

Add to Playlist
BBC Radio 4
Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe take 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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 4, 2022 • 42min
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 WeatheraldThe 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 FramptonOther 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

Nov 26, 2021 • 43min
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 WeatheraldThis 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 GirlsOther 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

Nov 19, 2021 • 43min
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 WeatheraldThis 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 FutureOther 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

Nov 12, 2021 • 43min
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 WeatheraldThe 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 ChildOther 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

Nov 5, 2021 • 43min
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 WeatheraldThe 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 SmithOther 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

Oct 29, 2021 • 42min
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 WeatheraldFull 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

Oct 22, 2021 • 43min
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 WeatheraldFull 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

Oct 15, 2021 • 42min
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 WeatheraldFull 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

Oct 8, 2021 • 43min
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 WeatheraldMusic (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

Oct 1, 2021 • 3min
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.


