Smooth Jazz Top 20 Album Chart

After a number of requests from artists, listeners and the record companies and promoters too, I have started a monthly album chart based on the airplay given to current CDs on the stations that I am responsible for programming.

It is actually long overdue, since neither SKY.FM or JAZZRADIO.com provide airplay information to any other chart compilers, it was time to provide some kind of listing that related to the smooth jazz world as we see it. Especially given that we broadcast to more smooth jazz fans than any other Internet service.

So please check out the Top 20 Airplay Album Chart and perhaps bookmark it, as it will be updated at the beginning of each month.

Dave Koz & Friends Now On Sale

Tickets are now on sale for the Smooth Jazz Spectacular with Dave Koz, Peter White and Mindi Abair on

October 5th at Cadogan Hall in Chelsea. It's the biggest smooth jazz event in almost a decade for the UK and initial sales were so good that almost 15% of the capacity sold in a few days.

Seats are allocated on a first come first served basis, so you're encouraged to book early for the best positions.

There's a great seat finder facility at The Cadogan Hall website which shows you the view of the stage from your intended seat.

Tickets are priced at £45 (Stalls) and £35 (Gallery), so stake your place now. Details at http://www.smoothjazzevents.co.uk

Lots of live smooth jazz coming to London

Is London the new smooth jazz capital of the World? Well with the ever growing list of artists visiting you might wonder.

The forthcoming shows with Dave Koz and Brian Simpson are pretty much sold out. If you don't yet have a seat there are some left at the Stables in Milton Keynes, but you really do need to shake a leg. Although all is not completely lost as Dave will return in October for a London Smooth Jazz Spectacular along with Peter White and Mindi Abair.

Other dates now on sale are for Fourplay's Chuck Loeb at Pizza Express Jazz Club in August and Rick Braun will also be returning there in September too.

Details and booking links are at www.smoothjazzevents.co.uk along with an opportunity to sign up for the newsletter so that you'll always be the first to know when tickets go on sale.

The Sunday Live Show

It's been a long time since we mentioned the Sunday Live Show on here.

We're about to go live, complete with multiple video cameras and a private chat room (for live show viewers only). So why not join us.

Head on over to www.skyfmliveshow.com and join in with our global community. We'll see you at the top of the hour.

Dave Koz in The UK. All Dates On Sale

Mr Showbiz returns to the UK in July for a mini tour lasting a week. He'll be accompanied by Music director Brian Simpson and will be playing a number of dates at Pizza Express Jazz Club including a Saturday lunchtime performance, and one night at the Stables in Milton Keynes.

Tickets are already on sale (and already sold out for the Saturday night Pizza Express show!). There's limited availability now on a number of the shows, so hurry on over to www.smoothjazzevents.co.uk right now and make sure of your seat.

Marc Antoine in London

Tickets are now available for Marc Antoine's three night residency at Pizza Express from Thursday 6th to Saturday 8th June.

The Saturday night performance is already half sold out, so please be quick if you don't want to miss out.

Marc will be bringing his CD "Guitar destiny" with him and will be pleased to sign a copy for you.

Full details and booking links can be found at Smoothjazzevents.co.uk or alternatively you can call the Pizza Express Bookings Line on 0207 439 4962 to book over the phone.

Brian Culbertson Seats On Sale

It's always great to see Brian Culbertson returning to London. And tickets went on sale recently for his scheduled 11 shows in 9 days at Pizza Express Jazz Club in June.

Needless to say the bookings have been going crazy and already there are a few nights that are nearly sold out.

There are still seats available for every performance at the time of writing but that situation is likely to change very quickly so book now to be sure of a place.

Seats now available for Richard Elliot

Richard Elliot returns for his fourth year in a row to play Pizza Express Jazz Club from the 28th February.

This time he's bringing two guys from his US line up with him. Namely Ron Reinhardt on keyboards and Third Richardson on drums.

Richard always puts on a great show and inevitably sells out. The seats went on sale today so to be sure of a good position get yourself over to Smooth Jazz Events right now and secure your place.

Jessy J's visit to The Live Sunday Show

Jessy J came in for a chat on the Sunday Live Show today, whilst in town for the New Years Eve Show at Pizza Express. Here's the archive of that visit.

The Best of 2012

We counted down the biggest and best of 2012 on the Sunday Live Show today. But just in case you missed it, here are the top 30 smooth jazz tracks of 2012. As always, I'll point out that these are not compiled by sales or requests or anything like that. They are just the best of the year as I see them.

