Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye launch Radio 4's new weekly music programme which explores the rich web of connections in music, from Beethoven to Beyoncé.
Errollyn Wallen and Neil Brand round off the series
Belize-born British composer Errollyn Wallen, recently announced as Master of the King's Music, and composer and silent film music specialist Neil Brand, join Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye to round off the current series.From the first winner of the Eurovision Song contest to a Marvin Gaye masterpiece, via warring brothers, Add to Playlist wraps up before returning for a new series in November.Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna PhoebeThe five tracks in this week's playlist:Refrain by Lys Assia
The Honeysuckle and the Bee by Stanley Holloway
Champagne Supernova by Oasis
Sunny Afternoon by The Kinks
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell Other music in this episode:1st Movement of Concerto Grosso by Errollyn Wallen
Trenulețul (Eurovision 2022) by Zdob și Zdub
All in Your Head by New Jack & Lys Assia
Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Disco Inferno by The Trammps
9/27/2024 • 42 minutes, 49 seconds
Rick Wakeman and Fenella Humphreys, from Bach to Eurovision
Keyboard maestro and prog rock musician Rick Wakeman and concert violinist Fenella Humphreys are today's studio guests with Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye. In the penultimate episode of the current series, they take us from a Bach favourite via an Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong classic before hopping on a train to Moldova for some lively Eurovision action.Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna PhoebeThe five tracks in this week's playlist:1st movement of Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor by Bach
A Futuristic Auntyquarian by Gryphon
Your Woman by White Town
Summertime by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Trenulețul (Eurovision 2022) by Zdob și ZdubOther music in this episode:Would You...? by Touch and Go
Bapaalaay by Esukolaal
Concerto for 2 Violins in D Minor by Anne-Sophie Mutter
Concerto for 2 Violins in D Minor by Yehudi Menuhin
My Woman by Lew Stone and the Monseigneur Band
Love Again by Dua Lipa
9/20/2024 • 42 minutes, 43 seconds
Emma Rawicz and Julian Joseph, with special guest Rhiannon Giddens
Saxophone player and composer Emma Rawicz and jazz pianist and bandleader Julian Joseph join Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye as they take us from a 1973 Elton John hit to music with historical links to the Deep South. Special guest Rhiannon Giddens, the American folk musician, fiddler and banjo player, reveals the history of the bluegrass banjo, taking us from West Africa to the Americas, and the role of the transatlantic slave trade.The five tracks in this week's playlist:Bennie and the Jets by Elton John
SilkyM by Sean Mason
They Say I’m Different by Betty Davis
Walkin’ Boss by Sam Amidon
Bapaalaay by EsukolaalOther music in this episode:Carnaval de Paris by Dario G
Slave to the Rhythm by Grace Jones
Dreams by Kelsey Lu
He Used to be Your Man by Lena Wilson
Freight Train by Elizabeth Cotten
Texas Hold 'Em by Beyoncé
9/13/2024 • 42 minutes, 45 seconds
Joe Stilgoe and Gabriella Swallow on Beethoven, Doo-wop and Mambo
Cellist Gabriella Swallow and singer, pianist and songwriter Joe Stilgoe join Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye as they add the next five tracks, taking us from a pioneering use of a vocoder for a Stanley Kubrick soundtrack to a Grace Jones synth hit, via some early American Doo-wop.Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna PhoebeThe five tracks in this week's playlist:March – from A Clockwork Orange by Beethoven, Wendy Carlos & Rachel Elkind
This Night by Billy Joel
When You Dance by The Turbans
Gopher by Yma Sumac
Slave to the Rhythm by Grace JonesOther music in this episode:Night Boat to Cairo by Madness
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger by Daft Punk
The Shining - Main Title, by Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind
Piano Sonata No.8 by Bach, played by Alfred Brendel
Why do Fools Fall in Love by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers
The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss) by Betty Everett
Street Hassle by Lou Reed
Dance at the Gym from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein
9/6/2024 • 42 minutes, 35 seconds
Dinara Klinton and Nicky Spence on the mysteries of the masked singers
Ukrainian-British pianist Dinara Klinton and Scottish operatic tenor Nicky Spence join Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye, taking us from a cheeky 1980s boy band from Birmingham via Domenico Scarlatti to the famous French duo behind the mask as they add the next five tracks.Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna PhoebeThe five tracks in this week's playlist:Pass the Dutchie by Musical Youth
Sonata in G Major by Domenico Scarlatti
Maybe This Time by Liza Minnelli
Phantom of the Opera by Sarah Brightman & Michael Crawford
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger by Daft Punk Other music in this episode:Wipeout by Duke University College Band
My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean by Ella Fitzgerald
Rule the Nation by U-Roy
Gimme the Music by U Brown
Pass the Kouchie by The Mighty Diamonds
Cola Bottle Baby by Edwin Birdsong
8/30/2024 • 43 minutes, 12 seconds
Amy Harman and Roderick Williams head for The Village
Baritone Roderick Williams and bassoonist Amy Harman kick off with a famous four-letter acronym as they add the next five tracks to the playlist with Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye as they go on their latest international musical journey.From the cop, the cowboy and the construction worker in Greenwich Village, the show drops in on Brahms, visits the Canary Islands, and ends up at an unorthodox Ella Fitzgerald version of a traditional Scottish folk song.Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna PhoebeThe five tracks in this week's playlist:YMCA by The Village People
Scherzo in C Minor from the F-A-E Sonata by Johannes Brahms
Canarios by John Williams
‘Pourquoi me réveiller?’ by Alfredo Kraus
My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean by Ella FitzgeraldOther music in this episode:Linger by The Cranberries
Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood by Nina Simone
Macho Man by The Village People
In the Navy by The Village People
America from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim
Gypsy Woman by Crystal Waters
Riverdance by Bill Whelan
My Bonnie by Tony Sheridan and The Beat Brothers
My Bonnie by Ray Charles
8/23/2024 • 42 minutes, 43 seconds
Isata Kanneh-Mason and Richard Stilgoe launch a new series
Pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason and lyricist and musician Richard Stilgoe join Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye as they add the first five tracks in the new series, taking us from a pop/disco banger from 2001 to Nina Simone, via a heartfelt countertenor revival.Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna PhoebeThe five tracks in this week's playlist:Can’t Get You Out of My Head by Kylie Minogue
Losing My Mind by Stephen Sondheim, sung by Bernadette Peters
The Self Banished by John Blow, sung by Alfred Deller
Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys
Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood by Nina SimoneOther music in this episode:Summer Breeze by The Isley Brothers
The Self Banished by John Blow, sung by The Deller Consort
8/16/2024 • 42 minutes, 48 seconds
Heidi Fardell and Keelan Carew round off the series
Recorder and baroque flute player Heidi Fardell and pianist Keelan Carew join Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye as they add the last five tracks, which include the theme for a famous animated woodpecker, a huge recent TV soundtrack with echoes of Beethoven, and a funked-up version of a classic 1960 guitar track by The Shadows. Add to Playlist will return with a new series on 16th AugustProducer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna PhoebeThe five tracks in this week's playlist:Woody Woodpecker Song by Kay Kyser
The Division Flute: Faronell’s Ground by Anonymous
Succession – Main Title Theme – by Nicholas Britell
Sonata Tragica by Nikolai Medtner
Apache by The Incredible Bongo BandOther music in this episode:He's the Greatest Dancer by Sister Sledge
Venus as a Boy by Björk
Work by Rihanna ft Drake
My Girl by Madness
Apache by The Shadows
Apache by Bert Weedon
6/28/2024 • 42 minutes, 25 seconds
Jasdeep Singh Degun and Anne Dudley head to the tavern
Sitar player and composer Jasdeep Singh Degun and composer and musician Anne Dudley continue the musical journey with Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye.From New York punk to Björk's debut via a 13th century drinking song in Latin, this penultimate episode of the series brings the current tally of tracks to 25. Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna PhoebeThe five tracks in this week's playlist:I Don’t Want to Grow Up by the Ramones
The Barley Mow by The Irish Rovers
In Taberna from Carmina Burana by Carl Orff
Hamri Atariya Pe Aaja Re by Shobha Gurtu
Venus as a Boy by BjörkOther music in this episode:It's My Life by Dr Alban
Forever Young by Bob Dylan
Old Man by Neil Young
Glory Days by Bruce Springsteen
Help the Aged by Pulp
Songs to Aging Children Come by Joni Mitchell
Getting Older by Billie Eilish
I Don't Wanna Grow Up by Tom Waits
O Fortuna by Carl Orff
Happy Birthday to You
6/21/2024 • 42 minutes, 38 seconds
Andrew Roachford and Anna Lapwood celebrate the intricacies of singing
Singer-songwriter Andrew Roachford and organist and conductor Anna Lapwood join Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye in the studio as they add the next five tracks to the playlist.Starting in Jamaica in the 1960s, they travel via the Hunger Games and a Rolling Stones choir classic to the Congo, finishing up at arguably the most famous song on the planet.Also, Tessa Tulloch, formerly of The London Bach Choir, describes being conducted by Mick Jagger before actually hearing the track they were contributing to. Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna PhoebeThe five tracks in this week's playlist:No, No, No by Dawn Penn
The Hanging Tree by Jennifer Lawrence
You Can’t Always Get What You Want by The Rolling Stones
Ngonga Ebeti by Tabu Ley Rochereau
Happy Birthday to You Other music in this episode:Cuddly Toy by Roachford
Family Man by Roachford
What We Had by Andrew Roachford and Beverley Knight
Bad Reputation by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
She's Fine, She's Mine by Bo Diddley
You Don't Love Me by Willie Cobbs
You Don't Love Me (No No No) by Dawn Penn
Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday
Conquest of Paradise by Vangelis
Duel of the Fates from Star Wars by John Williams
The Ecstasy of Gold from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly by Ennio Morricone
6/14/2024 • 42 minutes, 45 seconds
Emma Rawicz and Gavin Higgins take us from Aldeburgh to Bicycle Town
Saxophonist, composer and bandleader Emma Rawicz, and composer Gavin Higgins, join Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye as they add the next five tracks.From a Muddy Waters masterpiece, they take us to Aldeburgh for Benjamin Britten's tragic tale, before jumping on their bicycles and heading to Copenhagen for an audacious saxophone composition.The five tracks in this week's playlist:Mannish Boy by Muddy Waters
The Passacaglia from Peter Grimes by Benjamin Britten
Bicycle Town, Pt 1 by Marius Neset
Egyptian Reggae by Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers
Bad Reputation by Joan Jett and the BlackheartsOther music in this episode:Eejit by Blazin' Fiddles
Concerto Grosso written by Gavin Higgins
Tusk by Fleetwood Mac
I'm a Man by Bo Diddley
None Shall Escape the Judgement by Earl Zero
I Love Rock 'n Roll by Joan Jett and the BlackheartsGavin's BBC Radio 3 Sunday Feature - Everything Stops:https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001zgft
