Santana - XM & Jazz at Lincoln Center

...so there I was... backstage chatting with Carlos Santana. The music icon made an appearance and 'live' broadcast from Jazz at Lincoln Center's rehearsal hall for an XM Satellite Radio broadcast. Jazz at Lincoln Center has partnered with XM for ongoing broadcasts from their new facilities/studios in Frederick P. Rose Hall.

It was the kickoff concert for their XM Artist Confidential series. And what a way to start! Carlos Santana and his 10-piece band rockin' in an intimate rehearsal hall! The idea is to play a song, answer questions from the audience and a moderator, then play another song.

Santana was his usual spiritually-minded self in answering various questions about music, his life and the world situation in general. Wearing a white shirt with a picture of John Coltrane on the front, Santana praised his influences: John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley.

For an hour and a half, the loud jam continued. I was amazed at the great acoustics in the room and the fact that there was no bleed-over sound coming out of the room--a testament to the acousticians that designed the room.

As the press release reads: XM Satellite Radio, the nation's leading provider of satellite radio with more than four million subscribers, and Jazz at Lincoln Center, the world's largest producer of jazz performance and education events, (in May 2005) announced a multi-year agreement for XM to broadcast live daily from new, state-of-the-art XM studios at Jazz at Lincoln Center's new home, Frederick P. Rose Hall, at Broadway at 60th Street, in New York City.

As the exclusive satellite radio partner of Jazz at Lincoln Center, XM will greatly expand its presence in New York City with on-air studios and offices starting in June. Frederick P. Rose Hall will be the home for a variety of XM's music channels, such as Real Jazz and On Broadway. XM will record and broadcast select live concerts hosted by Jazz at Lincoln Center at its Frederick P. Rose Hall performance venues. The two partners will co-produce new shows for broadcast, as well as create, promote and distribute other jazz programming.

XM will also host and broadcast live performances originating from the Jazz at Lincoln Center facilities featuring artists across the entire spectrum of music, from rock, hip-hop, and country artists to classical and jazz performers. These XM shows will include new episodes of XM's Original Music series “Artist Confidential" and “Then..Again...Live!" Special features from XM's news, public radio, sports, kids, talk, comedy and entertainment channels will originate from the new studios as well. XM will continue to broadcast talk radio shows from its current New York studios at the Economist Building on West 57th Street. XM also broadcasts live daily from its main headquarters in Washington, DC and the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.

“America's home for jazz is now a home for XM Satellite Radio," said Hugh Panero, President and CEO of XM Satellite Radio. “Jazz at Lincoln Center is a fantastic organization that shares XM's passion for music, and this partnership gives XM an extraordinary opportunity to broadcast concerts from Jazz at Lincoln Center and other world-class radio programming for the millions of XM listeners across the country."

“XM is a visionary broadcast venture changing the landscape of the American music scene," said Wynton Marsalis, the Artistic Director for Jazz at Lincoln Center and a member of XM's Artist Family, a select group of renowned artists who help create and develop music programming for XM. “Jazz at Lincoln Center and XM is a perfect fit because of the unlimited range of new music and educational programs." Wynton Marsalis said.

“Creating a recorded legacy and disseminating live jazz performances is an essential part of the mission of Jazz at Lincoln Center," stated Derek E. Gordon, President and CEO of Jazz at Lincoln Center. “Our collaboration with XM Satellite Radio gives millions of listeners the opportunity to hear the best performers in jazz today, from a venue that was designed to celebrate this great American art form."

The XM music channels that will broadcast programs from Jazz at Lincoln Center include Real Jazz (XM Channel 70), which offers a deep play list of traditional jazz from the early masters and young lions, and Frank's Place (XM Channel 73), XM's home for the timeless music of Frank Sinatra and other celebrated singers of great American standards under the leadership of legendary New York radio personality Jonathan Schwartz. Other XM channels to be broadcast from the Hall will be On Broadway (XM Channel 28), the modern jazz channel Beyond Jazz (XM Channel 72), and the New Age music channel Audio Visions (XM Channel 77).

Photo Credit
Frank Stewart