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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
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Nov 17, 2023 • 42min
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 BoakyeThe 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 EliasOther 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

Nov 10, 2023 • 43min
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 BoakyeThe 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 SiffreOther 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

Nov 3, 2023 • 42min
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 BoakyeThe 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

Oct 27, 2023 • 42min
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 BoakyeThe 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

Oct 20, 2023 • 42min
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 BoakyeThe 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 CarpenterOther 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

Oct 13, 2023 • 42min
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 BoakyeThe 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 WonderOther music in this episode:Welcome to My World by Ezra Collective
Piano Concerto No. 3 by Sergei Prokofiev

Aug 31, 2023 • 42min
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... This episode was first broadcast in March this year. Add to Playlist returns to Radio 4 on 13th OctoberProducer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey BoakyeThe 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 LoafOther 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

Aug 30, 2023 • 42min
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.This episode was first broadcast in March this year.Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey BoakyeThe 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 CanibalesOther music in this episode:(Love is Like a) Heatwave by Martha & the Vandellas
Many Rivers to Cross by Jimmy Cliff

Aug 29, 2023 • 42min
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.This episode was first broadcast in March this year.Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey BoakyeThe 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 CliffOther 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

Aug 28, 2023 • 43min
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.This episode was first broadcast in March this year.Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey BoakyeThe 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 GoogooshOther 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