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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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Jun 17, 2022 • 42min
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 WeatheraldThe 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 AtwellOther 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

Jun 10, 2022 • 42min
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 WeatheraldThe 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 UKOther 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

Jun 3, 2022 • 42min
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 WeatheraldThe 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 BeethovenOther 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

Mar 25, 2022 • 42min
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 WeatheraldThe 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 BoysOther 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

Mar 18, 2022 • 42min
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 WeatheraldThe 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 SweetOther 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

Mar 11, 2022 • 42min
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 WeatheraldThe 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 EllingtonOther 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

Mar 4, 2022 • 42min
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 WeatheraldThe 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 FarnhamOther 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

Feb 25, 2022 • 42min
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 WeatheraldThe 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 JonesOther 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

Feb 18, 2022 • 42min
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 WeatheraldThe 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 SistersOther 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

Feb 11, 2022 • 42min
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 WeatheraldThe 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


