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BBC Radio 4
  • 5.0 (32)
  • Music Commentary
  • Updated Weekly

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. 1d ago

    Nadine Shah, David Arnold and Charlotte Harding celebrate the BBC Proms

    To mark this year's BBC Proms, Jeffrey and Anna are joined by three music specialists to create a playlist of five Proms-themed tracks. Celebrated James Bond film composer David Arnold, Mercury-Prize-nominated, South Tyneside-born, singer and songwriter Nadine Shah, and composer and saxophonist Charlotte Harding check out this year's festival, currently just past its halfway point, and look into the archive to choose their five tracks. Every concert in this year's BBC Proms is - or will be - available via BBC Sounds, including Nadine Shah's performance in Gateshead and Charlotte Harding's Relaxed Prom in Bristol, with many also available on the iPlayer. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: James Bond Theme by John Barry 4th mvt: Adagio, from 9th Symphony by Gustav Mahler Time by Pink Floyd It’s Raining Today by Scott Walker And the Door Unsealed by Miho Hazama, performed by the Danish Radio Big Band Other music in this episode: Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland Topless Mother by Nadine Shah Miami International from Casino Royale by David Arnold Bad Sign, Good Sign by Monty Norman Main Title from Out of Africa by John Barry Make It Easy on Yourself by The Walker Brothers My Ship Is Coming In by The Walker Brothers The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore by The Walker Brothers Wilkommen from Cabaret by the Danish Radio Big Band

  2. Aug 14

    A celebration of Black British music live at V&A East, with Nolay, Soweto Kinch and Keelan Carew

    The V&A East Museum in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London opened in April with its inaugural exhibition The Music Is Black: A British Story, focusing on 125 years of Black music-making in Britain. Spanning four continents, it is a story of excellence, struggle, resilience and joy. To celebrate the exhibition, in a collaboration between the V&A and the BBC, Add to Playlist comes from the museum in front of a live audience with a host of significant figures on the Black British music scene. Jazz saxophonist Soweto Kinch, leading UK grime artist NoLay (accompanied by fellow grime artists Griminal and Roachee), classical pianist Keelan Carew and special guest Janet Kay - who hit the high notes with her 1979 smash hit Silly Games - join Anna and Jeffrey as they discuss the five tracks of Black British music that make up this episode's playlist. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Back to Life by Soul II Soul 21 Seconds by So Solid Crew Silly Games by Janet Kay Deep River by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor It’s So by Omar  Other music in this episode: On My Radio by The Selecter Keep on Movin' by Soul II Soul Hiawatha's Wedding Feast by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor There's Nothing Like This by Omar

  3. Jun 26

    Tom Seals and Debbie Wiseman slap that bass

    Wolf Hall composer Debbie Wiseman and boogie-woogie pianist and singer Tom Seals are Jeffrey and Anna's final guests of the current series as they add the final five tracks, taking them from a Prince classic via the First Lady of Song to Bob Geldof's ticking clock and a Punjabi bhangra megahit. Add to Playlist will be back on air on 14 August. For details of the Crossed Wires podcast festival in Sheffield and for free tickets for the recording of Add to Playlist and other Radio 4 shows, visit https://crossedwires.live/fringe Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: When Doves Cry by Prince Slap That Bass by Ella Fitzgerald La Valse by Maurice Ravel Like Clockwork by The Boomtown Rats  Mundian To Bach Ke by Panjabi MC Other music in this episode: West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys Billie Jean by Michael Jackson Africa by Toto In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins L'Enfant et les Sortilèges by Maurice Ravel Time by Pink Floyd Hung Up by Madonna Knight Rider theme by Stu Phillips & Glen A. Larson Turn It Up/Fire It Up by Busta Rhymes