6/7/2024 • 42 minutes, 56 seconds
Sam Lee and Debbie Wiseman head to outer space
Folks singer and song collector Sam Lee, and composer Debbie Wiseman, join Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye in the studio as they add the next five tracks. Starting with time travel, they head to a ground-breaking Coachella performance, a May Day celebration, and finish off with an unexpected dogleg from Fleetwood Mac, following their all-conquering album Rumours.Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna PhoebeThe five tracks in this week's playlist:Dr Who (Original Theme) by Ron Grainer/Delia Derbyshire
Wedding March from A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Felix Mendelssohn
Freedom (Live) from Homecoming by Beyoncé
Padstow May Song by Lisa Knapp
Tusk by Fleetwood MacOther music in this episode:This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) - (Live) by Talking Heads
Sweet Girl McRee by Sam Lee
Call Me by Blondie
20th Century Fox Fanfare written by Alfred Newman
Gorilla by Little Simz
Fanfare For The Common Man by Aaron Copland, performed by Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Freedom by Beyoncé feat. Kendrick Lamar
5/31/2024 • 43 minutes, 15 seconds
Natalie Duncan and Neil Brand take us on a manic journey
Add to Playlist returns for its ninth series and Jeffrey is joined by a new co-host, the violinist and composer Anna Phoebe. To kick off the new six-part series, Jeffrey and Anna are joined in the studio by the composer and silent film specialist Neil Brand and jazz singer and composer Natalie Duncan, who create a playlist of five tracks which take us from a manic Monday to Blondie’s biggest-selling single, via Sergei Prokofiev’s children’s masterpiece.Cerys Matthews is taking a temporary pause from presenting the programme in order to pursue other musical and literary projects. Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna PhoebeThe five tracks in this week's playlist:Manic Monday by The Bangles
The Knight Bus from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by John Williams
Peter and the Wolf: The Duck, Dialogue with the Bird, Attack of the Cat by Sergei Prokofiev
Matte Kudasai by King Crimson
Call Me by BlondieOther music in this episode:Mr Vain by Culture Beat
Manic Monday by Apollonia 6
Manic Monday by Prince
Apparition on the Train from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by John Williams
Double Trouble from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by John Williams
I Put a Spell on You by Nina Simone
Move on up a Little Higher by Mahalia Jackson
5/24/2024 • 42 minutes, 51 seconds
Maya Youssef and Keelan Carew ride into the sunset
UK-based Syrian qanun player and composer Maya Youssef and concert pianist Keelan Carew put the finishing touches to the current playlist with Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye.The final leg of the journey takes us from Wagner's famous water nymphs to a massive Beyoncé hit from this year, via France, Sicily and Lebanon.Add to Playlist returns to Radio 4 with a new series on 24th MayProducer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey BoakyeThe five tracks in this week's playlist:"Weia! Waga! Woge du Welle!" from Das Rheingold by Richard Wagner
Mouvement de Sicilienne by Charles Koechlin
The Magic Number by De La Soul
Ya Nassim Alrouh by Toufic Farroukh
Texas Hold ‘Em by Beyoncé Other music in this episode:Bye, Bye Boozoo by BeauSoleil
Dollar Wine by Colin Lucas
Money by Pink Floyd
Money, Money, Money by ABBA
Price Tag by Jessie J
Greenback Dollar by Woody Guthrie
I Need a Dollar by Aloe Blacc
Independent Women, Pt.1 by Destiny's Child
The Boxer by Simon & Garfunkel
Diamonds are Forever by Shirley Bassey
Prelude to Das Rheingold by Richard Wagner
Three is the Magic Number by Bob Dorough
Amen Brother by The Winstons
Brimful of Asha by Cornershop
3/29/2024 • 42 minutes, 53 seconds
Eliza Carthy and Tim Rhys-Evans share the joys of singing
Fiddler and folk musician Eliza Carthy and choral conductor Tim Rhys-Evans join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye as they add the next five tracks. Starting at a famous masked ball in Vienna, they then head for the Genoa docks, rounding off with a cheeky Soca hip-thrusting classic. In the penultimate episode of the current series, recorder player and baroque flautist Heidi Fardell demonstrates some of her collection of early instruments.Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey BoakyeThe five tracks in this week's playlist:'Ach, ich darf nicht hin zu dir!' From Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II
La Partenza (The Parting) by Trallaleri of Genoa
Gagliarda by Giorgio Mainerio
How High The Moon by Ella Fitzgerald
Dollar Wine by Colin Lucas
Other music in this episode:Hotel California by The Eagles
The Flower Duet from the opera Lakmé by Léo Delibes
Eye of the Tiger by Survivor
Battalia a 10 by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber
Die Katz (The Cat) by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber
Mack the Knife by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, sung by Ella Fitzgerald
3/22/2024 • 42 minutes, 43 seconds
Anne Dudley and Emily Sun are on a Mission
Composer, producer and arranger Anne Dudley and concert violinist Emily Sun add five more tracks to the playlist with Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye. The journey takes them from a dark tale of deceit and entrapment to a hotel you can never leave. Irish pipes and whistle player John McSherry also calls in to tell us about his live recording of traditional jigs.Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey BoakyeThe five tracks in this week's playlist:Babooshka by Kate Bush
Piano Concerto in A Minor (1st mvt) by Edvard Grieg
Theme from Mission: Impossible by Lalo Schifrin
The Roaring Promenade by John McSherry, Brendán Quinn & Francis McIlduff
Hotel California by The EaglesOther music in this episode:The Look of Love Pt 4 by ABC
Poison Arrow by ABC
The Pink Panther Theme by Henry Mancini
Piano Concerto in A minor by Robert Schumann
Piano Concerto No. 1 in F-sharp minor by Sergei Rachmaninoff
Canon in D major by Johann Pachelbel
3/15/2024 • 42 minutes, 40 seconds
Anna Meredith and Joe Stilgoe head for South Africa
Anna Meredith - composer, producer and performer of both acoustic and electronic music - and singer, songwriter and pianist Joe Stilgoe join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye to add five more tracks. The journey takes them from Hugh Masekela's South Africa to a masked ball in Brazil, and ending up at arguably the most famous notes ever played on the saxophone.Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey BoakyeThe five tracks in this week's playlist:Grazing in the Grass by Hugh Masekela
You Can Call Me Al by Paul Simon
My End is My Beginning by Guillaume de Machaut
Baile De Máscaras by Bala Desejo
The Pink Panther Theme by Henry ManciniOther music in this episode:Titanium by David Guetta feat. Sia
Nautilus by Anna Meredith
Lazarus by David Bowie
Mr Bull No. 4 by Freddie Gumbi
In My Solitude by Branford Marsalis
Old Landmark by Aretha Franklin
Padam Padam by Kylie Minogue
3/8/2024 • 42 minutes, 32 seconds
Leo Geyer and Gillian Moore take us from Bach to Bowie
Composer, conductor and bassoonist Leo Geyer, and The Southbank Centre's Gillian Moore, join Jeffrey Boakye and saxophonist Jess Gillam - standing in for Cerys Matthews - as they head from a famous Bach well-tempered classic, via Taiwan, to David Bowie's parting gesture. British-Chinese flautist Daniel Shao explains the intricacies of a traditional Taiwanese flute tune.Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Jeffrey Boakye and Jess GillamThe five tracks in this week's playlist:Well-Tempered Clavier: Prelude in C Major by Bach
Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
A Tayal Folk Song by Ming Flute Ensemble
Symphony No.9 in D Major (1st movement) by Gustav Mahler
Lazarus by David BowieOther music in this episode:Pull Up To The Bumper by Grace Jones
In the Mood by Glenn Miller
Ave Maria by Charles Gounod
Don't Cry For Me Argentina by Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice
Fugue No 24 in B Minor by Bach
Symphony No.6: 'Pathétique' by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
3/1/2024 • 42 minutes, 40 seconds
Amy Harman and Debbie Wiseman get In the Mood
Bassoonist Amy Harman and Wolf Hall composer Debbie Wiseman are today's studio guests, as Linton Stephens sits in for Cerys Matthews alongside Jeffrey Boakye. This episode takes us from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor to Glenn Miller's wartime smash hit.Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Jeffrey Boakye and Linton StephensThe five tracks in this week's playlist:Nonet, Op.2 ‘Gradus ad Parnassum’: 1st movement by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Nobody Knows (Ladas Road) by Loyle Carner
Adagio from Piano Sonata in G minor by Clara Schumann
If I Ain’t Got You by Alicia Keys
In the Mood by Glenn MillerOther music in this episode:Top Hat, White Tie and Tails by Irving Berlin
Moondance by Van Morrison
Symphony No. 6 in B minor by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Nobody Knows by Pastor T L Barrett & The Youth for Christ Choir
Tar Paper Stomp by Wingy Manone
2/23/2024 • 42 minutes, 43 seconds
Anna Lapwood and Benjamin Appl go on a European dance adventure
Organist Anna Lapwood MBE and Bavarian baritone Benjamin Appl join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye on a trans-continental journey as they explore the music of dance in different cultures, from the beer tents in Munich to Transylvania.Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey BoakyeThe five tracks in this week's playlist:In München steht ein Hofbräuhaus by The Bavarian Oompah Band
‘Burlesque Overture’ Suite in B-flat Major by Georg Philipp Telemann
Fast Dance + Romanian Folk Dances by Béla Bartók
Il est cinq heures, Paris s'éveille by Jacques Dutronc
Moondance by Van MorrisonOther music in this episode:Jumpin' at the Woodside by Count Basie and Duke Ellington
Set Fire to the Rain by Adele
Sakura Sakura by Tadaaki Misago and the Tokyo Cuban Boys
2/16/2024 • 42 minutes, 49 seconds
Corinne Bailey Rae and Nicky Spence launch a brand new series
It's the start of a new playlist, and to get things going, singer/songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae and the Scottish operatic tenor Nicky Spence join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye as they add the first five tracks.As well as discussing the five compositions, the four are outnumbered by the London Bulgarian Choir who give a special live performance in the Add to Playlist studio. Also, producer Fraser T Smith sends a message about the recording of one of Adele's biggest hits.Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey BoakyeThe five tracks in this week's playlist:Povela E Yova / Dilmano Dilbero by The London Bulgarian Choir
Confrontation and Rescue from Satyagraha by Philip Glass
Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
Meditation (Meditação) by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Frank Sinatra
Set Fire to the Rain by Adele Other music in this episode:A Fifth of Beethoven by Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band
2/9/2024 • 42 minutes, 44 seconds
Introducing Legend: The Joni Mitchell Story
