Explore every episode of the podcast The Music Show

In celebration of John Coltrane's centenary this week, we trace the style and influence of one of jazz's greatest musicians, composers, and collaborators. 

We’ll hear a wide range of voices from the Music Show archive: jazz legends like McCoy Tyner, Wayne Shorter, and Gary Bartz, who played with him; artists like Branford Marsalis, Kurt Elling, Dave Liebman, Phil Slater, Andy Sugg and Lakecia Benjamin who were inspired by him; and John Scheinfeld, director of the documentary Chasing Trane.

Music heard in the show:

Title: A Love Supreme: AcknowledgementArtist: John ColtraneComposer: Coltrane, JohnAlbum: A Love SupremeLabel: Impulse!

Title: My Favourite ThingsArtist: John ColtraneComposer: Hammerstein, Oscar; Rodgers, RichardAlbum: My Favourite ThingsLabel: Atlantic

Title: Mr. KnightArtist: John ColtraneComposer: Coltrane, JohnAlbum: Coltrane Plays the BluesLabel: Atlantic

Title: AlabamaArtist: John ColtraneComposer: Coltrane, JohnAlbum: Live at BirdlandLabel: Impulse!

Title: A Love Supreme: PsalmArtist: John ColtraneComposer: Coltrane, JohnAlbum: A Love SupremeLabel: Impulse!

Title: Bye Bye BlackbirdArtist: Miles Davis Composer: Dixon, Mort; Henderson, RayAlbum: ‘Round About MidnightLabel: Columbia

Title: Greensleeves (Alternate take)Artist: John ColtraneComposer: trad.Album: Africa/Brass Sessions Vol. 2Label: Impulse!

Title: My One and Only LoveArtist: John Coltrane, Johnny HartmanComposer: Wood, Guy; Mellin, RobertAlbum: John Coltrane and Johnny HartmanLabel: Impulse!

Title: NaimaArtist: John ColtraneComposer: Coltrane, JohnAlbum: Live at the Village Vanguard Again!Label: Impulse!

Title: SerenityArtist: John ColtraneComposer: Coltrane, JohnAlbum: MeditationsLabel: Impulse

Title: Ogunde Artist: John ColtraneComposer: Coltrane, JohnAlbum: The Olatunji Concert: The Last Live RecordingLabel: Impulse!

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Tegan Nicholls

Some might think that jazz and electronic music don't have much in common, but Japanese DJ and trumpeter Takuya Nakamura has proven all that wrong. Growing up in 1980s Tokyo, he moved to the United States in 1990 to study under the legendary jazz composer George Russell, and went on to bring this expertise to the New York jungle electronic scene. He now performs live DJ sets of jungle, trip hop, dub, and all sorts of experimental electronic music with trumpet in hand.

Larry Sitsky may be one of Australia's most important living composers, and he's certainly the most commissioned. One of his most important creative relationships over his long career was with poet Gwen Harwood, who wrote many of the libretti for his operas. A new book filled with the substantial thirty-year correspondence between the two has just been released. Ann-Marie Priest is a longtime scholar of Gwen Harwood's work, and is the editor of the book, Fiery Tales: The Correspondence of Gwen Harwood and Larry Sitsky

Takuya Nakamura is performing as part of Move My Way festival, on October 3 in Eora Sydney, and October 4 in Naarm Melbourne. His forthcoming album -- Shape The Future is out November 12.

Fiery Tales: The Correspondence of Gwen Harwood and Larry Sitsky is out now via Monash University Publishing.

Music heard in this program:

Title: Jungle JungleArtist: Takuya NakamuraComposer: Takuya NakamuraAlbum: Mysteries of the Cosmos

Title: The Banks of the Moldau, Act1 Sc3Artist: Raymond Myers (Rabbi Judah Loew), The Australian Opera Chorus, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Christopher Lyndon Gee (cond.), Barrie Kosky (dir.)Composer: Larry Sitsky, Gwen Harwood (libretto)Album: The GolemLabel: ABC Classics

Title: EpilogueArtist: Gerald English (tenor) as Lenz, Isabel Veale (soprano), Lyall Beven (baritone), James Christiansen (baritone), Marilyn Richardson (soprano), The Corinthian Singers, Adelaide Symphony OrchestraComposer: Larry Sitsky, Gwen Harwood (libretto)Album: LenzLabel: ABC Classics

