J to Z

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BBC Radio 3 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced Third Programme.

BBC Radio 3

Radio 3

Music: Jazz & Blues: Jazz

The best in jazz past, present and future.

The best in jazz past, present and future. Your gateway to new sounds with classic recordings and exclusive sessions.

J to Z: Pee Wee Ellis, Madeleine Peyroux

Pee Wee Ellis, Madeleine Peyroux

BBC Radio 3 - J to Z, Pee Wee Ellis, Madeleine Peyroux

The late Pee Wee Ellis live in concert, plus Madeleine Peyroux’s musical inspirations.

The late Pee Wee Ellis live in concert, plus singer Madeleine Peyroux’s musical inspirations.

Kevin Le Gendre presents live music from the late saxophonist and composer Pee Wee Ellis who died in September 2021, aged 80. A highly gifted composer, Ellis worked as James Brown’s musical director and was the mastermind behind Brown’s timeless power anthem ‘Say It Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud)’. As well as performing with Brown, he went on the play with the likes of Van Morrison, Ginger Baker and Ali Farka Touré as well as leading his own band, the Pee Wee Ellis Assembly. Here we hear highlights of a concert recorded live in Hamburg with the NDR Big Band in 2015. 

Also in the programme, we hear from the internationally renowned singer and songwriter Madeleine Peyroux. Likened to the voices of jazz greats Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, Peyroux’s dusky, unmissable tone has captured the minds and souls of listeners for the last 30 years. Here she shares some of the music that has inspired her, including one of her deepest influences, Billie Holiday.

Produced by Thomas Rees for Somethin' Else.

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

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Pee Wee Ellis, Madeleine Peyroux

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