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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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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

Jul 7, 2023 • 42min
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 BoakyeThe (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 DylanOther 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

Jun 30, 2023 • 42min
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 BoakyeThe 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 WardaOther 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

Jun 23, 2023 • 42min
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 BoakyeThe 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 SoulOther 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

Jun 16, 2023 • 42min
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 BoakyeThe 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 KlaviertrioOther 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

Jun 9, 2023 • 42min
Amy Harman and Gavin Higgins start a brand new playlist
Amy Harman, Principal bassoonist of the Aurora Orchestra, shares her thrilling experiences of performing orchestral works from memory, highlighting the adrenaline and deeper musical understanding it brings. Award-winning composer Gavin Higgins discusses his playful percussion concerto inspired by Beano characters and traces musical influences from classical arpeggios to Radiohead. They also delve into the fascinating connections between Dolly Parton's Mule Skinner Blues and Greek vocal ornamentation while exploring Maria Callas's expressive mastery in Casta Diva.

Mar 3, 2023 • 42min
Natalie Duncan, Bjarte Eike, Brian Eno and a track that changed the pop landscape
Singer-songwriter Natalie Duncan, known for her soulful melodies, and Bjarte Eike, a Norwegian Baroque violinist with a flair for folk, join the conversation. They explore the timeless influence of Vivaldi's 'Gloria' and connect it to Norwegian folk music. Brian Eno shares his first encounter with Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love' and its revolutionary sound. Duncan draws links between Summer’s music and Michael Jackson’s grooves, pointing out rhythmic patterns that resonate across cultures. Expect rich insights and lively discussions about music's transformative power!