YolanDa Brown

In a special programme to coincide with the London Jazz Festival the outstanding saxophonist YolanDa Brown talks to Michael Berkeley about her passion for spreading the joy of music, especially to children.

YolanDa presents 'YolanDa’s Band Jam' on CBeebies and hosts Young Jazz Musician of the Year. She’s an ambassador for BBC Music Day and chair of the charity Youth Music. She has won a string of awards, including two Jazz MOBOs – Music of Black Origin Awards – and her most recent album, 'Love Politics War', topped the jazz charts.

Less well known is that she started out on a career in social science research, taking masters degrees in both Operations Management and Methods of Social Research and beginning a PhD before veering back to her first love – music.

YolanDa talks about the importance of introducing children to live music at the earliest possible age. Her own daughter responded to music in the womb and went to her first opera at the age of four. We hear music from YolanDa’s own first musical outing to see Iolanthe with her father, also at the age of four.

YolanDa describes her vibrant mix of jazz and soul as ‘posh reggae’, influenced by her Jamaican heritage. We hear a track from her latest album and tracks from musicians who have influenced her, including Kamasi Washington, Dave Brubeck and Bobby McFerrin. She talks to Michael about playing the piano and violin as a child; classical music remains very close to her heart, and she chooses music by Schubert and Dvorak.

And we hear a special commission from film composer Hans Zimmer, part of the BBC’s Ten Pieces Trailblazers, which was introduced by YolanDa when she presented this year’s CBeebies Proms.

Producer: Jane Greenwood A Loftus production for BBC Radio 3