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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.


Add to Playlist

Anna and Jeffrey host an Add to Playlist Yuletide special. They are joined by jazz musician and songwriter Joe Stilgoe and baroque recorder player Heidi Fardell to pick apart five cracking festive tracks, from Sleigh Ride to the Carol of the Bells.

Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe

The five tracks in this week's playlist:

Sleigh Ride by Ella Fitzgerald 
Sinfonia from The Christmas Oratorio by J S Bach
Carol of the Bells by The Sixteen, written by Mykola Leontovych and Peter Wilhousky
Step into Christmas by Elton John and Bernie Taupin 
Feliz Navidad by José Feliciano

Other music in this episode:

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing by The Torero Band
Sleigh Ride by the Boston Pops Orchestra
Sleigh Ride by The Andrews Sisters
Sleigh Ride by The Ronettes
Christmas Oratorio Pt 1 by J S Bach
Shchedryk by Mykola Leontovych
Ho! Ho! Ho! (Who'd Be a Turkey at Christmas) by Elton John and Bernie Taupin
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer by Elton John
Maoz Tzur by The Maccabeats
Yalda by Hossein Tavakoli

Joe Stilgoe and Heidi Fardell celebrate Yuletide Classics

Conductor Ben Gernon and Music Director Katy Richardson join Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe as they add another five tracks, taking us from the Mongolian landscape to a sunrise in Lesbos, a famous TV theme, and some seriously wronged wives.

Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe

The five tracks in this week's playlist:

Wolf Totem by The HU 
Daybreak (Lever du jour) by Maurice Ravel 
Stranger Things Theme by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein
Madeline by Lily Allen
Ex-Wives from SIX: The Musical

Other music in this episode:

Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich
Creep by Radiohead
The Lonely Goatherd by Julie Andrews
Morgul by Ay-Kherel
Dancing On My Own by Robyn
Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics
I Feel Love by Donna Summer
Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush

Katy Richardson and Ben Gernon head to Mongolia

Pianist Keelan Carew and saxophonist Emma Rawicz join Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe as they add five more tracks, taking us from an unforgettable Nat King Cole classic to a sunken cathedral, a famous submarine, and the Austrian Alps. 

Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe

The five tracks in this week's playlist:

Unforgettable by Natalie Cole & Nat King Cole
Señor Mouse by Gary Burton and Chick Corea
La Cathédrale Engloutie by Debussy 
Stingray by Barry Gray 
The Lonely Goatherd by Julie Andrews

Other music in this episode

Particles of Change by Emma Rawicz
Ya Taali’een el-Jabal by Kronos Quartet ft Rim Banna
Unforgettable by Nat King Cole
Memories of You by Louis Armstrong
Under the Sea (from The Little Mermaid) by Samuel E Wright
Theme from Thunderbirds by Barry Gray

Emma Rawicz and Keelan Carew enjoy the vibes

Flautist and composer Claire Wickes and composer Vince Pope join Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe to add five more tracks, taking us from some traditional Irish violins to San Francisco's Kronos Quartet, stopping along the way for some musical Greek mythology.

Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe

The five tracks in this week's playlist:

Runaway by The Corrs
La flûte de Pan by Claude Debussy
Cassandra by Florence and the Machine
Stay With Me by Clint Mansell & Kronos Quartet
Ya Taali’een el-Jabal by Kronos Quartet ft Rim Banna

Other music in this episode

A Girl Like You by Edwyn Collins
True Detective: Night Country - Caribou (ft. Tanya Tagaq) by Vince Pope 
Posee un Corazón by Leonor Dely
Oyé Oyé (Lumbalú) by Leonor Dely & Millero Congo 
Venus by Bananarama
Midas Touch by Midnight Star
Cassandra by ABBA
Cassandra by Taylor Swift
Cole's First Dream from the 12 Monkeys soundtrack by Paul Buckmaster
Theme from Minority Report by John Williams
Lux Aeterna from the Requiem for a Dream soundtrack by Paul Buckmaster

Claire Wickes and Vince Pope and plenty of strings

Bassoonist Amy Harman and bandleader, jazz man and multi-instrumentalist Peter Long join Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye to add five more tracks, a journey which starts with a virtual cartoon band and ends up in Colombia, stopping off at Gotham City, Knebworth and the New York jazz scene in 1946.

Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe

The five tracks in this week's playlist:

Feel Good Inc by Gorillaz
Main Title Theme from Batman by Danny Elfman
Another One Bites the Dust (live) by Queen
One Bass Hit by Dizzy Gillespie 
Posee un Corazón by Leonor Dely

Other music in this episode

Steppin' Out by Joe Jackson
Animal Crackers by Melanie
The Laughing Policeman by Charles Penrose
Sunny Afternoon by The Kinks
Main Title Theme from Superman by John Williams
Main Title Theme from Beetlejuice by Danny Elfman
Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Bernard Herrmann
Main Title Theme from The Simpsons by Danny Elfman
Another One Bites the Dust by Queen

Amy Harman and Peter Long cue the bass

Pianist and silent film music specialist Neil Brand and trumpeter Imogen Whitehead join Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe to add the first five tracks of the new series, taking us from an energetic bee to Woodstock via The Netherlands and Bristol.

Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe

The five tracks in this week's playlist:

Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Hocus Pocus by Focus 
Teardrop by Massive Attack
Glory to God in the Highest by George Frideric Handel 
Animal Crackers by Melanie 

Other music in this episode

On my Radio by The Selecter
Flight of the Bumblebee performed by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Flight of the Bumblebee performed by Wynton Marsalis
Hocus Pocus by Focus, Live from The Rainbow
Unfinished Symphony by Massive Attack
Sometimes I Cry by Les McCann
We Will Rock You by Queen
Lay Down (Candles in the Rain) by Melanie

Neil Brand and Imogen Whitehead launch a new series

How did the greats become the greats? And what did it cost them to get there? Legend is the award-winning music biography series from BBC Radio 4 exploring the lives of pioneering artists who shaped modern music.

In Legend: The Bruce Springsteen Story, we discover how a scrawny, long-haired introvert from New Jersey became the iconic, muscular – and oft-misunderstood – rock star of the 1980s, and ultimately the eloquent elder statesmen he is now. What does his story reveal about America today?

Across the series, Laura Barton takes a front-row seat at five key gigs which illuminate a different side of The Boss. She travels to Asbury Park in 1971 to hear how teenage Bruce began to learn his magic trick at The Upstage Club. She hears about his nerve-wracking London Hammersmith gig in 1975, the electrifying final night of the Born in the U.S.A tour in 1985, and his emotional homecoming show at St Rose of Lima school gym in 1996. Lastly, Laura heads to Milan to witness the final concert of his 2025 Land of Hope and Dreams tour.

Featuring Bruce in his own words across the decades, alongside voices from the E Street Band, devoted fans, biographers, and critics.

Listen first on BBC Sounds.

A BBC Audio Production for BBC Radio 4
Producer: Eliza Lomas
Sound Design and Original Music: Hannis Brown
Series Developer: Mair Bosworth
Production Coordinator: Stuart Laws
Additional Research: Sarah Goodman
Series Editor: Emma Harding
Commissioning Editors: Daniel Clarke and Matthew Dodd
Assistant Commissioner Podcasts: Will Drysdale

Introducing - Legend: The Bruce Springsteen Story

Musician and songwriter Joe Stilgoe and Oscar-winning composer and arranger Anne Dudley join Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe to add the final five tracks of the series, taking us from calypso to K-pop via Beethoven and Brubeck.

Add to Playlist returns on 14 November.

Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe

The five tracks in this week's playlist:

Calypso Queen by Calypso Rose
Concrete and Clay by Unit 4 + 2
Piano Concerto in G Major: III (Rondo) by Beethoven 
Blue Rondo à la Turk by Dave Brubeck
Gangnam Style by Psy

Other music in this episode:

Disco Inferno by The Trammps
WHO AM I by Berwyn
Abatina by Calypso Rose
I Love to Love by Tina Charles
Rock the Boat by Hues Corporation
Concrete and Clay by Eddie Rambeau
Take Five by Dave Brubeck

Anne Dudley and Joe Stilgoe round off the series

Welsh harpist Catrin Finch and musician and composer Rhodri Marsden join Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe as they add five more tracks, with unexpected and surprising connections. The eclectic music choices range from an Americana classic knocked off in just 30 mins to the winner of this year's Ivor Novello Award for Best Album, via a reworking of a Bach organ sonata for piano.

Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe

The five tracks in this week's playlist:

Louie Louie by The Kingsmen
I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor
Organ Sonata No.4 movt II (Andante) by Bach, played by Víkingur Ólafsson
My Dearest Dear by Ivor Novello – sung by Mary Ellis
WHO AM I by Berwyn

Other music in this episode:

P.I.M.P. by Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band
Killing Me Softly With His Song by Fugees
El Loco Cha Cha by René Touzet
Louie Louie by Richard Berry
Fly Me To The Moon by Bart Howard, sung by Frank Sinatra
Someone Like You by Adele
Hotel California by The Eagles
It's a Sin by Pet Shop Boys
Organ Sonata No.4 movt II (Andante) by Bach, played by Robert Quinney

Catrin Finch and Rhodri Marsden on absence and resilience

Trombonist, arranger and big band leader Callum Au, and composer, pianist and singer Natalie Duncan, are today's studio guests as they look for unexpected links that connect five disparate tracks. With Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye, they head from an early Adele classic to a reinterpretation of a Roberta Flack hit via a 15-minute reworking by Duke Ellington of one of his most celebrated works.

Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe

The five tracks in this week's playlist:

Chasing Pavements by Adele 
Mood Indigo by Duke Ellington
Tuba mirum by Mozart 
Back Together Again by Roberta Flack, ft Donny Hathaway
Killing Me Softly With His Song by Fugees
 
Other music in this episode:

Krupastrophe by Callum Au & Louis Dowdeswell
Heaven by Emeli Sandé
Sinfonia 'Infernali' from L'Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi
Killing Me Softly With His Song by Roberta Flack
Empty Chairs by Don McLean

Callum Au and Natalie Duncan and the beauty of brass

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 Weatherald

The 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 UK

Other 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

David Arnold and Anna Lapwood kick off a new playlist

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