Mike Chadwick is to leave Jazz FM this Easter Sunday after 22 years with the brand.
He’s off to do new things, and will be concentrating primarily on artist management.
Mike tells RadioToday.co.uk: “I have loved my time on Jazz FM and am immensely proud to have been part of this wonderful station in all its incarnations for the last 22 years.
“It delights me to leave an institution that is thriving, the output the best its been for years, back on national DAB, the Love Supreme Festival now established as part of the world jazz festival circuit and the Jazz FM awards now a fixture of the UK Jazz calendar. I am also happy to see the esteemed broadcaster Jez Nelson back where his ‘legal’ broadcast career started.
“With the station thriving and my own work life so congested, now feels like the right time to be moving on.
Fans of Mike will still be able to hear him fortnightly on SoulandJazz.com with the European Jazz Union via TuneIn.
“I want to thank everyone involved in Jazz FM over the years who supported me and gave me the platform to be myself and to play music that I loved and believed in completely.”
As a result, Jazz FM has a new weekend late night schedule.
This means that the returning Jez Nelson will now present his new programme “Somethin’ Else with Jez Nelson” on a Sunday night for 3 hours from 10pm, whilst Saturday night will be filled with the sounds of “The BluePrint with Chris Philips” which had prior to this point been broadcasting at midnight on Saturday since 2013.
The station also welcomes newcomer Ruth Fisher to the station who will present a new contemporary jazz programme between 1 and 3 on Sunday mornings.
Jazz FM’s Content Director Nick Pitts said “It’s sad to have to say goodbye to a presenter like Mike with his musical knowledge after 22 years and I wish him all the very best, but I hope for the listeners we have created a really interesting new approach to weekend late nights. Chris and Jez were both trailblazers at the start of the stations life and they will continue to be so in these slots as they crate dig for some stunning older material while championing the contemporary musicians of today. Add Ruth Fisher to the mix and our commitment to contemporary jazz has never been stronger”.
