Over his time at BBC Radio 6 Music, Gilles Peterson has notched up an incredible array of live sessions at the legendary Maida Vale Studios. When I got a call saying this was most likely going to be the last session recorded there I grabbed a pad and a pen and headed west to affluent neighbourhood that is home to the studios.

It’s mid June and it’s hot. I arrived at the Maida Vale studios along with DJ / broadcaster / indie label boss, Gilles Peterson, and long time associate Paul Martin. Their relationship goes back to Talking Loud records and Paul, who is now an academic / lecturer, has just received confirmation of his doctorate for his PHD and he is seeking a publishing deal. In a way we’re celebrating the continuum. As we enter the building we bump into stellar saxophonist/composer Nubya Garcia who is fresh from touring Brazil and is now working on a commission with strings. She is excited about the ensemble that drummer Moses Boyd has pulled together for today’s BBC Radio 6 Music session.

The Maida Vale studios are steeped in history and the framed photos that line the corridors of this labyrinth tell a mesmerising story. As we venture deeper into the building, past the vast studio that has long been home to the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Singers, and down a flight of stairs, we are met with the distinctive strains of the now classic ‘Rye Lane Shuffle’. It’s the end of the sound check.

It’s a large room and according to a plaque on the wall Bing Crosby recorded there. Bing Crosby? Google him! Gilles’ BBC producers Sylvia, Taz, Emily and crew are getting busy. This is clearly a family affair. In the house is a posse of devotees who maintain the online conversations on Discord for Gilles’ radio show. There are peeps who I recognise from the annual summer sessions that Gilles hosts in Sete and St Paul De Vence in the south of France. Janine Neye is in the house. She is a clubland legend and the driving force behind the legendary Dingwalls club sessions. Nicole Mckenzie who manages Moses Boyd, Alabaster De Plume and poet Saul Williams is, as ever, a source of fresh information and knowledge. The Brownswood crew (including Sandra Scott – another veteran) are present and label boss Emily Moxon is busy chatting to singer Zara McFarlane. She is holding a copy of Zara’s ‘Arise” album, which was produced by Moses Boyd and is due to be re-issued by the label. I do love the cover of that LP – strong and militant. Musically, ‘Arise’ is quietly unique. It’s underpinned by Zara’s deep dive into the roots of Jamaican music taking in Kumina, Burru and Maroon culture.

When it comes to inspiration, Sarah Vaughn is top of Zara’s list. As a modern day jazz singer she readily admits it’s tough out there in the big wide world. So, it’s great to have here in the mix. Zara and Moses go back a long way and Gilles Peterson recalls seeing them playing together at a shady Charlie Wright’s in Hoxton. Gilles laughs and recalls that Moses looked to be around 14 year old back then.

The original voice of the Jazz Warriors and Metalheadz MC, Cleveland Watkiss, is all set up and fulfilling the role of an elder … “These are our children!” exclaims the innovator and educator. “These young musicians, they are our legacy… “

Basically, we are in Maida Vale for the recording of Gilles’ BBC Radio 6 Music show with a live studio audience. Sporting a nicely crumpled, double breasted, checked linen suit and white pumps he bounces around the studio greeting those assembled. He enjoys a laugh. His musical selection is on his laptop which he seems to have misplaced. A slightly anarchic, improvisational, freestyle vibe prevails. Short interviews are scheduled into the mix with Moses, Nubya, Cleveland and Zara. There’s an illuminating chat with an in-house engineer who sheds light on their daily runnings and also on those now legendary, weekly, Wednesday night, John Peel sessions. Another surprise interview is with Patrick Munz aka Pat La Bouche who had flown from Hanover in Germany. A dedicated listener, he had blown Gilles away by delivering a tome of painstakingly archived BBC Radio 6 Music shows including all the live recording sessions GP had done at Maida Vale.

There was definitely a point in Gilles’ tenure at BBC Radio 6 Music that he realised what an asset Maida Vale was for him and the line up Moses has put together for this recording reflects that. The live set appropriately kicks off with ‘Rye Lane Shuffle’, an anthem that locates the origins of the current London jazz generation in Peckham, South London. There are echoes of United Vibrations. It’s propelled along by Moses stuttering drums and Theo Cross’s deep tuba bass lines which, together, provide a energy laden launch pad for a serious horn section featuring Nubya on bass clarinet, the mighty Binker Golding on tenor, Christ-Stéphane Boizi  on trombone, Parthenope Wald-Harding on alto and Dylan Jones on trumpet. Add Renato Paris on keys, Artie Zaltz on guitar and you get the vibe.

‘Stranger than Fiction’ follows. It’s a Moses Boyd composition and the free flowing rhythms allow the ensemble to surge forward. The ensemble breaks are deeply melodic and evocative and it leaves me with the sound of a trumpet soloing over a bed of shimmering cymbals.

The composition chosen from Cleveland’s diverse repertoire arrives in the form of ‘So Near’ from the 2003 album with pianist Nikki Yeoh titled ‘Mutual Serenade’. According to the singer it was a song that was written quickly and when it was introduced to musicians in the room it came together in a moment. Theon and Moses hold the groove. Cleveland is in fine form and shines. He’s as innovative as ever. There’s a slightly Latin lilt and both Zara and Cleve slip into gentle skank before the guitar kicks in. There’s some sweet interplay between Renato on keys and Theon on tuba just prior to Zara dropping back in bringing “freedom” to a close. I need to revisit that CD.

Zara McFarlane’s ‘Freedom Chain’ from the ‘Arise’ album is a wonderful choice. It’s driven by Theon’s tuba. The groove is mighty and It shifts the vibe over to the vocalists. Zara, Kiandra and Cleveland. It inevitably leaves us wanting more.

The set culminates with a new Moses Boyd composition, the gospel tinged ‘Say Yeah’. Those gathered in the room are call upon to give voice within the song as Kiandra and Zara opt for a call and response chant… “Say Yeahhh…”. How did that turn out? We shall have to wait for the actual broadcast (Saturday 27th June). Meanwhile, we still got to savour some bluesy guitar and ride along astride those Moses Boyd rimshots.

And then it was done. Basically, we got to hang at one of the last ever BBC sessions at Maida Vale. We got a good one!  Sadly, the studios are longer owned by the BBC. The building was sold in 2023 for £10.5 milion to a consortium led by Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer, Working Title film producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, and business partner Steven Kofsky. The partnership plans to build world-class music recording facilities, film post-production suites, and a not-for-profit educational facility but I think the consensus amongst those gathered for the recording session was that the powers that be at the BBC simply have no vision. If the BBC wants to compete with the digital stations they should be proud of the past. Build on your history. It’s a history that we, the licence payers, have paid for. Why would they sell Maida Vale? You can’t replicate the energy and heritage that’s imbued in that building, certainly not in a brand new one out there on the Olympic Park in Stratford. Ahhhh… it’s a sign of the times… cuts cuts cuts. But hey, we were there, we got a taste. C’est la vie. 

Tune into Gilles Peterson on BBC Radio 6 Music at 3pm Saturday 27th June for the full show.