1.Peter White - Costa Rica
2.Chris Standring - Oliver’s Twist
3.Euge Groove - Faithful Central
4.Marc Antoine - Alegria
5.Paul Brown - The Funky Joint
6.Euge Groove w. Jeffrey Osborne - Never Met A Woman (Like You)
7.Brian Culbertson - Later Tonight
8.Nils - Call Me
9.Fourplay - Esprit De Four
10.Gerald Albright & Norman Brown - Keep It Moving
11.Euge Groove - Fellowship Hall
12.Peter White - If Ever...
13.Nils - Get On The Dance Floor
14.Eric Marienthal - Babycakes
15.Seal - Let’s Stay Together
16.Euge Groove - Lampin’ It
17.Nils - Red Wine & Sunsets
18.Paul Brown - Tuff Times
19.Jonathan Fritzen - Sweet Spot
20.Michael Lington - The Serenade
21.Paul Brown - From The Ground Up
22.Vincent Ingala - Read Between The Lines
23.Rocco Ventrella - Tres Palabras (Three Words)
24.Euge Groove - Old.Edu
25.Marc Antoine - Circus Afternoon
26.Brian Culbertson - Your Smile
27.Jonathan Fritzen - Magical
28.Steve Oliver - Fiesta
29.Nicholas Cole - Endless Possibilities
30.Michael Lington - Lower East Slide

Oli Silk Plays Live on the Sunday Show

It's traditional for Oli Silk to turn on our Christmas lights in the studio here every year on the Sunday Live Show. This year he also played live for us, giving us a public performance of his Christmas hit from a couple of years ago "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town".

We were able to capture the moment in HD video with a high quality audio feed straight from the mixing desk, so here it is.

Euge Groove Interview

Whilst he was in London, Euge Groove popped into the live studio and took part in an interview that was also broadcast last Sunday as we were up in Manchester at the time.

Here it is again if you missed it first (or second) time around.

Gerald Albright Seats On Sale

Seats have just gone on sale for the first ever visit of Gerald Albright to Pizza Express Jazz Club in London. Gerald will be here for a 4 day stopover and will play four evening shows plus a Sunday lunchtime performance.

Playing with Gerald will be Oli Silk on keyboards, Julian Crampton on bass and Frank Tontoh on drums. We're expecting demand to be high, so as always I'd recommend securing your place as soon as possible to get the best views. Full details and booking links can be found in the usual place, Smooth Jazz Events UK.

Oli Silk - Bring Back Those Days

Here's another cut from the Oli Silk shows at Pizza Express Jazz Club last month. The girls on vocals were just superb, so we took the opportunity to showcase them one more time.

Euge Groove in the UK. It's This Week!

OK so we're all getting a little excited over here in the British Isles, as His Eugeness arrives at the end of this week to start his UK Tour.

10 shows in as many days and at the time of writing the first two at Pizza Express Jazz Club in London are SOLD OUT, with the third not far behind. Consider yourself warned, seats are disappearing fast. Get them while you can. www.smoothjazzevents.co.uk

Oli Silk - Didn't Know About Love

If you missed Oli Silk's recent run at Pizza Express Jazz then all is not lost. Here's a clip of his song "Didn't Know About Love", featuring gorgeous vocalists Kirsten Joy and Holly Petrie.

An added bonus is that we managed to get a special audio feed straight from the mixing desk so it's almost as good as being there, especially if you view it full screen in HD.

Peter White on the Sunday Live Show

Peter White is currently in residence at Pizza Express Jazz Club at the moment, so he took the time to stop in at the studio on the SKY FM Smooth Jazz Sunday Live Show today.

If you missed it, here's a recording of the chat we had.

Euge Groove UK Tour Now On Sale

Tickets for the forthcoming Euge Groove UK tour are in great demand. The dynamic saxman returns to the UK from November 30th until December 9th for his second solo trip after a series of sellout concerts last year.

With his brand new CD "House Of Groove" topping the charts at the moment, Euge is hot property right now and at the time of writing the early show at Pizza Express Jazz Club on Saturday December 1st is already sold out, with Friday November 30th not far behind.

So make a point to reserve your seats now for an experience you'll never forget, as Euge visits London, Maidstone, Milton Keynes and Altrincham, near Manchester.

You'll find all of the booking links and prices at www.smoothjazzevents.co.uk.

Rick Braun in London this weekend!

Rick Braun flies in tomorrow for his three night stopover at Pizza Express Jazz Club. He'll be playing with Oli Silk (keyboards) Mark Jaimes )guitar), Marc Parnell (drums) and Frank Felix (bass).

Tickets are in short supply now but if you hurry you should be OK for a table.

Reserve yours now at Smoothjazzevents.co.uk.

Marc Antoine on The Sunday Live Show

Marc Antoine played at Pizza Express in London back at the beginning of July, and while he was in town he popped into the Sunday Live Show for a chat.

Here's the archive of that visit. Marc joins in after around 13 minutes, so you might want to skip forward to that part of the recording.

Tickets for Rick Braun now on sale

He's only here for 3 nights, so get 'em while you can. Rick Braun returns to Pizza Express Jazz Club from August 31st to September 2nd.

Further information and booking links can be found on our new Events page, www.smoothjazzevents.co.uk. Be sure to bookmark it for later while you're there.

Marc Antoine Live In London

In a little over two weeks Marc Antoine returns to Pizza Express Jazz Club in London for a 4 night stopover.

