What changes over the years at Bayou Blue Radio?

You’ve probably noticed that we mainly talk about and broadcast contemporary jazz. However, over the years, you may have seen that we’ve added some artists who have written the history of jazz, such as Oscar Peterson, Errol Garner, Winston Marsalis, Christian McBride (the latter two are contemporary artists who maintain the tradition), and more. Very soon, we will also be featuring Ahmad Jamal from his 1966-1968 period, with the intention of bridging the gap between the past and the present, offering the new generations a chance to appreciate and understand the connection between 20th-century and 21st-century music. In fact, the past musicians we select are still as modern as ever, both in the quality of their compositions and their performances.

Our strength also lies in our commitment to always bring you the best of European and American jazz, and sometimes even from other continents. We have a growing network of partners that expands year by year. Every album we receive is carefully listened to, and 20% of them do not make the cut because they must fit our programming, which is our first criterion. Originality is also valued, and we prioritize creative works. Sometimes, we select albums of cover songs, but only if they pay tribute to a composer with originality and with particularly remarkable interpretations.

In a time when everything is devalued and commodified, where music is often just a consumer product that can hardly be associated with what we call “art” with a capital “A,” Bayou Blue Radio takes pride in not following this trend. While some may consider us too “elitist,” we take pride in it because our hallmark is not to conform to the general trend. This is also why restaurants and other venues choose to broadcast us, and why thousands of readers choose to read our articles. We do not and will never compromise on quality.

The most challenging aspect for us is working with Europe, where everything is disorganized. Apart from a few reliable contacts, we have to work directly with the artists, keeping a close eye on their creations. Along the same lines, we’ve incorporated a bit of funk and folk music, always with the same commitment to quality.

For the year-end holidays, as we do every year, we will adapt our on-air branding. However, we always make sure not to feature titles that are unrelated to religious themes, with the spirit of celebrating for everyone, without restrictions.