Derek Jewell, (1927 – 21 November 1985) was a British journalist, newspaper executive, broadcaster and music critic.
A music critic for the London Sunday Times for twenty-three years from 1963, Jewell wrote extensively about jazz, and also introduced British audiences to avant garde jazz, rock and improvisational music, especially through live performances on his BBC Radio 3 show Sounds Interesting.
In addition to producing columns of music criticism for the Sunday Times (he also wrote periodically for the now-defunct Illustrated London News), Jewell was the author of a number of books about popular music including The Popular Voice (1980), Duke – A Portrait of Duke Ellington (1977), and Frank Sinatra (co-written with George Perry, 1985).
Created in 1967, BBC Radio 3 was dedicated primarily to broadcasting live and recorded performances of classical music.
The show was broadcast each Saturday late afternoon with its theme music Soul Saga (the sound of the buffalo soldier) recorded by Quincy Jones.