  4. Jun 19

    Claire Wickes and Ashley Henry celebrate chocolate and music

    Flautist Claire Wickes and jazz pianist Ashley Henry join Jeffrey and Anna as they add the next five tracks, exploring the association between music and chocolate, and digging into the Harlem Renaissance with the poet Langston Hughes and Cuban Negrismo, before marking the official longest partnership in pop. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: 5-4-3-2-1 by Manfred Mann Dance of the Mirlitons from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes Boda Negra by María Teresa Vera West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys Other music in this episode: Mississippi Goddam by Ashley Henry Knee Play 5 from Einstein on the Beach by Philip Glass Numbers by Kraftwerk 5,6,7,8 by Steps Moon River by Audrey Hepburn Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy by Tchaikovsky

  5. Jun 12

    Guy Pratt and Amy Harman and the art of hocketing

    Bass guitarist, composer and songwriter Guy Pratt and bassoonist Amy Harman are Jeffrey and Anna's studio guests as they add five more tracks. Starting with an early ska classic, they explore the art of 'hocketing' before heading to the beach with Einstein. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Miss Jamaica by Jimmy Cliff Rock On by David Essex Finale of Symphony No 6 in B Minor by Tchaikovsky Hockets for Two Voices: 1 by Meara O’Reilly Knee Play 5 from Einstein on the Beach by Philip Glass Other music in this episode: Ain't No Doubt by Jimmy Nail Like a Prayer by Madonna The Reason by Celine Dion I'm Alive by Vybz Kartel Be My Guest by Fats Domino Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd 9th Symphony by Gustav Mahler Zap Mama by Babanzélé Gamelan by the Bali Gamelan Orchestra Money by Pink Floyd Welcome to the Machine by Pink Floyd

  6. Jun 5

    Lucy Parham and Nicky Spence explore some familiar Radio 4 theme tunes

    Classical pianist Lucy Parham and operatic tenor Nicky Spence are Jeffrey and Anna's studio guests as they compile another five-track playlist. Starting with a memorable scene from Werner Herzog's film Fitzcarraldo, they end up at the queen of the power ballad, stopping off to reveal the background to two very popular tunes regularly played on Radio 4. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Quartet from Rigoletto by Verdi La Flor de la Canela by Chabuca Granda The Minute Waltz by Chopin My Native Heath, Suite IV: Barwick Green by Arthur Wood The Reason by Celine Dion Other music in this episode: Cantaloop by Us3 Proud Mary by Ike & Tina Turner Approaching Menace by Neil Richardson The Archers Theme by The Yetties My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion

  7. May 29

    Fiona Bevan and Keelan Carew mess around

    Multi-platinum songwriter and musician Fiona Bevan and pianist Keelan Carew are Jeffrey and Anna's studio guests as they add five more tracks, taking us from Ray Charles letting loose for the first time, to a famous riverboat steamer on the Mississippi via Mozart and Nick Drake. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Mess Around by Ray Charles Kyrie from the Mass in C Minor by Mozart From the Morning by Nick Drake Fields of Gold by Eva Cassidy Proud Mary by Ike & Tina Turner Other music in this episode: Soul Bossa Nova by Quincy Jones Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor (the Chaconne) by J.S. Bach Over the Rainbow by Eva Cassidy Fields of Gold by Sting Little Things by One Direction

  8. May 22

    Ben Gernon and Heidi Fardell launch a new series

    Conductor Ben Gernon and baroque recorder player Heidi Fardell open the new series alongside Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe as they add the first five tracks, taking us from a steamy New York summer to a celebrated Bach composition that violinist Joshua Bell has described as 'not just one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, but one of the greatest achievements of any man in history'. Throw in Gershwin, Louis XIV and a very serious musical accident, and you've got a cornucopia of an opening episode. Producer Jerome Weatherald Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe The five tracks in this week's playlist: Summer in the City by The Lovin’ Spoonful An American in Paris by George Gershwin Overture to Phaëton by Jean-Baptiste Lully Ain’t It Strange by Patti Smith Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor (the Chaconne) by J.S. Bach Other music in this episode: Batman Theme by Neil Hefti & his Orchestra 12 Sonatas Op. 11 'Parensi': No 7 in A Minor: II. Allegro by Robert Valentine, performed by Heidi Fardell Because The Night by Patti Smith

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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 - 2026
  • Episodes
    129
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (C) BBC 2026
  • Show Website
    Add to Playlist

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