New UK jazz artists are being given a national radio platform through the return of a specialist series across two stations.
Jazz FM and One Jazz are broadcasting a second series of I Am Warrior, a co-production with Tomorrow’s Warriors, focused on introducing emerging UK jazz musicians to wider audiences.
Across six episodes, the series features pianist and composer Emily Tran, singer-songwriter Kianja and trombonist-composer Christ-Stéphane Boizi, all drawn from the Tomorrow’s Warriors development programme. Each artist presents two episodes, combining personal storytelling with music that has influenced their work, alongside their own recordings and selections from peers and alumni connected to the organisation.
The programmes are broadcast weekly on both stations, with the opening episode airing on Jazz FM on Saturday 31 January at 9pm, followed by One Jazz on Sunday 1 February.
Nick Pitts, Content Director of Jazz FM and Magic Classical, said working on a second series creates “a real opportunity to expose our audience to these new amazing talents, and in turn give them a chance to share their influences through their own voice”.
Janine Irons OBE, co-founder and chief executive of Tomorrow’s Warriors, said the series reflects the organisation’s long-standing aim of supporting young artists to tell their own stories, adding that national exposure remains vital for the future of the music.
Emily Tran said the programmes allow her to revisit pianists who shaped her development, while Christ-Stéphane Boizi and Kianja described the series as a chance to explore music, radio and personal influences in greater depth.
31 January, 7 February, 14 February, 21 February, 28 February and 7 March