Joni Mitchell’s songs have soundtracked our lives and her pioneering work changed music forever. Jesca Hoop explores her extraordinary story to reveal the life behind the legend.In the first episode, we hear how young Joni loves to watch the trains go by from the window of her house in a Saskatchewan prairie town. Even as a child, there is a desire to see what's around the next bend. She's a tomboy and an athlete, until polio forces her into a period of convalescence; she's no longer picked first for sports teams but when she gets the use of her legs back she rock 'n' roll dances her way through her teens. Her childhood ambition is to be a painter, but when she finally makes it to art school everything changes....“I’ve always been a creature of change” – Joni MitchellThrough archive, fresh interviews, narration, immersive sound design and an original score, we trace the story of an extraordinary life and explore what makes Joni Mitchell a singular artist: the genius of her lyrics; her incredible talent as guitarist, painter and producer; and her restless drive for innovation.In Legend, we follow Joni from her ‘flatlander’ childhood on the Canadian prairies, through the folk clubs of Toronto and Detroit, to a redwood cottage in L.A.’s Laurel Canyon, to a cave in Crete, to a deserted desert highway, to recording studios and stages around the world. From her earliest home recordings to masterpieces like Blue, Court and Spark, and Hejira, we explore some of the stories behind her best-loved songs and celebrate her remarkable return to live performance in 2023: “like seeing, in the wild, a rare bird long feared extinct” (Lindsay Zoladz).Our guide through the series is the California-born, Manchester-based musician, Jesca Hoop. Jesca speaks to musicians like Blake Mills, Allison Russell, Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe, who have played alongside Joni, and we hear tributes from those, like musician John Grant, who have been inspired and influenced by her music. We also hear from friends, including Larry Klein and Graham Nash; and from music critics and biographers, including Ann Powers, David Yaffe, Lindsay Zoladz, Kate Mossman, Barney Hoskyns, Miles Grier and Jenn Pelly.The Joni Mitchell Story comes from the production team behind BBC Radio 4’s award-winning podcast Soul Music – “… the gold standard for music podcasts…” (Esquire).Producers: Mair Bosworth and Eliza Lomas
Production Coordinator: Andrew Lewis
Editor: Chris Ledgard
Story Editor: Emma Harding
Story Consultant: John Yorke
Sound Design and Original Music: Hannis Brown
Studio Engineers: Ilse Lademann and Michael Harrison
Commissioning Editor: Daniel Clarke
12/15/2023 • 31 minutes, 49 seconds
Neil Brand and Anna Phoebe round off the latest series
Composer, silent film music specialist and musician, Neil Brand, and violinist and composer Anna Phoebe, join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye for the final episode of the current series.From Ma Rainey's loud and proud blues to a singalong classic from 1981, via an 8'25" digitally-manipulated track that could split the room, the current musical journey is making its last stop.Add to Playlist returns on 9th Feb 2024Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey BoakyeThe five tracks in this week's playlist:Prove It On Me Blues by Ma Rainey
O Superman by Laurie Anderson
Yo Soy Cubano by The Chakachas
Finale from The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky
Lay All Your Love On Me by ABBA Other music in this episode:Peter Gunn Theme from The Blues Brothers, written by Henry Mancini
Believe by Cher
Backseat Freestyle by Kendrick Lamar
Crazy Frog by Axel F
Magic Carpet Ride '07 by Mighty Dub Katz
Theme from Stingray by Barry Gray
12/8/2023 • 42 minutes, 54 seconds
Natalie Duncan and Martin Phipps unpick a children's festive favourite
Pianist, singer and songwriter Natalie Duncan and Martin Phipps, composer of TV's The Crown and Ridley Scott's new film Napoleon, join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye as they travel from Senegal to a massive Cher hit from 1998.Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey BoakyeThe five tracks in this week's playlist:El hadji n'fa djigui Diabaté by Salimata Diabaté
Mute Heart by Matt Calvert
Jingle Bells by Dean Shostak
Il Dolce Suono by Gaetano Donizetti
Believe by CherOther music in this episode:Insomnia 2021 by Faithless (Maceo Plex Epic Remix)
Sabre Dance by Aram Khachaturian
Wild Signals from Close Encounters of the Third Kind by John Williams
So Doggone Lonesome by Ernest Tubb
Adagio in C for Glass Harmonica, K356 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
12/1/2023 • 43 minutes, 2 seconds
Debbie Wiseman, Rhodri Marsden and Lang Lang enjoy a Beethoven classic
Composer Debbie Wiseman and the writer and multi-instrumentalist Rhodri Marsden join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye as they add five more tracks, taking us from a Drifters' classic hit to one of Beethoven's most famous compositions.
For Add to Playlist, the Chinese pianist Lang Lang reflects on playing Beethoven, and percussionist Ruairi Glasheen is on hand to talk us through the finer elements of the popular instrument, the güiro.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Under the Boardwalk by The Drifters
Für Elise: Bagatelle No 25 in A Minor by Ludwig van Beethoven
Tchintchirote by Cesária Évora
Golden Birdies by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
Sabre Dance by Aram Khachaturian
Other music in this episode:
Carmina Burana by Carl Orff
Oye Como Va by Eliane Elias
Butt music from Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights
Supersonic by Oasis
Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones
Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing by Stevie Wonder
Hands Up by Cherry Bullet
11/24/2023 • 42 minutes, 41 seconds
Fraser T Smith and Amanda Whiting enjoy some Gin and Juice
Fraser T Smith - producer, musician and collaborator with artists including Adele, Stormzy, Dave and Sam Smith - and Welsh jazz harpist Amanda Whiting, add the next five tracks to the growing playlist. With Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye they go from a Snoop Dogg 1994 hit to Brazil via some serious jazz piano.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Gin and Juice by Snoop Dogg
Passion Dance by McCoy Tyner
Deacon Blues by Steely Dan
String Quartet No 2 in A Minor: II Andante Cantabile by Florence Price
Oye Como Va by Eliane Elias
Other music in this episode:
Higher Ground by Stevie Wonder
I Got the... by Labi Siffre
Blinded by Your Grace Pt 2 by Stormzy
Set Fire to the Rain by Adele
Black by Dave
I Know You by Craig David Feat. Bastille
Fallin' by Alicia Keys
I'd Rather Go Blind by Etta James
He's Got the Whole World In His Hands by Wanda Jackson
The Banana Boat Song by Harry Belafonte
Oye Como Va by Tito Puente
Chanchullo by Arcaño y sus Maravillas
Oye Como Va by Santana
11/17/2023 • 42 minutes, 6 seconds
Baritone Roderick Williams and violinist Jennifer Pike on a two-note masterpiece
Baritone and composer Roderick Williams and violinist Jennifer Pike - the youngest ever winner of BBC Young Musician of the Year at the time in 2002, aged just 12 - join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye to add five more tracks to the playlist.
The musical choices take us from one of the most famous tunes in the UK (composer unknown) to a Labi Siffre hit famously sampled by Eminem, via arguably the most recognisable film theme of all time. Labi Siffre makes an appearance to look back on his 1975 classic.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
God Save the Queen (from 1888 and 1898)
In Flanders Fields by Charles Ives and John McCrae
Jaws – Main Title by John Williams
Violin Sonata No.2 in G Major: III Perpetuum mobile by Maurice Ravel
I Got the... by Labi Siffre
Other music in this episode:
Yeke Yeke by Mory Kante
Let’s Go Fly a Kite from Mary Poppins
God Save the King, performed by Roderick Williams and Le Concert Spirituel
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (Land of My Fathers) - the National Anthem of Wales
Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja from The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Vespers of 1610: Deus in adiutorium meum intende by Claudio Monteverdi
Opening of La Valse by Maurice Ravel
To Those Who Pass the Borough from Peter Grimes by Benjamin Britten
Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
My Name Is by Eminem
11/10/2023 • 42 minutes, 42 seconds
Matilda Lloyd and Leon Foster Thomas reach for the skies
Trumpet player Matilda Lloyd and gold steel pan player Leon Foster Thomas bring their instruments to the studio as they join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye to add five more tracks to the playlist, each chosen for its musical connections with the previous one.
In this episode the journey takes us from Mozart via a classic jazz trio to a 1964 kite-flying Disney singalong hit.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Molto allegro from Symphony No. 40 in G Minor by Mozart
Easy Does It by Oscar Peterson Trio
I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston
Kwa Heri Mafisadi by Mwana Cotide
Let’s Go Fly a Kite from Mary Poppins
Other music in this episode:
Bliss by Leon Foster Thomas
Tarantella Napoletana played by Matilda Lloyd
Hands Up by Cherry Bullet
I Will Always Love You by Dolly Parton
11/3/2023 • 42 minutes, 4 seconds
Emma Rawicz and Ben Gernon take us from Argentina to Korea
21-year-old saxophonist and composer Emma Rawicz, finalist of BBC Young Musician 2022, and conductor Ben Gernon add five more tracks to the playlist with Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye. The musical links take them from a Langston Hughes poem set to jazz to a seventies Spanish disco classic via the dusty plains of Argentina.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Life is Fine by Langston Hughes
Estancia/Danzas del Ballet: IV by Alberto Ginastera
Yes Sir, I Can Boogie by Baccara
Something to Believe In by Madison Cunningham
Hands Up by Cherry Bullet
Other music in this episode:
Phlox by Emma Rawicz
The A-Team TV theme by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter
Gangnam Style by Psy
10/27/2023 • 42 minutes, 2 seconds
Amy Harman and Keelan Carew add five more tracks
Bassoonist Amy Harman and pianist Keelan Carew are today's guests in the studio with Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye as they add the next five tracks to the playlist.
From a gentle nursery rhyme, the musical links take us to a Russian dance, a celebration of the Earth's origins in Estonia, and a testosterone-fuelled TV theme with helicopters and machine guns.
Dr Peter J Bentley discusses the increasing use - and challenges - of Artificial Intelligence in music, and the singer/songwriter Mari Kalkun tells us about the origins of her track Kui Kivid Olid Veel Pehmed.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Mary Had a Little Lamb by Ramona Singh
What a Fool Believes by The Doobie Brothers
Russian Dance from Petrushka by Igor Stravinsky
Kui Kivid Olid Veel Pehmed by Mari Kalkun
The A-Team TV theme by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter
Other music in this episode:
I wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free (Live) by Nina Simone
The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky, performed at the BBC Proms by the Aurora Orchestra
Fingertips pt 2: Live by Stevie Wonder
Gymnopédie No.1 by Erik Satie
Theme from The Rockford Files by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter
10/20/2023 • 42 minutes, 4 seconds
Isata Kanneh-Mason and Neil Brand launch a new series
Pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason and musician and silent movie score composer Neil Brand launch a new playlist. With presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye, they choose the first five tracks which take us from a celebratory anthem chanted in football stadiums to a live, mischievous performance by a 12-year-old Stevie Wonder.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Freed from Desire by Gala
Piano Concerto in F Major: 3rd Movement by George Gershwin
Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
Piano Quartet in A minor by Gustav Mahler
Fingertips pt 2: Live by Stevie Wonder
Other music in this episode:
Welcome to My World by Ezra Collective
Piano Concerto No. 3 by Sergei Prokofiev
10/13/2023 • 42 minutes, 6 seconds
Sir Richard Stilgoe takes us from Folsom Prison to the Berlin Wall
In the final episode of the current series, Sir Richard Stilgoe joins Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye as they add the final five tracks, taking us from a live recording in California's Folsom Prison to a massive 1980s pop classic via a celebration of freedom with the dismantling of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Drummer Jeremy Stacey is also on hand to fill us in on the changing fashions of laying down the beat.
