10 years ago, ABC Jazz landed on the air-waves as digital radio launched in Australia. Since then, we've been spinning jazz non-stop - uncovering the best local talent while also celebrating the rich tradition of jazz worldwide. Here are some of the key moments from the decade.
A decade after Digital Radio started in in Australia, ABC Jazz is still swinging hard.
Jazz 24/7
Since its inception in '09, Digital Radio (DAB+) has had a huge uptake in Australia. Now in 8 cities, the potential of this medium has been enjoyed by audiences across Australia. We owe a big thanks to the ABC innovators who brought jazz along for the ride: Russel Stendel, Stuart Matchett, Tony Walker, Arnold Frolows and Allyson Moore - some of the names familiar to Double J audiences of the 1970s. They were integral in bringing us ABC Jazz too!
New Music
We all love the classic albums - but we also want to highlight what's happening in jazz right now. We've had over 520 Feature Albums from all corners of the globe. It's always amazing to see the country of origin as these CDs hit the ABC Jazz desk each week. New releases account for 25% of the albums played on this network.
Australian Music
Australia has long had a diverse jazz scene that continually punches above its weight. One of our great privileges has been to help share some of the fantastic improvised music happening within our country. Nearly 30% of all the music broadcast on ABC Jazz is Australian made. On top of that, 60% of our Aussies come from indie releases.
Gongs
ARIA Awards, AIR Awards, Bell Awards... ABC Jazz has produced new music by the leaders on the Australian jazz scene - Paul Grabowsky, Kristin Berardi, Sam Anning, Andrea Keller, Sandy Evans and dozens more. We've played a part in helping release 40 albums - 2 of which earned ARIA Awards, 3 winning AIR Awards and 5 pocketing Bell Awards.
Recordings
Thanks to the 40 year legacy of Jazztrack recordings, ABC Jazz hit the ground running in 2009 with a standard of recording unsurpassed in Australia and much-needed in the local industry. We've made nearly 250 standalone recordings for the radio: that's over 300 hours of newly recorded music from Australian and international acts. Highlights have included live broadcasts from Wayne Shorter, James Morrison, Joshua Redman, Barney McAll, Gian Slater and many others.
Partners
ABC Jazz has also been privileged to partner with some of Australia's headline festivals and events: major jazz gatherings like the Wangaratta Jazz Festival, the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, the Australian Jazz Bell Awards, the SIMA Young Women's Jazz Workshops, Generations in Jazz and, of course, International Jazz Day 2019 - where the ABC was the host broadcaster for this year's unprecedented UNESCO showcase.
Loading...New Talent
Each year recordings are offered to the recipients prestigious jazz awards - including the Freedman Jazz Fellowship, the National Jazz Awards, the Jann Rutherford Memorial Award and various scholarships in association with Generations In Jazz. Some of the emerging artists who have been recorded and featured on the network include Emma Grace Stephenson, James Macauley, Tal Cohen, Amelia Evans and Nick Garbett.
Presentation
Our headline presenters Mal Stanley and Jessica Nicholas are the leaders in curated jazz programming in Australia. Together their shows have a combined 50 years on air across various platforms on the ABC. We've also had some rather esteemed guest presenters behind the mic. Ever heard of Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater or Chick Corea? In 2019, we also welcomed former Play School star and jazz vocalist Monica Trapaga to the team to present The Dinner Set.
10 for 10 with James Valentine
Loading...Audiences
Over the last 10 years, ABC Jazz has been a leader amongst the digital radio offerings. In 2018, we were the number 1 digital-only network in Australia - averaging 223,000 listeners every week for the calendar year. Our friends from other countries also listen in via various third party streaming services: 8.5% of online listeners are from Japan, 7.3% are tuning in from Europe and nearly 6% hail from the US.
Archives
ABC Jazz continues the tradition of documenting and sharing jazz with Australians - think of programs like Music to Midnight, Relax With Me, Jazz Up Late, Jazz Notes and (of course) Jazztrack. This legacy gives today's audiences access to troves of great jazz from the past - we're talking about old tapes of live recordings, vintage studio sessions and music on vinyl - all of this enriches the playlist each week.