The Hot Box

Donald Helme pays tribute to the wonderful South African pianist and composer Abdullah Ibrahim, who died in June 2026 at the age of 91.

Known earlier in his career as Dollar Brand, Ibrahim created a musical voice rooted in the rhythms, melodies and cultural life of South Africa. His music reached audiences around the world while retaining a profound connection to home.

Opening with a live performance of “Zimbabwe”, Donald explores a selection spanning several decades, including “Little Boy”, “Mannenberg”, “Calypso Minor” and recordings from Cape Town Revisited. Along the way, this episode offers an opportunity to listen more closely to the South African jazz traditions that shaped Ibrahim’s music and remained at the heart of his remarkable career.

Track list for The Hot Box #155 – Abdullah Ibrahim

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A nudge from a listener in Scotland prompts Donald Helme to put right an omission: marking the centenary of the great Oscar Peterson.

This episode opens with Norman Granz introducing the Oscar Peterson Trio at Zurich’s Kongresshaus on 8 April 1960. Sharing the bill that evening were the Stan Getz Quartet and the Miles Davis Quintet—an extraordinary gathering of jazz talent.

From the swinging “Jordu” and “Cubano Chant” to solo interpretations of “Someone to Watch Over Me” and “Bye Bye Blackbird”, Donald’s selection celebrates Peterson’s dazzling technique, lyrical touch and irresistible sense of swing. With blues, ballads and familiar standards along the way, The Hot Box #153 pays a belated tribute to one of jazz’s greatest pianists.

Track list for The Hot Box #153 – Oscar Peterson

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It’s something of a home game on this edition of The Hot Box, with Donald Helme spending most of the hour in the company of Irish musicians, drawing on recordings both new and from the archives.

Among the newer music is Stella Bass with her latest single Time to Fly, while a look back into Irish jazz history brings us John Wadham’s Drums and Friends, recently remastered and reissued by Livia Records, from which we hear Wayne Shorter’s Footprints. There’s also music from Linley Hamilton, Don Baker, Fintan O’Neill, Lee Meehan and Kevin Brady.

There is one important journey away from home, as Donald pauses to remember the wonderful American singer Cassandra Wilson, who died on September 1st at the age of 70. We hear a little of her remarkable recorded legacy along the way, including her distinctive take on *Last Train to Clarksville*.

So, mostly Irish, with one very worthwhile digression.

Track list for The Hot Box #157 – A Home Game (Mostly)

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As the new movie Everybody Digs Bill Evans launches in cinemas around Ireland, The Hot Box grabs the opportunity to immerse you in Evans’ music. Whilst an hour can only provide a snapshot of the considerable output from one of jazz’s truly great innovators, it enables us to evaluate his contribution to jazz during his too-short life.

Track list for The Hot Box #156 – Everybody Digs Bill Evans

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Join Donald Helme on this edition of The Hot Box as he celebrates the life and music of one of jazz’s most influential figures, Miles Davis, marking what would have been the legendary trumpeter’s 100th birthday. From his groundbreaking innovations in bebop, cool jazz, modal jazz and jazz fusion, Miles Davis reshaped the course of modern music and continues to inspire generations of musicians and listeners alike.

Donald reflects on the enduring legacy of Davis and introduces a carefully curated selection of recordings spanning his extraordinary career, offering both long-time fans and newcomers an opportunity to rediscover the music of one of jazz’s true visionaries.

The programme also opens with a look at an outstanding new release from the Jed Levy / Phil Robson Quartet, *The Unpredictability of the Sea*, released by Livia Records, before embarking on a musical journey through the remarkable catalogue of Miles Davis.

Track list for The Hot Box #154 – Miles Davis 100

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Whilst enjoying the multitude of styles that compose the repertoire of jazz today, many fans have long decried the disappearance of Bebop in favour of crossover music and other listener-to-listener styles. There is some evidence though that things may be changing, and one piece of that evidence is the emergence of some bands playing music closer to bop or hard bop style.

One such is the British quintet Five Way Split, and Hot Box 152 samples tracks from their new album, Modus Operandi, alongside such classic hard boppers as Horace Silver and Art Blakey.

Track list for The Hot Box #152 – Back to Bebop!

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The upcoming visit of Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra to these shores prompts an hour of listening to their diverse music in the Hot Box.

Founded in 1988 and under Marsalis’ direction since 1991, it has become an important icon for quality and stability in the world of jazz music. It has played in Ireland before, but since Marsalis announced his upcoming retirement, their concerts in Ireland develop even more significance.

Enjoy an hour taken from their huge catalogue of recordings in Hot Box 151.

Track list for The Hot Box #151 – Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

All tracks The Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra

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All the music in Hot Box 150 is from the flautist/saxophonist Ken Peplowski, who died on 2nd February this year aboard a jazz cruise liner. He was one of the finest musicians of his generation, spanning traditional and modern jazz styles.

Track list for The Hot Box #150 – Ken Peplowski

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Welcome to Hot Box 149. We begin with a sparkling new release on Blue Note from the young American pianist Paul Cornish. Hailing from Texas, Cornish was a finalist in the prestigious Herbie Hancock International Piano Competition three years ago, and has already shared the stage with many of the leading figures in jazz today.

From there, we move into the distinctive voice of Cécile McLorin Salvant, with two selections from her Oh Snap album, before turning to the richly textured harp work of Brandee Younger on Gadabout Season. We close out the programme with two beautifully crafted pieces from Irish guitarist Louis Stewart, drawn from his album Joyce Notes.

A programme of fresh, expressive music — Hot Box 149 is all about new sounds and standout voices in contemporary jazz.

Track list for The Hot Box #149 – New Stuff

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Hot Box 148 is going to be both sad and joyful since we now remember the extraordinary drummer Jack DeJohnette who died at the end of October aged 83. He was a native of Chicago and certainly could lay a claim to being the greatest of all jazz drummers. Immensely influential in the overall direction of drumming in jazz and, by any standards, extraordinarily versatile.

You only have to rattle off the names of the musicians he worked with to emphasise that point, take Miles Davis for example, then Bill Evans, John Surman, Keith Jarrett and Pat Matheney, really ticking most of the boxes in the post-bop era. So, let’s listen to some of that music while we pay tribute to an extraordinary musician.

Track list for The Hot Box #148 – Jack DeJohnette

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