New Year’s music: TV guide

There are some brilliant music choices available over the New Year’s period to help you see in 2024 (albeit some as repeats).

NITV

Saturday, 30 December

7:30pm Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On?
Biopic of iconic soul singer Marvin Gaye.

8.30pm Ella Fitzgerald At the Paris Olympia
On the legendary stage of Olympia in Paris, the First Lady of song gives free rein to her immense talent. Watch Ella perform live her greatest hits such as “Mack the Knife”.

9.00pm Quincy Jones Big Band
On the stage of the Alhambra in Paris, the orchestra conducted by Quincy Jones performs in front of Jean’s Christophe Averty’s cameras. The formation conducted by Quincy Jones includes artists such as Budd Johnson or Clark Terry. This “big orchestra” plays “The Birth of a Band”, “Moanin ‘”, “The Gipsy”, “Cherokee”, “Walkin'”, “Big Red”, “Ghana”, “Everybody’s Blues” and “I Remember Clifford”.

Sunday, 31 December

8.30pm Tina: One Last Time
Filmed live in front of 80,000 fans over two nights at London’s Wembley Stadium on Tina’s Twenty Four Seven Tour, this film captures Tina at her very best in an energetic performance of two hours of hit after hit. Songs performed include “Acid Queen”, “River Deep Mountain High”, “Let’s Stay Together”, “Private Dancer”, “Better Be Good To Me”, “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”, “When The Heartache Is Over”, “I Want To Take You Higher” and the classic “What’s Love Got To Do With It”.

10.20pm Tina: What’s Love
Filmed live during Tina Turner’s 1993 North American Tour at the Blockbuster Pavilion in San Bernardino, California. The set-list features all of Tina’s most-loved global hits including “Steamy Windows”, “Private Dancer”, “We Don’t Need Another Hero”, “The Best”, “Addicted To Love”, “Nutbush City Limits”, “What’s Love Got To Do With It” and a very special performance of “Why Must We Wait Until Tonight”.

Saturday January 6

8.30pm Ray Charles: Live At the Montreux
Ray Charles was one of the true pioneers of soul music. Born in Georgia in 1930, he was one of the first performers to mix gospel, R&B and jazz to create a new form of black pop music that would come to be known as soul. His voice and delivery were strikingly different and instantly recognisable. He had his first hits in the early 50’s and was still hitting the charts into the 21st century. His death in June 2004 from liver disease was front-page news around the world. This concert was filmed at the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 19, 1997 and features Ray Charles and his orchestra, led by sax player Al Jackson, and The Raelettes.

SBS

Sunday, 31 December

7.30pm Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives
This musical-documentary charts the 50-year career of the industry’s most prominent and successful music mogul, Clive Davis. Cited as having the best ears in the record business, Davis has successfully launched careers and driven chart success and sales for Whitney Houston, Rod Stewart, Simon and Garfunkel, Santana, The Kinks, Lou Reed and Janis Joplin.

9.45pm Billy Joel: Live At Yankee Stadium
A native New Yorker (and avid baseball fan), Billy Joel was the first pop/rock performer allowed to play The House That Ruth Built. Filmed over two incredible nights, the show features performances including “New York State of Mind”, “Piano Man”, “Storm Front”, and “A Matter of Trust and Shout”.

11:20pm Kenny Rogers: All In For The Gambler
This one-night-only concert event from October 2017 brought together fans, friends and music icons to celebrate Kenny Rogers’ final farewell to Nashville. All In For The Gambler featured performances by Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, Chris Stapleton, Don Henley, Elle King, Idina Menzel, Jamey Johnson, Lady Antebellum, Lionel Richie, Little Big Town, Kris Kristofferson, Reba McEntire, The Flaming Lips, The Judds, Wynonna, The Oak Ridge Boys and Kenny Rogers along with many other special guests.

Monday, 1 January

9.15pm Amazing Grace
In 1972, Aretha Franklin, the undisputed Queen of Soul, recorded an album of gospel music at The New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. Few realised that the inspirational sessions had not only been recorded, but also had been filmed by Oscar winning Sydney Pollack. Due to technical problems, the film has never been seen – until now.

ABC

Saturday December 30

2pm  The Gospel According To Marcia
Marcia Hines, Australian music legend, sings iconic gospel hits and discusses how her own faith has helped forge 50 years in the music industry. Included are never before heard stories from behind the industry curtain told by one of Australia’s most enduring, celebrated artists.

Sunday December 31

9pm New Year’s Eve: Concert From Sydney Harbour
From 9:10pm, the live music begins, getting you ready to celebrate as the clock heads towards midnight. The NYE concert will showcase the biggest names in Australian music, including Jessica Mauboy, Genesis Owusu, King Stingray, Confidence Man, Angie McMahon, Mark Seymour, Grentperez and the Queen of New Year’s Eve, Casey Donovan.

Monday January 1

12:20am  Rage New Year’s Special

McCartney 321 ABC iview
Paul McCartney sits down for a rare, in-depth, one on one with legendary producer Rick Rubin to discuss his groundbreaking work with The Beatles, the emblematic 70s arena rock of Wings and his 50 years and counting as a solo artist.

Tuesday January 2

7:30pm. A Symphonic Odyssey With Professor Brian Cox
Explore the secrets of the universe with Professor Brian Cox in this special event that combines ground-breaking science with the power of the Sydney Symphony. Through the latest extraordinary imagery and some of the greatest orchestral music ever written, Professor Cox examines astonishing cosmic ideas and creates the links between cosmology and music, showing how both can teach us what it means to be human, and what it means to live a small, finite life in a vast, spectacular universe.

Nine

Sunday December 31

7pm Movie: Hairspray
11:30pm  Movie: Can’t Stop The Music (12:10am Melb)

-and in better news, Seven has responded to TV Tonight‘s post about a tacky late night Spotlight replay and replaced it with the movie New Year’s Eve.

Happy New Year all!

Updated.