Add to Playlist returns to Radio 4 on 13th October
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Folsom Prison Blues (Live) by Johnny Cash
Ode to Joy (Freedom) from Beethoven’s Symphony No 9, conducted by Leonard Bernstein
Monkey Wrench by Foo Fighters
What’s Love Got to Do With It by Tina Turner
Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja / The Birdcatcher am I indeed from The Magic Flute by Mozart
Other music in this episode:
Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
I’d Rather Go Blind by Etta James
Crescent City Blues by Gordon Jenkins, sung by Beverly Mahr
Smells Like Teen Spirit (Live) by Nirvana
Dreadlock Holiday by 10cc
Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) by Kate Bush
8/4/2023 • 42 minutes, 2 seconds
Debbie Wiseman and Sam Sweeney head from the slopes to the ice
Film and TV composer Debbie Wiseman OBE and musician and fiddler Sam Sweeney, formerly of the folk group Bellowhead, join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye as they choose the next five tracks, in the penultimate episode of the current series.
This week's journey takes us from a popular Sunday evening TV theme to an Etta James classic via the 1984 Winter Olympics.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Pop Goes Bach (the Ski Sunday theme) by Sam Fonteyn
We Will be Absorbed by Spiro
Ponto Das Caboclas by Moça Prosa
Boléro by Maurice Ravel
I’d Rather Go Blind by Etta James (Jeffrey)
Other music in this episode:
Mack the Knife by Louis Armstrong
Alleluia by Debbie Wiseman, sung by The Ascension Choir
A far l'amore comincia tu by Raffaella Carrà
Bach Street Prelude. performed by Vanessa-Mae
Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin
These Arms of Mine by Otis Redding
I've Been Wrong So Long by Bobby Bland
7/28/2023 • 41 minutes, 58 seconds
Rick Wakeman and Anna Lapwood on the joys of the keyboard
Rick Wakeman - keyboard player and former member of the progressive rock group Yes - and organist Anna Lapwood join Cerys and Jeffrey as they add the next five tracks, taking us from a Welsh/Indian collaboration to Hans Zimmer via a 1995 rap classic.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Moliannwn by Ghazalaw
My Blue Heaven sung by James Taylor
Gangsta’s Paradise by Coolio
What are you going to do when you are not saving the world? by Hans Zimmer
A far l'amore comincia tu by Raffaella Carrà
Other music in this episode:
Mas Que Nada by Sergio Mendes
Cricket on a Line by Colt Ford ft Rhett Atkins
The Old Cabin Home by Bobby Horton
My Blue Heaven sung by Gene Austin
Rather Be by Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne
Bitter Sweet Symphony by The Verve
Pastime Paradise by Stevie Wonder
Space Oddity by David Bowie
No Time for Caution from Interstellar, played by Anna Lapwood
Do It, Do It Again by Raffaella Carrà
7/21/2023 • 42 minutes, 5 seconds
Natalie Duncan and Gabriella Swallow celebrate Bastille Day
Pianist and singer Natalie Duncan and cellist Gabriella Swallow take us from the French Alps to a dusty airstrip in the Australian outback with Miles Davis as they add the next five tracks.
Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye are also joined by Ukrainian-born pianist Dinara Klinton for some Hungarian Rhapsody.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Belleville Rendez-vous/Les Triplettes de Belleville
Spirit in the Dark by Aretha Franklin
Hungarian Rhapsody No2 in C-Sharp Minor by Franz Liszt, played by Vladimir Horowitz
Concert on the Runway by Miles Davis and Michel Legrand
Cricket on a Line by Colt Ford ft Rhett Atkins
Other music in this episode:
La Valse by Les Négresses Vertes
Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan
School Spirit by Kanye West
Hungarian Rhapsody No2 in C-Sharp Minor by Franz Liszt, played by Dinara Klinton
Old Town Road by Lil Nas X
7/14/2023 • 42 minutes, 2 seconds
Rakhi Singh and Alexis Ffrench with a coronation classic (and a bonus track!)
Rakhi Singh - violinist, music director and composer - and composer, producer and pianist, Alexis Ffrench, join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye as they add the next five tracks. From the King's coronation via the Bolivian Andes and Finland, they end up on Highway 61, and there's a surprise bonus track along the way.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The (six) tracks in this week's playlist:
Zadok the Priest by George Frideric Handel
Carnaval Ayacuchano by Bolivia Manta
Let Me Blow Ya Mind by Eve/Doja by Central Cee
Vers toi qui es si loin by Kaija Saariaho
Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan
Other music in this episode:
In the Summertime by Mungo Jerry
Batwanes Beek by Warda
UEFA Champions League Anthem by Tony Britten
What's Going On by Marvin Gaye
South Pacific Overture by Richard Rodgers
7/7/2023 • 42 minutes, 4 seconds
Anna Phoebe and Neil Brand journey from Brighton to Beirut
Violinist and composer Anna Phoebe and pianist and composer Neil Brand join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye to explore ground-breaking techniques on traditional instruments, from the classical flute to the tuba. The journey takes us from Spain to Beirut, taking in surf rock, 'maximalism' and the beauty of Egyptian scales.
And jazz flautist Chip Wickham discusses and demonstrates his unorthodox playing technique .
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Rebel No 23 by Chip Wickham
Bell Boy by The Who
Nautilus by Anna Meredith
Misirlou by Dick Dale
Batwanes Beek by Warda
Other music in this episode:
Summertime by Ira and George Gershwin, played by Charlie Parker
Don’t Give Up On Us by David Soul
Get Up Offa That Thing by James Brown
International Velvet by Catatonia
Misirlou performed by Tetos Demetriades and Nikos Roubanis
6/30/2023 • 42 minutes, 3 seconds
Hannah Peel and Keelan Carew and the power of musical stabs
Composer and producer Hannah Peel and pianist Keelan Carew consider the soundtrack for one of the most famous scenes in cinema, and they take us to Venice where Visconti famously used a celebrated atmospheric Mahler composition for one of his films.
Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye also bring us a track by one of the most successful pop acts of all time as they add five more tracks to the playlist.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Pump Up The Jam by Technotronic
The Murder by Bernard Herrmann
Symphony No.5; IV Adagietto by Gustav Mahler
Crazy in Love by Beyoncé (ft Jay-Z)
Don’t Give Up On Us by David Soul
Other music in this episode:
The Four Seasons: Summer by Antonio Vivaldi, played by Nigel Kennedy
Spring in Buenos Aires (for piano), by Ástor Piazzolla, played by the Zürcher Klaviertrio
Quadrophonia by Quadrophonia
Good Life by Inner City
Aquamarine by Lone
Move Your Body by Marshall Jefferson
Symphony No.10 in E Minor: Allegro by Dmitri Shostakovich
Are You My Woman (Tell Me So) by the Chi-Lites
Love on Top by Beyoncé
6/23/2023 • 41 minutes, 59 seconds
Kate St. John and Joe Stilgoe take us from Paris to Buenos Aires
Cor anglais and oboe player Kate St. John and pianist and composer Joe Stilgoe join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye to add another five tracks to the playlist.
Their short ride in a fast machine takes them from a Parisian classic to Buenos Aires tango via a train tour to Rainbow City.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien by Édith Piaf
Stornelli Amorosi by Claudio Villa
Train Tour to Rainbow City by The Pyramids
Short Ride in a Fast Machine by John Adams
Spring in Buenos Aires (for piano), by Ástor Piazzolla, played by the Zürcher Klaviertrio
Other music in this episode:
Ordinary Life by Van Morrison
Vai de Roda by Duarte
Burrp by Nardo Ranks
Incredible by M-Beat
Oblivion by Grimes
I'm in the Mood for Love by Lord Tanamo
Cry Tough by Alton Ellis
Rudy, A Message to You by Dandy Livingstone
A Message to You Rudy by The Specials
Rudie Can't Fail by The Clash
Baby, Come Back by The Equals
I Don't Wanna Dance by Eddy Grant
Electric Avenue by Eddy Grant
Gimme Hope Jo'anna by Eddy Grant
Primavera porteña by Ástor Piazzolla
6/16/2023 • 41 minutes, 57 seconds
Amy Harman and Gavin Higgins start a brand new playlist
Bassoon player Amy Harman and composer Gavin Higgins join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye for the opening episode of the new series of the Prix Italia and Prix Europa award-winning music programme.
Starting from scratch, the new adventure takes us from the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee via the Aegean Sea to a hand-rubbing fado song from Lisbon.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Mule Skinner Blues (Blue Yodel No 8) by Dolly Parton
Mes Sto Aigaiou Ta Nisia by Glykeria
Casta Diva by Bellini, sung by Maria Callas
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi by the Noordpool Orchestra
Vai de Roda by Duarte
Other music in this episode:
The Poor People of Paris by Winifred Atwell
Blue Yodel No 8 by Jimmie Rodgers
Labor Blues by Tom Dickson
El Condor Pasa by Simon & Garfunkel
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi by Radiohead
Inner City Life by Goldie
Funky Mule by Ike Turner
Last Nite by The Strokes
6/9/2023 • 42 minutes
Isobel Waller-Bridge and Roderick Williams round off the series
Composer Isobel Waller-Bridge and baritone Roderick Williams join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye to add the final five tracks to the current series, bringing the playlist up to 40. And the joy of rounds, or canons, with singer, composer and producer Esbe, and one in particular that she sings which goes back to the 13th century.
From lovesick individuals to the arrival of spring and with a dramatic finale, the serendipity continues...
Add to Playlist returns to Radio 4 on 9th June
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Lovesick (ft ASAP Rocky) by Mura Masa
Zefiro torna e di soavi accenti by Claudio Monteverdi
Sumer Is Icumen In by Esbe
A Long Time Ago by David Byrne
Bat Out of Hell by Meat Loaf
Other music in this episode:
If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake by Ethel Merman and Ray Bolger
Huashca de Corales by Biluka y los Canibales
Hot Stuff by Donna Summer
Oye Cómo Va by Tito Puente
3/31/2023 • 42 minutes, 5 seconds
John Lunn, Jess Gillam and Johnny Marr on the joys of the tremolo
Downton Abbey composer John Lunn and saxophonist Jess Gillam join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye on a journey from the snowy landscape of northern Finland to the warmth of Ecuador as they add the next five tracks, exploring unusual instruments and effects, including the theremin and the tremolo.