Title: Broken Jazz feat. Tim ReaperArtist: Takuya NakamuraComposer: Takuya NakamuraAlbum: Shape the Future

Title: Giant StepsArtist: John Coltrane (tenor sax), Tommy Flanagan (piano), Wynton Kelly (piano), Art Taylor (drums), Paul CHambers (bass), Jimmy Cobb (drums)Composer: John ColtraneAlbum: Giant StepsLabel: Atlantic 1311

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country 

Technical production by Tegan Nicholls

For hundreds of years, the Copper family have sung for their own pleasure, and for the pleasure of the people of Rottingdean, the East Sussex village where the family have been living since at least the 1500s. Singing together in pubs and houses, the BBC first recorded them in 1951, and they've gone on to become stars, particularly in the United States, where they toured extensively. 

Andy went to East Sussex to sit down with Bob Copper, the paterfamilias of the family, in 2003 when Copper was 88 years old. In 32 years of presenting The Music Show, this might be his favourite ever conversation. Enjoy listening to this wide-ranging and philosophical conversation about an unbroken line of family singers and the music of the English chalk coast.

Music heard in the program:

Title: The Claudy Banks; Come Write me down, Ye Powers of love Artist: The Copper Family (Bob & Jim)Composer: Trad.Album: Come Write Me Down: The Copper Family of RottingdeanLabel: Topic 

In the interview, Bob sings parts of The Birds in the Spring, and The Threshing Song, both trads.

Title: My Favourite ThingsArtist: John ColtraneComposers: Rodgers, Richard; Hammerstein, OscarAlbum: CMy Favourite ThingsLabel: Atlantic

This program was originally produced by Penny Lomax and Maureen Cooney. Ce Benedict did a tiny bit of work on this version.

Technical production by Harvey O’Sullivan

Drawing references to Kerouac, Munch, and Hildegard of Bingen, Bryce Dessner's music builds on a rich tradition of art that extends far beyond music. The classical composer (and guitarist for The National) is presenting the Australian premiere of his cello concerto, Trembling Earth, with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and talks to Andy about his influences, NY's music scene, and his new opera.

In a new sound installation called The Enormous Radio, Bob Scott and Roslyn Oades are tuning a huge room of old radios in to the sounds of the natural world. Frogs, dingoes, flies, and goats take on a ghostly tone, as field recordings are reshaped into something almost unrecognisable.

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra performance of Trembling Earth is on the 19th and 20th of September. And Bryce Dessner: A Portrait in Music is heading to Sydney and Melbourne.

The Enormous Radio is on as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival from Sept 30.

Music heard in this program:

Title: Pond LifeArtist: Bob Scott & Roslyn OadesComposer: Bob Scott & Roslyn OadesAlbum: Sound installation

Title: St. Carolyn By The SeaArtist: Bryce Dessner, Aaron Dessner, Copenhagen Philharmonic OrchestraComposer: Bryce DessnerAlbum: St. Carolyn By The SeaLabel: Deutsche Grammophon

Title: Song for Ainola Artist: Anastasia KobekinaComposer: Bryce DessnerAlbum: Bryce Dessner - SolosLabel: Sony

Title: Garcia CounterpointArtist: Bryce DessnerComposer: Bryce DessnerAlbum: Day Of The DeadLabel: 4AD

Title: DingoesArtist: Bob Scott & Roslyn OadesComposer: Bob Scott & Roslyn OadesAlbum: Sound installation

Title: Jane SheldonArtist: flowermuscleComposer: Jane Sheldon & Bob ScottAlbum: flowermuscleLabel: Independent release

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Harvey O'Sullivan

To mark Andy’s departure from the show at the end of this year, we’re bringing you some of his favourite conversations from 32 years on air. This week, we’ll hear the American pianist, composer and teacher Seymour Bernstein in a conversation from 2015. Bernstein died earlier this year, just before his 100th birthday, and in that long life he passed on a huge amount of wisdom about music, from how to play Beethoven to helping Ethan Hawke overcome stage fright. 

