[160.2] ALL THAT JAZZ

NFE has had cause to comment recently on the prodigious (and relatively overlooked) modal and improvisational piano talents of veteran jazzman Andrew Hill. At 23:30 tonight (Friday), 'Jazz on 3' broadcasts the whole of his recent Barbican concert, through to 01:00 on Saturday. Definitely worth catching on the net -- or, if you are so inclined, pick it up later on the BBC Radio 3 playback site. Similarly, 'Jazz Legends' (from 16:00 - 17:00) features excerpts from a recently unearthed recording of a legendary gig featuring Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Charles Mingus and Max Roach... from 50 years ago this month. The programme is introduced by classically-trained jazz polymath, Julian Joseph. Coming up in June on 'Jazz on 3' - the live and contrasting saxophonic delights of Peter Brotzmann (free and wild) and Jan Garbarek (cool and calculating). BBC Radio 4, a quality talk station, pulls in over 17 million listeners weekly, according to the latest electronic research. Radio 3 is, by such standards, the merest blip of the airwaves... but what tremendous quality it exhibits in classical, jazz, new and world music.