Guitarist and songwriter Johnny Marr, formerly of The Smiths, talks us through one of the most ambitious uses of tremolo, and guitarist Adam Goldsmith demonstrates a few other tricks guitarists have up their sleeve.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Kilisee, Kilisee Kulkunen by Tapiola Choir
Snowflake by Kate Bush
How Soon is Now? by The Smiths
Clair de Lune, Arr. for Theremin and Voice by Carolina Eyck - by Claude Debussy
Huashca de Corales by Biluka y los Canibales
Other music in this episode:
(Love is Like a) Heatwave by Martha & the Vandellas
Many Rivers to Cross by Jimmy Cliff
3/24/2023 • 42 minutes, 1 second
Anne Dudley and Ruairi Glasheen take us from Azerbaijan to Dover
Musician and composer Anne Dudley and percussionist Ruairi Glasheen embark on a musical journey across continents, centuries and styles as they add the next five tracks to the playlist.
Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye also find out from specialist Simon Heighes about the background to a popular work by Bach, famously used in those old cigar adverts.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Infinity by Imamyar Hasanov
Mehter Vuruyor by Mehter
She’s Gone by Darryl Hall & John Oates
Air from Orchestral Suite No 3 in D major by J S Bach
Many Rivers to Cross by Jimmy Cliff
Other music in this episode:
8 Dogs 8 Banjos by Old Crow Medicine Show
Makhloogh by Googoosh
7 Heures du Matin by Jacqueline Taïeb
A Whiter Shade of Pale by Procol Harum
Vietnam by Jimmy Cliff
3/17/2023 • 41 minutes, 59 seconds
Julian Joseph and Amy Harman on the mastery of Miles
Jazz pianist Julian Joseph and bassoonist Amy Harman join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye in a journey that takes them from Manchester, via a baggy-pants classic pop hit, to a celebrated track from the most popular jazz album of all time. Drummer Romarna Campbell is also on-hand to provide a drummer's perspective on the percussive elements.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Love Spreads by The Stone Roses
He Was Despised and Rejected of Men by Handel
U Can’t Touch This by MC Hammer
So What by Miles Davis
Makhloogh by Googoosh
Other music in this episode:
Cocktail de Medianoche by the Kevin Fingier Collective
Khnjooyki Yerk/ Hars Oo Pesa by String Harmonies
My Country 'tis of Thee, sung by Marian Anderson
Super Freak by Rick James
I Wish I Knew by Doris
We Gotta Get Out of This Place by The Animals
Jaws theme by John Williams
3/10/2023 • 42 minutes, 39 seconds
Natalie Duncan, Bjarte Eike, Brian Eno and a track that changed the pop landscape
Singer/songwriter Natalie Duncan and Norwegian Baroque violinist Bjarte Eike join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye as they add five more tracks to the playlist, and Brian Eno remembers discovering a new piece of equipment that changed the face of popular music in 1977.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Gloria: In Excelsis Deo by Vivaldi
Nordafjells/Liti Kjersti by Music Without Borders
I Feel Love by Donna Summer
The Way You Make Me Feel by Michael Jackson
Khnjooyki Yerk/ Hars Oo Pesa by String Harmonies
Other music in this episode:
Heroes by David Bowie
Kyrie Eleison by Bachar Mar-Khalifé
We Found Love ft. Calvin Harris by Rihanna
3/3/2023 • 42 minutes, 5 seconds
James Taylor of JTQ and Dinara Klinton celebrate the joys of the keyboard
James Taylor of the British jazz-funk outfit the James Taylor Quartet brings his C3 Hammond organ to the studio while Ukrainian-born pianist Dinara Klinton sets herself up at the grand piano as they join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye to add the next five tracks to the playlist.
The journey takes them from Cape Verde to The Gambia and Lebanon, with insights from Senegalese kora player Kadialy Kouyate and French-Lebanese singer and composer Bachar Mar-Khalifé.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Song for my Father by Horace Silver
Africano by Earth, Wind & Fire – Live
Bannaya by Sona Jobarteh
Concerto No. 3, 1st mov by Sergei Rachmaninoff
Kyrie Eleison by Bachar Mar-Khalifé
Other music in this episode:
Popcorn by Hot Butter
Gnossienne: No. 1 by Erik Satie
Theme from Starsky & Hutch by the James Taylor Quartet
Rikki Don't Lose That Number by Steely Dan
The Beat Goes On by Buddy Rich
2/24/2023 • 41 minutes, 58 seconds
Gareth Malone, Gillian Moore and Dele Sosimi head from Benin to Havana
Gareth Malone, who brought choral singing into the mainstream with his TV series The Choir, is joined by The Southbank Centre's Gillian Moore as they take us on the rolling sea from Benin in West Africa to the streets of Havana. Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye continue to compile the new playlist, with additional insights from Afrobeat musician Dele Sosimi.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with additional music curation, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Yoruba by the Gangbé Brass Band
Rolling Sea by Eliza Carthy
Spring Rounds from The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky
Havana by Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug
Gnossienne: No 1 by Erik Satie
Other music in this episode:
Levels by Avicii
Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder
Authority Stealing by Fela Kuti
The Passenger by The Cambodian Space Project
Barbarella by The Bob Crewe Generation Orchestra
Why by Carly Simon
Dance Me to the End of Love by Leonard Cohen
2/17/2023 • 41 minutes, 53 seconds
Anna Lapwood and Linton Stephens launch the new playlist
Organist Anna Lapwood and bassoon-player Linton Stephens join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye to add the first five tracks to the new playlist, from a Yiddish anti-fascist song - with context provided by ethnomusicologist Dr Abigail Wood at the University of Haifa in Israel - to a celebrated homage to Duke Ellington.
Produced by Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with additional music curation, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Classical Fix, presented by Linton Stephens, returns to BBC Radio 3 next Monday
Radio 3's Sunday Feature: Yiddish Glory available here https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001h56n
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Nitsokhn Lid (Victory Song) from Yiddish Glory
Louange à l'Immortalité de Jésus by Olivier Messiaen
Vogue by Madonna
The Creation of Man from The Scarlet Pimpernel
Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder
Other music in this episode:
Suite VII in G Minor HV432: Gigue by George Frideric Handel
Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Dancing Queen by ABBA
Crosstown Traffic by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana
Hallelujah from Messiah by George Frideric Handel
Fuir le bonheur de peur qu'il ne se sauve by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin
2/10/2023 • 42 minutes, 3 seconds
From the Bald Mountain to Puerto Rico with Anne Dudley and Patrick Rimes
This week, Radio 4 is revisiting four episodes of the award-winning music series Add to Playlist, first broadcast in October. Today, Anne Dudley, composer and co-founder of The Art of Noise, and Welsh traditional musician Patrick Rimes join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye as they add five more tracks to the playlist, including a tender but rather unlikely love affair and a New Orleans classic.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky
Hideaway by Jacob Collier
Un petit poisson, un petit oiseau by Juliette Gréco
When the Saints Go Marching In by Louis Armstrong
Ché Ché Colé by Héctor Lavoe and Willie Colón
Other music in this episode:
Romeo and Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev
O, wie will ich triumphieren by Mozart
Night on Disco Mountain by David Shire
When All the Saints Come Marching In by Paramount Jubilee Singers
12/29/2022 • 41 minutes, 48 seconds
Catrin Finch and Neil Brand on musical highs and lows
This week, Radio 4 is revisiting four episodes of the award-winning music series Add to Playlist, first broadcast in October. Today, Welsh harpist and composer Catrin Finch and composer and musician Neil Brand help Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye add the next five songs to the playlist. The adventure takes them from the highest of high notes to the deep bass of a Mozart opera.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Pájaro Campana by Alfredo Gryciuk, Marcelo Rojas, Ariel Burgos and Martin Portillo
Quietly Yours by Birdy
Love and Affection by Joan Armatrading
Ain’t Got No Home by Clarence Henry
O, wie will ich triumphieren by Mozart
Other music in this episode:
Overture from The Sound of Music by Rodgers & Hammerstein
Alfie by Cilla Black
Tuvan throat singing
Wand'rin' Star by Lee Marvin
You're the First, the Last, my Everything by Barry White
12/28/2022 • 42 minutes, 5 seconds
From Jamaica to Westminster Abbey with Nicky Spence and Laura Jurd
This week, Radio 4 is revisiting four episodes of the award-winning music series Add to Playlist, first broadcast in October. Today, Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye are joined by trumpet player Laura Jurd and operatic tenor Nicky Spence.
Together, with the help of Dr Martin Neary - former Organist and Master of Choristers at Westminster Abbey - they add five more tracks to the playlist, taking them from Jamaica and an early sample in 1985 to a popular religious choral work via experimental indie rock from San Francisco.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Under Me Sleng Teng by Wayne Smith
À Chloris by Reynaldo Hahn, sung by Susan Graham
Whither the Invisible Birds? by Deerhoof
Miserere mei, Deus by Gregorio Allegri
Alfie by Cilla Black
Other music in this episode:
Hey, Mrs. Jones by Ramsey Lewis
Afro Blue by Melanie De Biasio
Air on the G String (Suite No. 3, BWV 1068) by J. S. Bach
12/27/2022 • 42 minutes, 10 seconds
Richard Stilgoe and Alina Bzhezhinska start a new playlist
This week, Radio 4 is revisiting four episodes of the most recent series of Add to Playlist, which has recently won two major awards: the Prix Italia for Best International Radio Music show, and the Prix Europa for the Best European one.
The episodes were first broadcast in October, and today, songwriter, lyricist and musician Richard Stilgoe and Ukrainian-born harpist Alina Bzhezhinska join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye create the playlist of five tracks for the first episode.
With each track being chosen for its musical connections to the previous one, this week re-working earlier material emerges as a theme as we head from the Wild West to a Gestapo prison cell.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly by Ennio Morricone
Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley
Don't Tell Me by Madonna
First movement of Symphony No. 3 by Henryk Górecki, sung by Dawn Upshaw with the London Sinfonietta
Afro Blue by Melanie De Biasio
Other music in this episode:
Born to be Wild by Steppenwolf
Pastures of Plenty by Woody Guthrie
Pastures of Plenty by Peter Tevis
Aura Lee by Slim Whitman
Stop by Joe Henry
Second movement of Symphony No. 3 by Henryk Górecki
Afro Blue by Mongo Santamaria
Afro Blue by John Coltrane
12/26/2022 • 42 minutes, 14 seconds
Isobel Waller-Bridge and Mikey J Asante round off the series
Composer Isobel Waller-Bridge and producer and composer Michael 'Mikey J' Asante take us from a club in Istanbul to a classic grime track via a cigarette factory in Seville, as they add the final five tracks to the current playlist.
Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye also hear from the Lebanese-born trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf and Professor Alkis Raftis, a leading authority on Greek dance.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Will Soon be a Woman (live at the Babylon Istanbul) by Ibrahim Maalouf
Dance Me to the End of Love by Leonard Cohen
Carmen, Act I, Sc 4, Havanaise/Habanera by Georges Bizet
Eskimo by Wiley
Deck the Halls by Nat King Cole
Other music in this episode:
Trace by Isobel Waller-Bridge
Green Onions by Booker T. and the M.G.’s
Goldberg Variations BWV 988: Aria by JS Bach, played by Glenn Gould
Niandou by Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal
Zorba The Greek: Zorba's Dance by Mikis Theodorakis
Hasapiko performed by Christina Pluhar
Popcorn by Hot Butter
12/2/2022 • 42 minutes, 3 seconds
Esther Abrami and Giacomo Smith enjoy the spirit of rebellion
French violinist Esther Abrami and American jazz clarinettist Giacomo Smith add five more tracks to the playlist, embracing the musical spirit of rebellion, as they travel from animated icy mountains to Jamaica with Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye.
James Taylor of the British four-piece jazz funk band the James Taylor Quartet is on hand to help out, providing a personal tour of the musical beast that is the Hammond organ.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Let it Go by Idina Menzel
I Like the Sunrise from Duke Ellington’s Liberian Suite
Songs of Sunrise, No.3 The March of the Women by Ethel Smyth
Aux armes et caetera by Serge Gainsbourg
Green Onions by Booker T. and the M.G.’s
Other music in this episode:
Tijuana Taxi by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
Lilac Wine by Ana Moura
Leader of the Pack by the Shangri-Las
Modern Love by David Bowie
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) by Nancy Sinatra
Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) by Baz Luhrmann
Theme from Starsky & Hutch - Funky People Mix - by the James Taylor Quartet
11/25/2022 • 41 minutes, 56 seconds
From Belgian fields to a raging sea with Gavin Higgins and Gillian Moore
Gillian Moore, author and Artistic Associate of London's Southbank Centre, and Ivor Novello-winning composer Gavin Higgins join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye as they add five more tracks to the playlist in the penultimate show of this series.
The journey takes them from the accordions of Texas to the mellow sounds of Portugal via the ploughed fields of Belgium and the raging seas of Suffolk, and they are joined on the line by the singer and composer Vashti Bunyan.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Ay te Dejo en San Antonio by Flaco Jiménez
Scherza Infida by George Frideric Handel
Diamond Day by Vashti Bunyan
Storm Interlude from Peter Grimes by Benjamin Britten
Lilac Wine by Ana Moura
Other music in this episode:
Theme from Starsky & Hutch - Funky People Mix - by the James Taylor Quartet
Concerto Grosso for Brass Band and Orchestra by Gavin Higgins
Do-Re-Mi by Julie Andrews from The Sound of Music by Rodgers and Hammerstein
Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol
Bluebell Polka by Jimmy Shand
Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin
Lilac Wine by Jeff Buckley
Fanfare and Love Songs: Brightly by Gavin Higgins
11/18/2022 • 41 minutes, 55 seconds
Time signatures and scales with Zara McFarlane and Ollie Howell
Singer and composer Zara McFarlane and jazz drummer and composer Ollie Howell take us on a musical adventure with the help of composer and musician Nitin Sawhney, as they join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye to add the next five tracks.
Tune in for a scat singing lesson and a 50,000-year history lesson in the origin of musical scales.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got That Swing by Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington
Hey Ya! By Outkast
Lost It To Trying by Son Lux
Songs of Fun and Nonsense by Julie Andrews, Moondog and Martyn Green
Do-Re-Mi by Julie Andrews, from The Sound of Music by Rodgers and Hammerstein
Other music in this episode:
Fisherman by Zara McFarlane
Basin Street Blues by Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five
Purple Haze by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
11/11/2022 • 42 minutes, 2 seconds
The joy of the overture with Kathryn Tickell, Joe Stilgoe and Ruairi Glasheen
Kathryn Tickell - composer, performer and the foremost exponent of the Northumbrian pipes - is joined by singer pianist and songwriter Joe Stilgoe and percussionist Ruairi Glasheen as they help Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye add the next five tracks to the playlist.
It's a serendipitous musical journey which takes them from Quebec to New Orleans via Egypt.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Expansions by Lonnie Liston Smith
Ouverture by La Bottine Souriante
Overture from Candide by Leonard Bernstein
Khusara Khusara by Hossam Ramzy Egyptian Ensemble
Basin Street Blues by Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five
Other music in this episode:
Green Onions by Booker T. and the M.G.'s
Ché Ché Colé by Héctor Lavoe and Willie Colón
Hushabye Birdie by Kathryn Tickell
La Valse D'Orphelin by Christine Balfa
Toxic by Britney Spears
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky
11/4/2022 • 41 minutes, 56 seconds
Gabriel Prokofiev and Uchenna Ngwe round off the series
Russian-British composer, DJ and producer Gabriel Prokofiev and oboe-player Uchenna Ngwe join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye in the studio as they add the final five tracks to the current playlist in the final episode of the series.
From the starting grid to the cellars of Cadiz via central Africa, with the help of flamenco guitarist Edina Balczo, we reach the end of the current musical journey of discovery.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
The Chain by Fleetwood Mac
Fantasy by Earth, Wind & Fire
Twendeni Sote Na Mwanga Wa Amani by Hukwe Zawose
America from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim (from Steven Spielberg's 2021 film)
Tangos de la Sultana by Camarón de la Isla
Other music in this episode:
Tamacun by Rodrigo y Gabriela
Dance of the Knights from Romeo and Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev
Jupiter from The Planets by Gustav Holst
Like the Morning Dew by Laura Mvula
Montage:
El Compositor Confundido by Ibrahim Ferrer
Lay, Lady, Lay by Bob Dylan
Fat Man in the Bathtub by Little Feat
Shake it Off by Taylor Swift
Paranoid Android by Radiohead
Se Pierde en Esta Vida by Celeste Mendoza
7/29/2022 • 42 minutes, 6 seconds
Sean Shibe and Camilla George take us from the Ozark Mountains to Jupiter
Saxophonist Camilla George and guitarist Sean Shibe take us on a global journey and beyond as they help choose the next five tracks for the playlist.
Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye also explore the finer details with guests John Dillon, Cathy Jordan and David Owen Norris.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Beauty in the River by The Ozark Mountain Daredevils
The Green Gowned Lass by Dervish
Taximen by Amadou Balaké
Scarborough Fair by Incantation
Jupiter from The Planets by Gustav Holst
Other music in this episode:
Spacer by Sheila
Abasi Isang by Camilla George
Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush
Scarborough Fair by Simon & Garfunkel
Scarborough Fair by Martin Carthy
7/22/2022 • 42 minutes, 16 seconds
Nitin Sawhney and Gabriella Swallow take to the skies
Composer and musician Nitin Sawhney and cellist Gabriella Swallow head towards the sun as they help add five more tracks to the playlist.
Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye are also joined by Hinako Omori as they fly high with the lark.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
You Ain’t the Problem by Michael Kiwanuka
I Am the Black Gold of the Sun by Nuyorican Soul (4 Hero remix)
The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Sonata Representativa - The Cat - by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber
Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush
Other music in this episode:
Goldberg_Variations, Variatio 5 by J.S._Bach, played by Lang_Lang
She’s a Lady by Tom Jones
I am the Black Gold of the Sun by Rotary Connection
Conversations with a Lark by Hinako Omori - Listen to the Radio 3 broadcast https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0017lqw
Sonata violino solo representativa (In A Major) - Allemande by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber
Violin Sonata in A major : IV Der Fresch (The Frog)
7/15/2022 • 42 minutes, 5 seconds
Linton Stephens and Dinara Klinton celebrate musical pioneers
Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye are joined by bassoonist Linton Stephens and Ukrainian pianist Dinara Klinton as they embark on another musical journey, from Veracruz in Mexico to a pioneering Black female composer and a huge Grime hit as they add five more tracks to the playlist.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
La Bamba by Los Lobos
Symphony No.1 in E Minor III: Juba Dance by Florence Beatrice Price
Etude No 5 in G-Flat Major; Op 10, ‘Black Keys’ by Chopin, played by Dinara Nadzhafova (Klinton)
Shut Up by Stormzy
She’s a Lady by Tom Jones
Other music in this episode:
E Ye Ye by Quantic & Nidia Góngora
Desfado by Ana Moura
La Bamba by Ritchie Valens
Tears of a Clown by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
La Bamba by El Jarocho
Soul Limbo by Booker T & the MGs
Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, B. 178 (the 'New World Symphony') by Antonín Dvořák
Functions on the Low by Ruff Sqwad (XTC)
7/8/2022 • 42 minutes, 11 seconds
Jess Gillam, Iain Burnside and Woody Woodmansey take us from tragedy to joy
Classical pianist Iain Burnside and saxophonist Jess Gillam continue the musical journey, taking us from a tragic tale of a shepherdess in Yorkshire to the Appalachian Mountains and to Portugal.
With the help of drummer Woody Woodmansey and biographer Paul Thompson, Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye discover new details and stories behind the five tracks on this week's playlist.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Old Molly Metcalfe by Jake Thackray
The Twelve Apostles, from 9 English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachian Mountains by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Don't Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John and Kiki Dee
Starman by David Bowie
Desfado by Ana Moura
Other music in this episode:
Tour de France by Kraftwerk
Eena Meena Deeka by Kishore Kumar
Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland
Harper Valley PTA by Jeannie C. Riley
One Day Like This by Elbow
7/1/2022 • 42 minutes, 3 seconds
Hannah French and Neil Brand bring on the musical fireworks
Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye are joined by musicologist Hannah French and composer Neil Brand as they take us from the stables of Versailles to a Shirley MacLaine classic as they add another five tracks to the playlist.
Bhangra specialist DJ Sonny Ji celebrates a joyous track inspired by the children's chant 'Eeny, meeny, miny, moe'.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Listen to Hannah French's Radio 3 documentary The Silence of my Pain https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000p6d4
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Coppélia: Galop Final by Léo Delibes
Overture to Acante et Céphise by Rameau
If They Could See Me Now by Shirley MacLaine
Get Ur Freak On by Missy Elliott
Eena Meena Deeka by Kishore Kumar
Other music in this episode:
Black Sky by The Ozark Mountain Daredevils
And the Swallow by Caroline Shaw
Jubilee Rag by Winifred Atwell
Galloping Home by Denis King
Pygmalion: Overture by Jean-Philippe Rameau
6/24/2022 • 42 minutes, 2 seconds
Hannah Peel, Soweto Kinch and Richard Stilgoe take us to the Caribbean
From mariachi trumpets to calypso and ragtime, Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye continue the musical journey of discovery.