Benjamin Clementine, who is an amazing musician, says he’s not an amazing musician. He’s a British Ghanaian singer, pianist, songwriter, and creative sponge: one of those artists who soaks up so many influences it leads to a totally unique sound which defies categorisation. He’s about to tour Australia and he tells Andy how his songs start as poems, his influences, and his sanguine attitude towards categorisation. 

Benjamin Clementine tour dates:

Adelaide 15 OctoberMelbourne International Jazz Festival 20 OctoberSydney 21 OctoberPerth 24 October

Music heard in the show:

Title: NemesisArtist: Benjamin ClementineComposer: Clementine, BenjaminAlbum: At Least For NowLabel: Virgin EMI

Title: Gottes zeit is Die Allerbeste Zeit, BMV 106: Prelude [Actus Tragicus]Artist: Seymour BernsteinComposer: Bach, Johann SebastianAlbum: Seymour: An Introduction (Soundtrack)Label: Varese Sarabande 

Title: Intermezzo in A major, Op.118 No.2: excerptArtist: Seymour BernsteinComposer: Brahms, JohannesAlbum: Seymour: An Introduction (Soundtrack)Label: Varese Sarabande 

Title: GethukArtist: The Jawa Pitu BandComposer: The Jawa Pitu BandAlbum: KapindhoLabel: Independent

Title: Pizza MindArtist: Benjamin ClementineComposer: Clementine, BenjaminAlbum: SingleLabel: Preserve Artists

Title: CornerstoneArtist: Benjamin ClementineComposer: Clementine, BenjaminAlbum: At Least For NowLabel: Virgin EMI

Title: Pizza MindArtist: Benjamin ClementineComposer: Clementine, BenjaminAlbum: SingleLabel: Preserve Artists

Title: You’re the VoiceArtist: John FarnhamComposer: Thompson, Chris; Ryder, Maggie; Qunta, Andy; Reid, KeithAlbum: Whispering JackLabel: Wheatley

The Music Show is produced on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country

Technical production by Antonia Gauci

You’re The Voice remains a favourite for generations of Australians and the album it's on, Whispering Jack, has sold more than 1.5 million copies. But John Farnham was 37 by the time he recorded that album and the music industry wasn’t all that interested in a new direction from a 60s pop star - until word of mouth began spreading that this was something special.

In some ways it’s that background that makes the result so remarkable. Andrew Ford charts the story behind Farnham's biggest hit and explores why Farnham's voice has earned him such admiration.

Featuring interviews with David Hirschfelder, Gaynor Wheatley, Michael Paynter, and Poppy Stockell. 

The Songs of John Farnham: A Living Legend, The Celebration Concert is on September 20.

The Sydney Theatre Company’s musical, Whispering Jack, begins on November 15.

Music heard in this program:

Title: Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My HeadArtist: John FarnhamComposer: Burt Bacharach & Hal DavidAlbum: Looking Through A TearLabel: Columbia

Title: Sadie The Cleaning LadyArtist: John FarnhamComposer: David White, John Madara, Ray GilmoreAlbum: SadieLabel: Columbia

Title: Playing To WinArtist: Little River BandComposer: John Farnham, Graham GobleAlbum: Playing To WinLabel: Capitol Records

Title: The TempleArtist: John FarnhamComposer: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim RiceAlbum: Jesus Christ Superstar - 1992 Australian Cast Label: Polydor

Title: Age of ReasonArtist: John FarnhamComposer: Johanna Pigott, Todd HunterAlbum: Age of ReasonLabel: Wheatley Records 

Title: That's FreedomArtist: John FarnhamComposer: Jean Anne Chapman, Tom KimmelAlbum: Chain ReactionLabel: Wheatley Records 

Title: You're The VoiceArtist: John FarnhamComposer: Andy Qunta, Chris Thompson, Keith Reid, Maggie RyderAlbum: Whispering JackLabel: Wheatley Records 

Title: Blind EyesArtist: Little River BandComposer: John Farnham, David Hirschfelder, Ray ChapmanAlbum: Playing To WinLabel: Capitol Records

Title: It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll)Artist: John FarnhamComposer: Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Bon ScottAlbum: Age of ReasonLabel: Wheatley Records 

Title: Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say)Artist: John FarnhamComposer: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim RiceAlbum: Jesus Christ Superstar - 1992 Australian Cast Label: Polydor

Title: Pressure DownArtist: John FarnhamComposer: Harry BogdanovsAlbum: Whispering JackLabel: Wheatley Records 

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Antonia Gauci

Recorded (largely) as-live in Sweden, with a group of that country's indie luminaries, Robert Forster's latest album Strawberries shows the singer-songwriter in a playful mood and embracing the role of storyteller. Speaking to Andy for the first time in quite some time, Forster explains why he made the trip and why he refused to tour the album until he could bring the band over to play it with him.

