and bought a last minute pressy for my hubby ..... a DAB radio (sshhh...don't tell him!!). I noticed on the box that there was an advert for Jazz FM. I was busy thinking....I....might....be...usiing ....this pressy......more....than.....him!!!!

hillyb

Haha cunning!

The new station .... thejazz.... sister of Classic FM - was supposed to be launched from 9am yesterday and I've tried to get it on my computer, but although I can access the site, it says that they're having technical difficulties and I'm not able to listen to anything. Does this problem just apply to computer broadcasting, or are they not yet broadcasting on DAB radio yet either???


It's a bit confusing about these jazz stations -JazzFM is a different station and only plays jazz from the 1950s onwards, plus funky jazz, whereas thejazz.com is going to play early jazz as well.

The station 'The jazz' was definately on our DAB radio yesterday. Not sure what time it started. Listened to it for a while and it seemed great. Not managed to locate Jazz FM yet. Is it a seperate station? Do you know the frequency?

hillyb

Looks like I'm going to have to get a DAB radio then because I still can't listen to thejazz on my computer. Not sure if this is a general problem they have with the computer broadcasting side of it, or whether it's just because I'm on mac.


The web site for Jazz FM seems a bit jumbled and I can't see anywhere where it says what frequency they're on. It doesn't seem to be my kind of jazz though so I'll give this one a miss and wait until I get a DAB radio to listen to thejazz.

It still doesn't work via the computer.

Great news Skylark. I use a PC and can't get any sound yet.
The theJazz.com site won't allow registeration either.
It seems to be geared to music download sales. Thinking of buying a DAB RX in the sales.
My big worry is, that the modernists will hijack the station and we will get nothing pre Bird.
I'm not going to sleep tonight, what a nightmare
Have you voted yet Skylark ?

You can get theJazz on DAB radio. It's OK but the rolling commentary doesn't always say what the track is - annoyingly. They're playing a range of OK stuff but nothing to frighten the horses! It's early days though and they're probably testing the waters. It's run by the Classic FM people so they're trying to do the same thing with jazz - hmm.

I'd prefer it if there were DJ's who just make the odd comment before and after each tune, naming tracks and musicians, that sort of thing. And if they played some really early New Orleans right through to contemporary Scandinavian jazz, a bit of Moondog, you name it. Perhaps they will, eventually.

How do they manage without ads? I haven't a clue. How does Chill FM manage without ads? I think theJazz is trying to emulate Chill FM with its no DJ/no ads regime but for me it doesn't work for jazz - I like the commentary. And they're playing the very safest sort of jazz, Diana Krall, Madeleine Peyroux, Oscar Peterson, Louis Jordan etc. I've only heard one Billie Holliday track and one Louis Armstrong. But bring it on - it can only get better.

Violinia

Well I've got it playing now. Had a panic when I realised that the instructions for the radio had long since disappeared and I didn't know how to add a station but random pushing of buttons seemed to do the trick (I suspect the one marked "Auto-tune" was the right one). I'm enjoying what I'm listening to, but I agree with Violinia I'd like to know what it is so I could go out and buy the CD if I wanted to.

EDIT: Could do with the very cheesy voice in between tracks though "you are listening to theJazz" in a low-down, gravelly tone, makes me laugh every time!

They're beginning to stray into some more interesting territory - Miles Davis and Benny Goodman tonight - but I'd much prefer a series of programmes with different DJ's (all jazz experts of course) playing all sorts of jazz, with live concerts thrown in, interviews, the whole gamut really. Not just 24 hours of mellow saxophones playing well-known tunes...

Violinia

I agree with that. I'd really like to see some kind of showcase for up-and-coming talent. There's so much of it around and it would be great to have another way to get it heard.

Well, on their website they day they're going to respond to listeners' suggestions in 2007 so I guess they're waiting till after the Christmas break before they get stuck in. I have to say I really don't think jazz should be treated like chill-out music which is after all far more suitable as background to whatever you're doing at the time. Jazz is more demanding so deserves more commentary etc. You can't just subsitute it for chill and you can't treat jazz audiences just like chill-out audiences!

Violinia

I agree Violinia, having just got the station on my PC. Its a bit bland but I heard some gems from Lester Young, Stan Getz and Paul Desmond. Unfortunately my 56k modem connection compresses the sound and ocassionally drops out until the buffer catches up. Broadband would cure this.
This makes tenor saxes sound like altos and altos like tin cans.
They even played a latin track with no Jazz content whatsoever.
The danger is - average Joe is going to think some of this is Jazz when it ain't.
I hope it specialises and educates more, giving the artist and title as a minum requirement.
Meantime, its fun guessing.
Happy New Year all

.....and it still doesn't work via the computer. *cries*

Are you sure? It does for me, I prefer the sound out of the radio tho'.