Saxophonist Soweto Kinch and composer Hannah Peel help create this week's playlist, with a special appearance by pianist Richard Stilgoe, and Black music specialist Kevin Le Gendre on the significance of calypso.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash
The Match of the Day theme
Brown Skin Girl by Sonny Rollins
Abatina by Calypso Rose
Jubilee Rag by Winifred Atwell
Other music in this episode:
Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) by Us3
Viva Mexico by Mariachi Las Adelitas UK
Ring of Fire by Brian Eno
(Love's) Ring of Fire by Anita Carter
Soul Limbo by Booker T & the MGs
Bullseye by London Music Works
Brown Skinned Woman by Blind Snooks Eaglin
PIMP by 50 Cent
Pimp by Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band
The Black and White Rag by Winifred Atwell
6/17/2022 • 42 minutes
David Arnold and Anna Lapwood kick off a new playlist
Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye return to the studio to start a whole new playlist in the company of the film and TV composer David Arnold, who's written scores for five James Bond films, and the organist Anna Lapwood, Director of Music at Pembroke College, Cambridge.
This new playlist takes us back to Mexico in the 19th century and to a famously dystopian landscape populated by robots.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Blinding Lights by The Weeknd
Blade Runner - End Titles by Vangelis
Danse Macabre (organ arr E H Lemare) by Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns
Wannabe by The Spice Girls
Viva Mexico by Mariachi Las Adelitas UK
Other music in this episode:
Thunderbirds theme
Take On Me by Aha
Young Turks by Rod Stewart
Don't You Forget About Me by Simple Minds
Beverley Hills Cop theme
The Goldeneye Overture (Pt 1) by Eric Serra
James Bond Theme by the John Barry Orchestra
Cemetry Gates by The Smiths
Summer Nights from the film Grease
6/10/2022 • 42 minutes, 2 seconds
Wynne Evans, Anne Denholm and Patrick Rimes at the Hay Festival
Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye present the first episode of the new series from the BBC marquee in front of a live audience at the Hay Festival 2022.
Their musical guests on stage in the tent are the opera tenor Wynne Evans, best known as Gio Compario in the TV insurance adverts, as well as Anne Denholm, Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales from 2015 to 2019, and the violinist and composer Patrick Rimes.
In this one-off show, Cerys, Jeffrey and guests create a five-track playlist where each track is chosen for its musical connection with the previous one, starting with a Welsh singalong classic.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Cwm Rhondda by the Treorchy Male Voice Choir
La Donna è Mobile from Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi, sung by Luciano Pavarotti
Poker Face by Lady Gaga
One Day More from Les Misérables by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil (from the film soundtrack)
Symphony No. 3 in E♭ major, Op. 55, (The Eroica Symphony) by Ludwig van Beethoven
Other music in this episode:
Llechi by Patrick Rimes
My Sharona by The Knack
Sussudio by Genesis
Bad to the Bone by George Thorogood
Bennie and the Jets by Elton John
6/3/2022 • 42 minutes, 11 seconds
Ayanna Witter-Johnson and Joe Stilgoe round off the latest playlist
Vocalist, cellist and composer Ayanna Witter-Johnson, and pianist and performer Joe Stilgoe, help Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye complete the series.
A feminist anthem and a heart-warming classic rub up against some very high bpm as they round off this playlist of 40 tracks.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
I'm a Woman by Koko Taylor
9 to 5 by Dolly Parton
The Typewriter by Leroy Anderson
Original Nuttah by UK Apache and Shy FX
God Only Knows by The Beach Boys
Other music in this episode:
Anthem by N-Joi
Blockbuster by Sweet
Wang Dang Doodle by Koko Taylor
More Than a Woman by Aaliyah
This Woman's Work by Kate Bush
Lose Yourself by Eminem
Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson
Amen Brother by The Winstons
I Desire by Salt-N-Pepa
Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A.
Firestarter by The Prodigy
You Know I'm No Good by Amy Winehouse
3/25/2022 • 42 minutes, 6 seconds
Howard Goodall and Yshani Perinpanayagam and the wonders of the keyboard
Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye are joined by composer Howard Goodall and pianist and music director Yshani Perinpanayagam to add five more tracks to the playlist.
In this week's adventure they explore the enormity of variety the keyboard offers, a journey that takes us to the cathedral, to outer space and, closer to home, Peru!
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by J S Bach
No Time for Caution by Hans Zimmer
Malambo No.1 by Yma Sumac
Big Eater by The Bad Plus
Blockbuster by Sweet
Other music in this episode:
Lost in Music by Sister Sledge
Blue Pepper (Far East of the Blues) by Duke Ellington
Chariots of Fire by Vangelis
Queen of the Night from Die Zauberflöte by W A Mozart
Chuncho by Yma Sumac
Smells Like Teen Spirit by The Bad Plus
I'm a Man by Bo Diddley
The Jean Genie by David Bowie
3/18/2022 • 42 minutes, 5 seconds
Dinara Klinton and Neil Brand continue the journey
Pianist Dinara Klinton and composer and writer Neil Brand join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye to select the next five tracks on the playlist, each track chosen for its musical connections with the previous one.
From grief to joy, they unpick the familiar and the not-so-familiar musical tracks, and demonstrate how the compositions work.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
I Can See for Miles by The Who
Piano Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Op 82 by Sergei Prokofiev (First movement)
Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber
Introvert by Little Simz
Blue Pepper (Far East of the Blues) by Duke Ellington
Other music in this episode:
Solfeggietto in C Minor by CPE Bach
You're the Voice by John Farnham
Don't Cry for me, Argentina by Andrew Lloyd Webber, sung by Julie Covington
Che Gelida Manina from La Bohème by Puccini, sung by Luciano Pavarotti
Samba de Uma Nota Só (One Note Samba) by Antonio Carlos Jobim
Zdravitsa (Cantata) by Prokofiev
Barber's Adagio for Strings by William Orbit (Ferry Corsten remix)
Adagio for Strings by Tiësto
Free Years Later by Kano
Fine Wine by Ghetts
3/11/2022 • 42 minutes, 1 second
Gillian Moore and Bogdan Văcărescu with ragas and folk tales
Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye are joined this week by Gillian Moore, Director of Music at London's Southbank Centre, and Romanian concert violinist Bogdan Văcărescu, to add the next five tracks to the playlist.
The studio guests serve up their usual eclectic mix, and from Mumbai we hear from one of the great voices of a classical Indian music tradition.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Infernal Dance from The Firebird Suite by Igor Stravinsky
The Sea and Sinbad's Ship: Scheherazade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Toxic by Britney Spears
Raga Madhuvanti by Hariprasad Chaurasia
You're the Voice by John Farnham
Other music in this episode:
Scherzo Fantastique, Op 25 by Antonio Bazzini, performed by Bogdan Văcărescu and Julian Jacobson
Thunderball by Tom Jones
Tere Mere Beech Mein by Lata Mangeshkar and S.P. Balasubrahmanyam
Venus in Furs by The Velvet Underground
400 Lux by Lorde
3/4/2022 • 42 minutes, 2 seconds
Jess Gillam and Jeremy Summerly hit the high notes
Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye are joined by saxophonist Jess Gillam and conductor Jeremy Summerly to select the next five tracks for Add to Playlist. We travel from Colombia and Brazil to the Grand Canyon, with tracks that feature astonishing vocal dexterity.
Speaking of the voice, we hear from another familiar Welsh singing legend who can tell us more about one particular note that famously proved a challenge for him in the 1960s.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Alegría by Elia y Elizabeth
11th Movement of Des Canyons aux Étoiles by Olivier Messiaen
Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton
Bachianas Brasileiras No.5 by Heitor Villa-Lobos
Thunderball by Tom Jones
Other music in this episode:
I Feel Love by Donna Summer
Gbowo Mi by The Lijadu Sisters
Skreevar by Erland Cooper ft Marta Salogni
On the Nature of Daylight by Max Richter
Plan & Elevation: IV. The Orangery by Caroline Shaw
Lovin' You by Minnie Riperton
Kiss by Tom Jones & Art of Noise
2/25/2022 • 41 minutes, 53 seconds
Rebekah Reid and Neil Brand take us to Stalin's Russia and film noir
Violinist Rebekah Reid and composer Neil Brand explore music under Stalin and a Billy Wilder classic as they join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye to add five more tracks to the playlist, and it's another global journey.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
(Where do I Begin) Love Story by Andy Williams
First Movement of Symphony No 5 in D Minor by Dmitri Shostakovich
Double Indemnity theme by Miklós Rózsa
Ashyaneh by Fereydoun Farrokhzad
Gbowo Mi by The Lijadu Sisters
Other music in this episode:
Bobby by The Lijadu Sisters
Čaje, Šukarije by Paprika
(Where do I Begin) Love Story by Tony Bennett
(Where do I Begin) Love Story by Shirley Bassey
Fisherman by Zara McFarlane
Act Naturally by Buck Owens
Wellerman (Sea Shanty) by Nathan Owens
Orere Elejigbo by The Lijadu Sisters
Reincarnation by The Lijadu Sisters
2/18/2022 • 41 minutes, 58 seconds
Anna Lapwood, Abel Selaocoe and Phil Thornalley take us to Soweto and the Balkans
Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye are joined by organist Anna Lapwood, South African cellist and vocalist Abel Selaocoe and songwriter/producer Phil Thornalley as they add the next five tracks to the playlist.
As usual, each track is chosen for its musical connections with the previous one, as we pick up from the final track of the previous episode.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Torn by Natalie Imbruglia
When I am Laid in Earth (Dido’s Lament) by Purcell, sung by Elin Manahan Thomas
Ndofire/Skado by Samthing Soweto
Cry Me a River by Justin Timberlake
Čaje, Šukarije by Paprika
Other music in this episode:
An Occasional Trumpet Voluntary by Anna Lapwood
Lamentatio by Abel Selaocoe
Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer
Brændt by Lis Sørensen
The Lovecats by The Cure
Enough Time by The Stranglers
Action by Sweet
Čaje, Šukarije by Esma Redzepova
2/11/2022 • 41 minutes, 48 seconds
Gary Crosby, Dinara Klinton and Kojo Samuel open the new series
Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye return with a new series as they create a new playlist with the help of jazz bass player Gary Crosby OBE, pianist Dinara Klinton and music director Kojo Samuel.
Follow their musical journey of discovery as they reveal surprising connections that link one piece of music to another, as they cross eras, continents, genres and styles.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Umbrella by Rihanna
After the Rain by John Coltrane
"Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman" - 12 Variations in C Major by Mozart
Bam Bam by Sister Nancy
Show me the Way by Peter Frampton
Other music in this episode:
One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer by John Lee Hooker
Old Town Road by Lil Nas X ft Billy Ray Cyrus
I Got Rhythm by George Gershwin
La Mantovana, attributed to Giuseppe Cenci
Baa Baa Black Sheep by The Sing-a-Long Toddlers
Alphabet Song by Music for Little People Choir
What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
Bam Bam by Toots and the Maytals
Stalag 17 by Ansel Collins
Don't Leave Me by Blackstreet
Rockit by Herbie Hancock
Baby, I Love Your Way by Peter Frampton
Haitian Divorce by Steely Dan
Show Me the Way to Go Home by Max Bygraves
2/4/2022 • 42 minutes, 4 seconds
Dele Sosimi and Clare Norburn on Afrobeat and a Medieval visionary
For the final episode of this series, Afrobeat musician Dele Sosimi and soprano Clare Norburn talk us through the importance of building a track's opening, and celebrate a visionary Abbess from the 12th century.
