BBC Radio 3 to broadcast daily jazz show hosted by Soweto Kinch

A new jazz show is heading to BBC Radio 3 produced by Folded Wing and hosted by saxophonist, composer and MC Soweto Kinch.

The nightly show, Round Midnight, will air Monday to Friday evenings from 11.30 for an hour championing the British jazz scene.

Folded Wing founder and CEO Karen Pearson told RadioToday: “We believe passionately that jazz is for everyone. So, we’ve planned a show that is a must-listen for dedicated jazz fans and is also welcoming and inclusive for anyone who wants to learn more.

“It’s a defining moment for the company, which started in my flat 17 years ago and has grown into one of the biggest producers of jazz content in the UK.”

Soweto Kinch, who will present some of the shows from his Birmingham studio, says: “The British Jazz scene is continuing to grow, especially with Ezra Collective winning this year’s Mercury Prize. I’m really excited to play the latest tracks from new and emergent musicians, as well as the heritage artists and works which inspired them.

“Jazz has become such an interconnected and global family, its tendrils reaching into new and often unpredictable places. I can’t wait to share some incredible music from around the world.”

‘Round Midnight – named after the Thelonious Monk tune of the same name – will also feature live music, including studio sessions, performances from UK and international festivals and recordings from jazz clubs across the UK.

On Friday nights, the show will become The ‘Round Midnight Jazz Club, with guest artists curating the playlist and monthly live performances.

Essex-based indie Folded Wing have a long track-record in jazz. CEO Karen Pearson produced Gilles Peterson’s BBC show for seven years and, since 2010, the company have made Jamie Cullum’s Tuesday night jazz show for BBC Radio 2.

Round Might starts on April 1st.

The new show is part of a number of new programmes for BBC Radio 3:

  • Clemency Burton-Hill returns to Radio 3 with an exclusive interview with Daniel Barenboim, as part of a new series celebrating the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra at 25
  • In The Land Without Music? The Times’ Chief Culture Writer Richard Morrison explores the state of classical music and music education in this country
  • Violinist and Edinburgh International Festival Director Nicola Benedetti makes her Radio 3 presenting debut in a series focusing on the history and impact of the International Festival in Scotland and beyond
  • Clive Myrie hosts Music on the Frontline, talking to fellow journalists about the way in which classical music has sustained them while reporting on some of the most relevant and challenging news stories of our times
  • Jools Holland shares his love and knowledge of classical music in a new Saturday lunchtime programme, Earlier…with Jools Holland
  • Tom Service hosts a new live Saturday morning programme featuring three hours of diverse classical repertoire and interviews. He is joined by guests to discuss and unpack the latest stories in the arts world
  • Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents a new Sunday afternoon programme, exploring classical pieces in the context of their history, legacy and connections to other works 
  • Radio 3 relaunches Friday Night is Music Night, a new home for the BBC Concert Orchestra to explore repertoire ranging from the golden age of light music to the best in film and TV scores
  • Strengthening itscommitment to live and specially-recorded music, Radio 3 introduces a three-hour weekday afternoon programme from Salford, Classical Live, showcasing the best performances from the UK and beyond, recorded by the BBC and our partners in the European Broadcasting Union
  • Speech programmes include: historian Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough on the music of the Vikings, composer Erland Cooper focusing on the myth of phantom islands, a musical celebration of MGM at 100 with broadcaster Neil Brand, Katie Derham on how plants and gardens have inspired composers through the ages, and an exploration of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and its enduring popularity
  • Further highlights include the extension of Radio 3 Breakfast with Petroc Trelawny, Essential Classics with Georgia Mann and Private Passions with Michael Berkeley, and the long-running Composer of the Week with Donald Macleod and Kate Molleson at a new time of 4pm