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BBC Radio 4
  • 5.0 (23)
  • MUSIC COMMENTARY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
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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.

  1. APR 4

    Tawiah and Linton Stephens round off the series

    Singer, songwriter and film & TV composer Tawiah and bassoonist Linton Stephens join Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe as they add the last five tracks in the current series. Love and longing feature prominently, be it for a distant homeland, a parent to a child, or infatuation. But the curtain rises to a famous march representing the forces of darkness in the evil empire. Add to Playlist returns for a new series towards the end of May. Producer: Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme) by John Williams Maria from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim Boricua en la Luna by Roy Brown Orange Moon by Erykah Badu Mother and Child Reunion by Paul Simon Other music in this episode: Nut Rocker by B. Bumble & The Stingers Mars by Gustav Holst Dance at the Gym from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein Vietnam by Jimmy Cliff

    43 min

  2. MAR 28

    Natalie Duncan and Richard Stilgoe celebrate the Red Planet

    Lyricist Richard Stilgoe and musician and songwriter Natalie Duncan prepare for a square dance as they add five more tracks to the playlist. With Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye, they head from Scottish reels to Mars, via California's Santa Monica Boulevard. Producer: Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Eightsome Reel by The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra Scotch Rhapsody by William Walton & Edith Sitwell All I Wanna Do by Sheryl Crow Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones Mars by Gustav Holst Other music in this episode: King by Years & Years Hoedown by Emerson, Lake & Palmer Boil 'em Cabbage Down, trad, performed by Mark O'Connor Candy by Cameo

    43 min

  3. MAR 21

    Carol Jarvis and Keelan Carew head for a hoedown

    Pianist Keelan Carew and trombonist Carol Jarvis join Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe to add five more tracks to the playlist, as they take us from the great Winifred Atwell to an ambitious prog-rock reimagining of Aaron Copland's Rodeo ballet. Producer: Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Tickle the Ivories by Winifred Atwell Pas de Deux: Andante maestoso by Tchaikovsky Stan by Eminem Rather Be by Clean Bandit Hoedown by Emerson, Lake & Palmer Other music in this episode: Radioactive by Carol Jarvis Kaigara Bushi by Mitsune Black and White Rag by Winifred Atwell Hoe-Down by Aaron Copland, dir Leonard Bernstein Bonaparte's Retreat by William H Stepp

    43 min

  4. MAR 14

    Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne and Anne Dudley salute Amy

    Concertina and melodeon player Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne and composer and arranger Anne Dudley contribute to the next five tracks on the playlist. Alongside Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe, they take us on a journey from the elegant vocals of Amy Winehouse to a Japanese folk tune about hardworking fishermen. Producer: Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Love is a Losing Game by Amy Winehouse Sarabande by Claude Debussy Lambada by Pinduca The Bristol Sailorman/Will the Waggoner by John Kirkpatrick (Cohen) Kaigara Bushi by Mitsune Other music in this episode: Why Do Fools Fall In Love by Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers There is no Greater Love by Billie Holiday (There is) No Greater Love by Amy Winehouse Love is a Losing Game (Demo) by Amy Winehouse Gymnopédie by Erik Satie Lambada by Kaoma

    43 min

  5. MAR 7

    Maya Youssef and Ben Gernon take us to Syria and Hamburg

    British-Syrian Maya Youssef - virtuoso player of the Middle Eastern stringed instrument the qanun - and conductor Ben Gernon, join Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe to add five more tracks to the playlist. Starting by the dock of the bay, they travel to Damascus, Hamburg and land on a 1950s familiar pop classic sung by a 14-year-old. Producer: Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: (Sitting on) the Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding The Waves of the Sea by Lena Shamamyan Mache dich auf! Werde Licht! (Arise! Let there be light!) by Felix Mendelssohn Blank Space (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift Why Do Fools Fall In Love by Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers Other music in this episode: Parisienne Walkways by Gary Moore Sweet Child O’Mine by Guns N’ Roses Hard to Handle by Otis Redding Blank Space by Taylor Swift

    42 min

  6. FEB 28

    Emma Rawicz and Neil Brand reach for the skies

    Bandleader and jazz saxophonist Emma Rawicz and the writer and composer Neil Brand join Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe as they add the next five tracks to the playlist. The journey takes them from Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, across the English Channel in a rickety aeroplane, then right up to the moon with Les Paul and Mary Ford. Producer: Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: The Bucket’s Got a Hole in it by Kid Ory Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines by Ron Goodwin Conversation by Joni Mitchell How High the Moon by Les Paul and Mary Ford Sweet Child O’Mine by Guns N’ Roses Other music in this episode: Tamacún by Rodrigo y Gabriela Double Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra: Mvt 1 by Philip Glass, performed by Katia & Marielle Labèque My Bucket's Got a Hole In It by Hank Williams Bucket's Got a Hole In It by Louis Armstrong My Bucket's Got a Hole In It by Van Morrison 633 Squadron: Main Title Theme by Ron Goodwin Amassakoul by Tinariwen Some Unholy War by Amy Winehouse Didn't It Rain by Sister Rosetta Tharpe

    42 min

  7. FEB 21

    Julian Joseph and Aoife Ní Bhriain open the new series

    Irish violinist Aoife Ní Bhriain and jazz pianist and composer Julian Joseph are the first guests in the new series with Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe. Together they add the first five tracks, taking us from the Mercury Prize-winning jazz group Ezra Collective to a celebrated pair of sisters at the piano, via a 1975 pop classic heavily influenced by Frédéric Chopin. Producer: Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: God Gave Me Feet For Dancing by Ezra Collective Nocturne No. 20 in C-Sharp Minor by Frédéric Chopin Could it be Magic by Barry Manilow Kabir by John McLaughlin, Shankar Mahadevan & Zakir Hussain Double Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra: Mvt 1 by Philip Glass, performed by Katia & Marielle Labèque Other music in this episode: Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac Dollar Wine by Colin Lucas Feeling Good by Nina Simone Prelude in C Minor, Op 28, No 20 by Frédéric Chopin Could it be Magic by Donna Summer Could it be Magic by Take That

    43 min

  8. JAN 3

    Georgie Ward and Abel Selaocoe round off the series

    Georgie Ward, composer and keyboard player to the stars, and cellist and composer Abel Selaocoe, head to the Add to Playlist studio to add the final five tracks of the series. Together with Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe, this episode takes us from a reinterpretation of a Bob Marley classic to a Sinatra father-and-daughter 'novelty' song via a ground-breaking aunt-and-niece double-act from Tanzania. Add to Playlist returns for a new series on 27 Feb 2025 Producer: Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Redemption Song by the Kanneh-Masons Cold Light by Ishmael Ensemble The Feeling Begins by Peter Gabriel Mapendo by The Zawose Queens Somethin’ Stupid by Frank and Nancy Sinatra Other music in this episode: Be the One by Dua Lipa, Live from the Royal Albert Hall Emmanuele by Abel Selaocoe No Volvere by The Gypsy Kings Redemption Song by Bob Marley Bloom by Holysseus Fly Somethin' Stupid by Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman

    43 min
See All (96)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
23 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    BBC Radio 4
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    96
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (C) BBC 2025
  • Show Website
    Add to Playlist

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