This takes the playlist of this series to 40, chosen and curated by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
This week's five tracks added to the playlist:
O Frondens Virga by Hildegard von Bingen, sung by Emily D'Angelo
Chariots of Fire by Vangelis
Take me to the Mardi Gras by Bob James
Riders on the Storm by The Doors
It's Raining Men by The Weather Girls
Other music in this episode:
The Magnificent Seven by Elmer Bernstein
O Frondens Virga by The Telling
The City of Violets by Stavros Logarides
Take me to the Mardi Gras by Paul Simon
Peter Piper by Run-D.M.C.
The Story of the Rhodes by Bluey and Friends, ft Tom O'Grady
Also Sprach Zarathustra by Deodato
Family Affair by Sly and The Family Stone
(Ghost) Riders in the Sky sung by Vaughn Monroe
Hardly Wait by P J Harvey, sung by Juliette Lewis
11/26/2021 • 42 minutes, 52 seconds
Jamie Cullum and Mark Frost on a children's classic and the power of brass
Pianist Jamie Cullum and trombonist Mark Frost join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye in the penultimate episode of the current series as they add the next five tracks to the growing playlist.
What links one of the most famous brass pieces in all opera to an all-star jazz musical ensemble in New York? And how does that get us to Sesame Street?
The serendipitous musical journey continues.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
This week's five tracks added to the playlist:
Sanft Schloss Schlaf dein Aug'! by Richard Wagner
Trombone Joe by Herlin Riley
Sing by The Carpenters/Sesame Street
The Coffee Cola Song by Francis Bebey
Mask Off by Future
Other music in this episode:
Concerto Grosso in C, HWV 318 by Handel
Lose My Breath by Destiny's Child
Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner
A Cenar Teco from Don Giovanni by Mozart
Dies Irae from the Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz
Everything Now by Arcade Fire
Watermelon Man by Herbie Hancock
Flute Loop by Beastie Boys
Prison Song by Tommy Butler
11/19/2021 • 42 minutes, 51 seconds
Joe Stilgoe and Sonny Ji take us to the Alps and Bollywood
Pianist and singer Joe Stilgoe helps Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye compile the next five tracks for the growing playlist, with musical connections taking us from a controversial singing style to the Austrian Alps.
DJ and BBC Asian Network presenter Sonny Ji and voice coaches Dr Gillyanne Kayes and Jeremy Fisher provide insights into the techniques and background to individual tracks.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks added to this week's playlist:
It Don't Mean a Thing by The Boswell Sisters
She Taught Me How to Yodel by Frank Ifield
Edelweiss by Bill Lee
Piya Tu Ab To Aaja by Asha Bhosle
Lose My Breath by Destiny's Child
Other music in this episode:
Sandstorm by Darude
I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles by Doris Day
Rum and Coca-Cola by The Andrews Sisters
Chattanooga Choo Choo by The Andrews Sisters
Throat singing by Karin and Kathy Kettler
Arizona Yodeler by The DeZurik Sisters
Yelli by the Baka Forest People in the Cameroon rain forest
Daddy and Home by Jimmie Rodgers
A Yodeling Hobo by Gene Autry
Yodelling Mozart by Mary Schneider
Zombie by The Cranberries
Good Sign, Bad Sign by Monty Norman
Crazy In Love by Beyoncé (Homecoming Live)
Let's Go Blue by the University of Michigan Marching Band
11/12/2021 • 42 minutes, 53 seconds
Jasmin Kent Rodgman and Gwyn Hughes Jones on a new discovery and a classic
Jasmin Kent Rodgman, the British/Malaysian artist and composer, joins Welsh tenor Gwyn Hughes Jones and British/Chinese artist Aowen Jin as they select and discuss the latest five tracks to be added to the weekly playlist, where each track has a musical connection with the previous one.
Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye pick up where they left off last time, with Luis Fonsi and Justin Bieber's classic earworm Despacito. So where will their journey take us from there?
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
The five tracks added to this week's playlist:
Tu Vuò' Fà' l'Americano by Sophia Loren and Paolo Bacilieri
Heebie Jeebies by Louis Armstrong
Ha Ha Lili by San Dingding
Nessun Dorma! by Giacomo Puccini, sung by Luciano Pavarotti
I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles sung by Doris Day and Jack Smith
Other music in this episode:
God Walked Down by The Allergies
The Other Bank by Janet Kent Rodgman
Despacito by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee feat Justin Bieber
Tu Vuò' Fà' l'Americano sung by Jude Law, Matt Damon and Rosario Fiorello
Life on Mars by David Bowie
Shotgun by George Ezra
I Fought the Law by The Clash
Are You Lonesome Tonight? by Elvis Presley
Violaine by Cocteau Twins
Sequenza III for Female Voice by Luciano Berio
Shawnee Stomp Dance from First Nation Sacred Songs
Adiemus by Karl Jenkins
Puirt a beul, Scottish Mouth Music, by the Quadriga Consort
Nessun Dorma! sung by Gwyn Hughes Jones
I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles sung by Vera Lynn
11/5/2021 • 42 minutes, 50 seconds
Guests Soweto Kinch and Steven Devine celebrate the joys of the keyboard
Birmingham-based saxophonist Soweto Kinch is joined by keyboard specialist Steven Devine and percussionist Ruairi Glasheen, as Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye compile the next five tracks for their growing playlist.
Last week concluded with Nina Cried Power by Hozier, featuring Mavis Staples, but where will that lead for the start of this episode's selection?
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Full track list in order in the episode, with the five chosen Playlist tracks in CAPITALS:
Golden Brown by The Stranglers
Liberation Rag by Soweto Kinch
Nina Cried Power by Hozier
NKA BOM by Edikanfo
STAYIN' ALIVE by The Bee Gees
Stayin' Alive by Bruce Springsteen
Stayin' Alive by N-Trance
HIGHER GROUND by Stevie Wonder
VARIATIONS ON A THEME BY MOZART FOR FOUR HARPSICHORDS by George Malcolm, Valda Aveling, Geoffrey Parsons & Simon Preston
French Suite No.4 in E Flat Major, BWV 815a Prelude by Bach by Violet Gordon Woodhouse
DESPACITO by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee feat Justin Bieber
Despacito (Harpsichord) performed by Katarzyna Kowalik
10/29/2021 • 42 minutes, 21 seconds
From Lahore to New York with guests saxophonist Jess Gillam and Nitin Sawhney
Where does Dave Brubeck's celebrated 1961 classic Take Five lead us? Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye are joined by saxophonist Jess Gillam to select the next five tracks to add to the playlist.
Last week's musical journey took us from the beaches of Rio de Janeiro to London jazz clubs, and we're travelling again today, from Lahore to New York and beyond, with the forensic help of composer and musician Nitin Sawhney and early music specialist Barnaby Smith.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Full track list in order in the episode, with the five chosen Playlist tracks in CAPITALS:
Can't Get You Out of My Head by Kylie Minogue
Take Five by Dave Brubeck
Take Five by The Sachal Studios Orchestra
THE PINK PANTHER by The Sachal Studios Orchestra
ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK by Sting ft Branford Marsalis
PARCE MIHI DOMINE by Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard Ensemble
Missa Mille Regretz by Cristóbal de Morales
SINNERMAN by Nina Simone
No Hiding Place Down Here by the Old South Quartette
On the Judgement Day by The Sensational Nightingales
Sinner Man by the Les Baxter Orchestra
NINA CRIED POWER by Hozier ft Mavis Staples
10/22/2021 • 42 minutes, 46 seconds
Guests Neil Brand and Plinio Fernandes take us to Paris and Brazil
Picking up from Let Him Go, Let Him Tarry, the final song last week, Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye add the next five tracks to the playlist.
Composer and pianist Neil Brand, this week's studio guest, alongside Brazilian guitarist Plinio Fernandes, explores the musical detail of the tracks, as connections are explored which link one composition to another. Last week we went from a country/rap smash hit to a traditional Irish folk song via a riotous rodeo, but where will this week's journey of discovery take us?
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Full track list in order in the episode, with the five chosen Playlist tracks in CAPITALS):
Hou Mamma Mia by Les Négresses Vertes
Let Him Go, Let Him Tarry by Ottilie Patterson
THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA by João & Astrud Gilberto
THE GIRL WITH THE FLAXEN HAIR by Claude Debussy
I'm a Man (Mannish Boy) by Muddy Waters
Black is the Color of my True Love's Hair by Meshell Ndegeocello
Bonnie and Clyde by Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot
SOUS LES PONTS DE PARIS sung by Melody Gardot and Juliette Gréco
IT'S OH SO QUIET sung by Björk
It's Oh So Quiet by Betty Hutton
Und Jetzt ist es Still by Horst Winter
TAKE FIVE by Dave Brubeck
Take Five by Rico
10/15/2021 • 41 minutes, 44 seconds
Guests Kojo Samuel and Tasmin Little launch the musical journey
Add to Playlist takes us on a musical journey of discovery, exploring the web of connections between tracks across the breadth of all musical styles, from pop, rock, reggae and hip-hop to classical, jazz, folk and country.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye and their studio guest, music director Kojo Samuel, who's worked with Stormzy, Rudimental and Jess Glynne, unearth musical and thematic links that may well take you by surprise, with additional in-depth explorations by violinist Tasmin Little.
Ditch the computer algorithm as we offer an alternative playlist, offering five special tracks each week, spanning genres, eras and continents. You’ll learn fascinating details about how the music is constructed, its history, tempo, rhythm, choice of key and use of instruments, from the cuica to the 808 and the banjo.
Presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Music (in order - the five tracks for the playlist are in CAPITALS):
Autobahn - Kraftwerk
So Good to Me - Chris Malinchak
OLD TOWN ROAD - Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus
34 Ghosts IV - Nine Inch Nails
HOE-DOWN - Aaron Copland
Main theme from Star Wars - John Williams
Superman (Main Title) - John Williams
WALK THIS WAY - Run-DMC & Aerosmith
Walk This Way - Aerosmith
WALK ON BY - Dionne Warwick
Walk on By - Isaac Hayes
Wand'rin' Star - Lee Marvin
Sahari - Aziza Brahim
El Carretero - Guillermo Portabales
LET HIM GO, LET HIM TARRY - Ottilie Patterson
Let Him Go, Let Him Tarry - Ruby Murray
10/8/2021 • 42 minutes, 44 seconds
Welcome to Add to Playlist
Ditch the algorithm as Cerys Matthews, Jeffrey Boakye and musical guests create a playlist exploring the rich and unexpected web of connections that link five special tracks.