BBC Music Jazz in collaboration with Jazz FM and the EFG London Jazz Festival

It is fitting, that almost exactly 100 years since the Chicago Daily Tribune first applied to the word jazz to describe a musical moment, BBC Radio is to launch a celebratory four-day Digital radio station.

In tune with a genre well versed in breaking tradition and rules, BBC Music Jazzis the first time the BBC has collaborated with a commercial radio station. BBC Radio has teamed up with Jazz FM and the EFG London Jazz Festival – and from Thursday 12 to Sunday 15 November, jazz lovers and novices alike will be treated to a dedicated music service.

Every week, BBC Radio hosts 25 hours of jazz programming across our networks and jazz features regularly on our music television shows. In turn, Jazz FM has relentlessly championed the genre in the 25 years since their launch. Every November, the London Jazz Festival attracts a world-class line up of musicians and performers. Between us, we share our audience’s considerable passion for the music, characters, collaborations and improvisation of an almost indescribable style of music. The Oxford English dictionary has a stab – jazz is: ‘a type of music of black American origin which emerged at the beginning of the 20th century, characterised by improvisation, syncopation, and usually a regular or forcefulrhythm’. One could argue that jazz was in fact the first music of alternative spirit – freeing itself from the conventions of structure and form.

Ahead of the launch of BBC Music Jazz this Thursday I contacted a number of our different presenters involved with programs across the pop-up to find out what, and why they feel so passionate about jazz.

Firstly, I discovered jazz means many different things to different people; when I spoke to Cerys Matthews, singer, musician and presenter of a wonderfully eclectic Sunday morning show on BBC Radio 6 Music, "Jazz is the crucible where modern music was created - and with it, came freedom and innovation". Her show on BBC Music Jazz (Sunday 12 November, 14.00 – 15.00) promises a romp through her vinyl collection, unearthing some of the early jazz pioneers such as James P Johnson, Sweet Emma Barrett and the wonderfully named Jabbo Smith.

BBC Radio 3’s Jez Nelson argues that his main reason for his love of the genre is that: "at its best, jazz is the purest, direct expression of the human condition with all its joys and pains and complexities". Many of these joys are rekindled on Thursday 12 November at 19.30, when Jez re-traces some memorable moments from BBC Radio 3 concerts at the London Jazz Festival.

For the last few weeks, listeners to both BBC Radio and Jazz FM have been voting for their Top Jazz Artist of all time. In a daily show at 16.00, (also repeated at 21.00) Radio 3’s Geoffrey Smith and Jazz FM’s Helen Mayhew will count down the votes, revealing the Top 50 and the winner on Sunday 15 November. These votes are always great fun, provoking a mixture of surprise, bickering, outrage and on rare occasions, even agreement. Expect the big jazz hitters but also less familiar names. Helen Mayhew told me: "it's a real treat to be able to revisit some favourite recordings from the greatest artists in jazz, for the Jazz Top 50 chart, and also to hear some of the fascinating stories behind some of them, courtesy of my brilliant colleague Geoffrey Smith".

For almost 40 years, BBC Young Musician has supported and nurtured emerging British musical talent. More recently, it’s offshoot BBC Young Musician Jazz has aimed to raise the profile of the genre and to help find the very best young performers. The inaugural winner, Alexander Bone is one of four young musicians profiled in a daily slot called BBC Music Jazz Introducing (daily 22.50 – 23.00). It’s a chance to hear the fabulous next wave of artists such as Alexander, Nerija, Laura Jurd and Izzy Bizu before the rest of the world.

The trickiest part for the team putting BBC Music Jazz together is striking a balance for those in the jazz-know-how and those who are curious to discover more. Jazz can sometimes be a tricky sell to anyone nervous about discovering new forms of music, though in truth, it is a welcoming and inclusive musical community. For new recruits, Claire Martin and writer Kevin LeGendre host Jazz for Absolute Beginners (Thursday 12 November, 15.05 – 16.00). Eighties music fan girl Sara Cox samples the influence jazz had on pop in Jazz Sounds of the 80s (Friday 13 November, 17.00 – 18.00) and actor John Thomson - best known for Cold Feet and as The Fast Show’s hilarious Jazz Club host - shares his love of jazz (Friday 13 November, 15.05 – 16.00).

Jazz FM showcases its range and depth with a daily show (18.00 – 19.00). Chris Philips and Helen Mayhew present Jazz FM regulars The Blueprint and Dinner Jazz respectively – and there are two genuine treats in store – a rare outing for the Ella Fitzgerald Royal Albert Hall concert that opened Jazz FM in 1990 (Thursday 12 November 18.00) and Neil Cowley’s tribute to his hero Dudley Moore (Friday 13 November, 18.00).

Britain’s most successful jazz artist Jamie Cullum gets things started (Thursday 12 November, 14.00) and vocalists Claire Martin and Liane Carroll celebrate diva Billie Holiday’s 100th birthday(Friday 13 November 14.00 – 15.00). Matthew Sweet uncovers film scores featuring or inspired by jazz (Jazz Sound of Cinema, Saturday 14 November). The man of the moment - American jazz saxophonist, composer and band leader Kamasi Washington - is interviewed by Mary Anne Hobbs and later that night you can hear him exclusively live at the Barbican as part of the London Jazz Festival (Saturday 14 November, 15.05 and 19.30). Unless you have a ticket, BBC Music Jazz is the only place to catch this long sold out show.

Other live moments include the legendary Jazz Voices show at Ronnie Scott’s (Friday 13 November, 23.00) and Guy Barker conducts the London Jazz Festival's Opening Night Gala, live from the Barbican (Saturday 14 November, 19.30)

The BBC Music Jazz cast list also includes Julian Joseph, BBC Radio 6 Music's Craig Charles with a Funk & Jazz special, Alyn Shipton, American pianist Jason Moran, author Ian Rankin, Hannah Rothschild, Tony Blackburn, Manfred Mann’s Paul Jones, bassist Lawrence Cottle, saxophonist Tim Garland, trombonist Dennis Rollins, Snarky Puppy’s Michael League, Radio 1’s Huw Stephens and poet Ian McMillan. There are profiles of Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane and George Gershwin and in Soul Music: Strange Fruit, a chance to hear the harrowing stories of some of those who lost relatives to the lynch mobs of the American South.

BBC Music Jazz promises to be a unique musical feast. The last word I want to leave you with goes to Gilles Peterson - veteran BBC Music presenter, cherished DJ and successful record label owner who told me that ‘Jazz is your doorway to greater understanding’.

Over the next four days, we are about to find out why.

James Stirling is Editor, BBC Music

BBC Music Jazz, a temporary pop-up jazz radio station will be available on DAB, www.bbc.co.uk/musicjazz and mobile and will broadcast from 12 – 15 November. You can download the BBC Music Jazz schedule here .