I've just read in JazzUK that the second phase of the launch of theJazz happens at Easter with a full line-up of presenters, including Helen Mayhew from the BBC doing six shows a week.

Should be worth tuning into

Good, that will be much better - I like to have a presenter to tell me what I'm listening to in case I want to buy it.

I think it's getting better and better - the music is getting more challenging, and the rolling text (if you're listening on DAB radio) now nearly always tells you the name of the track as well as at least one of the musicians. I've heard some utter gems recently, and keep it on all the time in the kitchen especially in the evenings. I now regularly dance round the kitchen to one thing or another and it puts me in a fantastic mood when I'm cooking. Have to keep a notebook by the radio to jot down obscure track names - it's just fab to know you can flick the radio on and listen to some jazz at any time of the day or night.

Can't wait for the presenting to start at Easter...

Violinia

Wooooooooooooooo I've just found out I should be able to get it on DAB in my area - YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nothing intelligent to add, I just read that as 'pre Byrd' . Sadly no sign of theRenaissance yet .

Awww!

theJazz has just started it's presenter led content and is currently playing through the top 500 (as voted for by you, the listeners) jazz tracks. I think this is scheduled to last all weekend!

Currently playing Blue Monk at 47x

Oooh I keep meaning to tune into this... thanks for reminding me! (d'oh!)

playing My Funny Valentine at the moment. Very nice....

....and no 1 of the top 500 jazz tracks is Miles Davis - So What from Kind of Blue.

All the top 500, as voted for by you, the listeners, get predictable and not that exciting when you get to the top 20 or so. There was some interesting stuff in the 300s or so though, I think at one point there was an electro-fusion track (forgotten which one), followed by Django Reinhardt which was an odd juxtaposition. I've enjoyed tuning in periodically over the weekend and will hopefully catch some more of the new programs.

I haven't been able to make my radio fix in on it yet - well at the moment it's only getting Classic FM, full stop!!

What comes up on the display? I found a station called "theJazz" but couldn't get a fix on the signal.

theJazz is the right one.

Once I'd worked out how to make my radio scan for stations so that it picked up all the new ones since I first set it up 5 years ago (have lost the instructions but random jabbing at buttons seemed to work) it picked it up with no problems.

I'm a bit disappointed because they don't seem to have posted the top 500 list online yet and I'd like to see it in it's entirety. I dipped in and out of it over the weekend but probably only caught 20-30 of theE tracks.

EDIT: Top 30 have now been posted and top 500 will be posted tomorrow

I'll try again later on - at least I know it's the right one!

It's just occurred to me I may have been pressing the wrong button... as I had trouble when I first got it in getting it to tune into stations, (it would find them, but not tune into them - because I got confused over which button I needed...! ) and I do find it hard to believe that it doesn't even want to pick up radio 3!

Here's hoping I remember how to make the thing work........

Good luck!

I've just been out and bought a new DAB clock radio in the hope I can wake up to theJazz instead of BBC London. I've got my fingers crossed that the clock display bit will be big and clear enough for me to be able to read when I wake up in the night without glasses on, otherwise it may have to be relegated to elsewhere in the house.

BBC London does have a couple of advantages though, one is that the travel report can be quite useful and the other is that the breakfast show presenter is so irritating that I have to switch it off and get up because I can't stand listening for more than about 10 mins.

Well the new radio is all set up and working and the clock display seems to be a similar size and brightness to the old one so it should be OK. It's been quite a struggle finding a DAB clock radio that doesn't have a nice, discrete, LCD display that I've no chance of reading sans vision correction. It tuned into theJazz without any problems. I'm just hoping they don't play nice, soothing, sleep inducing smooth jazz in the mornings!

On this radio to reset the stations you have to push the button labelled "scan" if that's any help to you.

"The Jazz" seems to be great so far - we listen via cable on the TV - better bitrate than DAB.

John

Don't have the option of cable TV where I am unfortunately.

I listen on a couple of radios dotted around the house or online. Since I've switched my alarm clock radio to digital and theJazz I'm finding it increasingly difficult to get up midweek, suffering from the "just one more track" thing. On the plus side I'll sometimes keep the alarm on over the weekend and listen for a while before getting up early (for a weekend) and having more time left. I'm seriously considering getting a "proper" DAB tuner to plug into my separates system for better quality audio. I quite like the juxtapositions you get, a fair amount of the stuff they play is quite easy-listening jazz, which is pleasant enough, but every so often there's something more challenging thrown in to make you sit up and take notice.

I love "the jazz", came across it by flicking through our T.V. channels one day. How did that get there, I thought. Great music!!