He'll be joined by Oli Silk on keyboards, Tony Mason on drums, Otto Williams on bass and for the first time we'll be welcoming Karl Vanden Bossche on percussion. Karl has played with Sade, Robert Palmer, Incognito, Joss Stone and Simply Red amongst others, so we're looking forward to teaming him up with Marc.

You'll be hearing Marc's greatest hits as well as a track or two from his forthcoming CD, which has been in production for the last 18 months.

Tickets are on sale now at www.sky.fm/events so be sure to book as soon as you can for a good view.

Dave Koz currently in town. Brian Simpson popped into the live show

The amazing Dave Koz is currently in residence at Pizza Express in London, with visits to Pizza Express Maidstone, The Stables in Milton Keynes and The Cinnamon Club in Manchester due later this coming week.

Dave's musical director and keyboardist Brian Simpson stopped by to visit the Sunday live show earlier today. Here's the archive of the show in case you missed it.

Dave Koz Heading For a UK Sell Out

http://www.sky.fm/events
There are now very few tickets left for the forthcoming visit of Dave Koz to the UK.

The demand for seats has been such that the show at Pizza Express in Maidstone has sold out, as are more than half the dates at Pizza Express in London, with limited availability on those that remain. His show at The Stables in Milton Keynes is also filling up fast.

So get them while you can. Visit www.sky.fm/events for the list of dated and booking links.

Accompanying Dave will be musical director Brian Simpson.

A Special Event for UK Smooth Jazz Fans

Book Now!

How about this for a special performance?

On Bank Holiday Monday June 4th at Pizza Express Jazz Club in London's Soho, Dave Koz and Peter White will share the stage for a lunchtime "unplugged" session, where they'll chat about their music, answer questions and play requests.


It's a smooth jazz fans dream date with two smooth jazz superstars. An event that's not to be missed. Tickets are on sale now, at http://www.sky.fm/events


Book early to avoid disappointment.

Smooth Jazz 24/7 Listener Map

Those who know me would tell you that I'm a bit of a gadget freak. I guess that I'm now a widget freak too. Earlier this week I found this little trinket that now sits at the foot of the Smooth Jazz 24/7 home page.

When you visit the website the widget grabs your IP address and places the location on the map. The picture above is a screen grab of the map and the blue dots are listener locations. When you click on the map at the SJ247 site you'll go to the widgets home page where you'll see everything in greater detail (Tip. Click on the link for the 2D map and you'll get all the location details when you hover over one of the blue locations).

Brian Culbertson in the UK

Tickets are now on sale for all UK tour dates for Brian Culbertson in May.

Some dates are already sold out and the others are selling fast so don't hang around or you may be disappointed.

For a list of all dates and availability plus booking links, visit the SKY fm Events page.

Accompanying Brian will be Simply Red's Mark Jaimes on guitar, Derek Nash on saxophone, Andy Whitmore on keys, Otto Williams on Bass & Marc Parnell on drums.

We Have a New Mailing List

SKY.fm have just moved the service provider that deals with our Smooth Jazz Events Newsletter.

If you aren't already signed up please take a minute to do so on the right, so that we can keep you updated when we have new dates to tell you about or when tickets go on sale.

Michael Lington & Richard Elliot Live in London

It seems like ages (doesn't January appear to have gone on forever?) but we've finally got some live shows coming up soon in London.

First Michael Lington is coming for a two night stopover on Wednesday 15th & Thursday 16th February at Pizza Express in Kings Road, Chelsea. It's the first ever engagement for SKY.fm at the brand new music room at The Pheasantry (Eric Clapton's old home).

Then we have Richard Elliot coming to play 5 shows in 4 nights commencing March 8th.

Tickets for all of these shows are on sale now. Go to The SKY.fm Smooth Jazz Events Page for full details, prices and booking links.

Smooth Jazz 24/7

A little over 6 months down the line, it's time to look back on our newest project, which has put DJs on air through the medium of Internet radio and attempted to keep smooth jazz alive in the process. The listenership has tripled during that time and continues to grow, so I'm hoping for big things in the coming year.

I'd like to say a big thanks to Ari and Duy at Sky for giving Smooth Jazz 24/7 the chance in the first place. Also a big thanks to my wife Steph, who contributes a heck of a lot of her time each day to spread the load, and without whom the whole thing would have sunk without trace in month one.

Also a huge thanks to a whole host of people who present shows and/or have recorded sound bites to make Smooth Jazz 24/7 what it is. Namely, Carmen Kennedy, Lynda Clayton, Dianna Rose, Bruce Nazarian, Lynn Briggs, Oli Silk, Marc Antoine, Nick Colionne, Euge Groove, Dave Koz, Paul Brown, Peter White, Stewart Coxhead, Miles Gilderdale, Boney James, Brian Simpson, Brian Culbertson, Jeff Golub, Jessy J, Jeff Lorber, Jonathan Fritzen, Michael Lington, Mindi Abair, Paul Hardcastle, Richard Elliot, Steve Oliver & Victor Fields.

The biggest thanks of all goes to our fantastic listeners who tune in daily. Without you it wouldn't be happening at all.