This programme features the Tower of Babel Jazz Quintet at the Loosdrecht Jazz Festival, as well as recordings from the 1960’s of the voice of the legendary Rita Reys (1924-2013). From the time of her award-winning performance, with her husband Pim Jacobs (1934-1996) at the piano, at the Juan Les Pins Jazz Festival in 1960, she was known for the rest of her life as “Europe’s First Lady of Jazz”. She was given a Bird Award at the 1991 North Sea Jazz Festival and was the first Dutch jazz musician to perform at the New Orleans Jazz Festival.
Producer: David Swatling
Host: Hans Mantel
Broadcast: July 17, 2004