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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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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
Anne Dudley, a composer and founding member of The Art of Noise, shares her expertise on musical arrangements and piano insight. Joining her is Ruairi Glasheen, a percussionist who dives into the intricacies of traditional drums and their rhythms. They explore the connections between diverse musical styles, including azari and Persian influences, and analyze Hall & Oates’ 'She's Gone.' The discussion also highlights the origins and craftsmanship of cymbals, the emotional depth of Bach's works, and the gospel influences behind Jimmy Cliff's 'Many Rivers to Cross.'

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

Aug 4, 2023 • 42min
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 OctoberProducer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey BoakyeThe 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

Jul 28, 2023 • 42min
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 BoakyeThe 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

Jul 21, 2023 • 42min
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 BoakyeThe 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

Jul 14, 2023 • 42min
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 BoakyeThe 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 AtkinsOther 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


