BET Jazz Adds New Programs to Lineup

BET Jazz: The 24-Hour Jazz Channel recently announced the premiere of some new programs, which will compliment the balance of its summer programming and jumpstart the channel’s fall season. Highlights include programs featuring Billy Taylor (pictured), Chick Corea and the third season of Journey With Jazz at Lincoln Center. Here’s a list of programming highlights; check you listings for air dates and times. For more information on these programs, visit www.betjazz.com.

J&R Music World Artist of the Month – Dr. Billy Taylor: The featured artist for August is pianist-composer-educator Taylor. In his own words, he recounts his early days in school in Washington D.C., moving to NYC, and his subsequent work with Ben Webster, Don Redmond and others. Dr. Taylor talks about the birth of his Jazzmobile program and his Dr. Martin Luther King-inspired “Peaceful Warrior” suite.

Viva America: An hour-long magazine style program showcasing the Latin influence in art, music, movies, television, cuisine and fashion, including interviews with Latino personalities: Gloria Estefan, Arturo O¹Farrill, Luiz Guzman, Oscar de la Hoya, Victoria Keen, Ricky Martin, Ruben Sierra and Bernie Williams, and many more.

Chick Corea: Rendezvous In New York, Live At The Blue Note: Rendezvous In New York is both a movie, narrated by actor Jeff Goldblum, and a nine-episode series featuring jazz pianist/composer Chick Corea in performance with nine different ensembles. These live performances with Gary Burton, Roy Haynes, Bobby McFerrin, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and others took place during a consummate career retrospective three-week run in December 2001 at the Blue Note jazz club in NYC. Bringing together artists from his past ensembles in a concert reunion, the performances were featured on a 2-CD set that earned Corea a Grammy.

Journey With Jazz At Lincoln Center: The third season of this hour-long weekly series will highlight live performances by the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (LCJO) with Wynton Marsalis, as well as other jazz artists in concerts produced by Jazz At Lincoln Center. The new season’s episodes will include a season preview show; concerts featuring Benny Green and Cyrus Chestnut; The Zocalo Concert; On The Road in Mexico (a documentary); Jazz and Art; The Opening of a Dream (the new home of JALC); and Jazz: An Open Discussion (featuring Bill Clinton and Charlie Rose).

Ladders: Presented by Flike Productions, Ladders is a documentary program about artist Yankel Ginzburg, whose paintings and acrylic forms have garnered him international fame and a lavish lifestyle. Ladders is a biography, lifestyle documentary, and study of the creative process.

Jazz Alley TV: Each hour will feature artist interviews and live performances from around the world with performers such as Boney James, Santana and Marlena Shaw, and festival coverage from the Pensacola Jazz Festival, Maui Music Festival, the Las Vegas City of Lights Jazz Festival, and the Victoria Jazz Festival.

Studio Jams: An inside look at making music involving various musicians, some of whom are working with each other for the first time, produced by Tom Emmi. Each 60-minute episode features a diverse group of accomplished jazz and blues musicians gathered together in a recording studio for the sole purpose of creating new music.

Talkin’ Blues: A documentary series, Talkin’ Blues is not a history of the blues as much as a presentation of the blues today with a historical perspective. It’s about the people behind the blues. Featuring Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Pinetop Perkins and more.

Live From the Club at Blue Palm: A series of shows taped on a virtual set at Blue Palm Digital Studios in North Hollywood. Artists include: Eric Lewis Trio, Poet Brother Earl, George Baker, and more.

Originally Published July 27, 2004