With up to thirteen singers and ten drummers, all clustered around a giant communal drum, the Red Spirit Singers produce a huge sound. The group, composed of members of the Ute Nation in Utah, have been performing their music for almost 40 years, with multiple generations involved over that time. Founder AJ Kanip talks about that history and about the importance of the songs, old and new.

Music heard in this program:

Title: Bear DanceArtist: Red Spirit SingersComposer: Red Spirit SingersAlbum: Land of the SunLabel: Independent release

Title: StrawberriesArtist: Robert ForsterComposer: Robert ForsterAlbum: StrawberriesLabel: Tapete Records

Title: DiamondsArtist: Robert ForsterComposer: Robert ForsterAlbum: StrawberriesLabel: Tapete Records

Title: All Of The TimeArtist: Robert ForsterComposer: Robert ForsterAlbum: StrawberriesLabel: Tapete Records

Title: Veteran's SongArtist: Red Spirit SingersComposer: Red Spirit SingersAlbum: Land of the SunLabel: Independent release

Title: Meet Me At The Ute PetroleumArtist: Red Spirit SingersComposer: Red Spirit SingersAlbum: Land of the SunLabel: Independent release

Title: You're The VoiceArtist: John FarnhamComposer: Andy Qunta, Chris Thompson, Keith Reid, Maggie RyderAlbum: Whispering JackLabel: Wheatley Records

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Tegan Nicholls

Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich, or 'Kelso', of the great all-woman Australian rock band Camp Cope, is also a phenomenal writer. Her new book It's Not For You is part memoir, part feminist journalist project, in which she traces her own musical beginnings alongside conversations with a cross section of women and gender diverse musicians. She joins Andy to talk about the book. 

Noongar composer, violist, conductor and programmer Aaron Wyatt returns to the show to talk about Decolonising the Bells, a collaborative project with Speak Percussion that looks at the Federation Hand Bells and their complex history. 

Plus new music from The Buoys from their upcoming album Concrete Cowboy.

Decolonising The Bells is at Monash University's Ian Potter Centre for Performing Arts on Saturday 5 September.

Music heard in the show:

Title: The OpenerArtist: Camp CopeComposer: Maq, GeorgiaAlbum: How To Socialise and Make FriendsLabel: Poison City Records

Title: Perfect NowArtist: Sarah BlaskoComposer: Blasko, Sarah; Cranny, Roger FAlbum: The Overture and the UnderscoreLabel: Dew Process

Title: SoonArtist: Angie McMahonComposer: McMahon, AngieAlbum: SaltLabel: Dualtone Records

Title: Alone in VegasArtist: The BuoysComposer: Catterall, Zoe; Geddes, Hilary; Cunningham, Courtney; Wilkin, Tessa; Matthews, FletcherAlbum: Concrete CowboyLabel: Sony Music

Title: Decolonising the BellsArtist: Aaron Wyatt, Speak PercussionComposer: Aaron Wyatt, Eugene UghettiCourtesy of the composers and Speak Percussion

Title: Under the CanopyArtist: Melbourne Chamber OrchestraComposer: Aaron WyattCourtesy of ABC Classic

Title: Tell It Back To MeArtist: Robert ForsterComposer: Forster, RobertAlbum: StrawberriesLabel: Tapete Records

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country

Technical production by Tegan Nicholls

Belinda Webster, the producer, engineer and singular force behind Australia's art music label Tall Poppies died this month at the age of 74. Across 278 releases, Webster recorded and released music by many of Australia's best classical and jazz musicians, often playing Australian music.

In 2006, Andy visited Belinda at her home in Kangaroo Valley for a wide-ranging conversation about her passion and approach to music. 

Music heard in this program:

Title: Come, My LoveArtist:  Ian Munro & Jane EdwardsComposer: Katherine ParkerAlbum: CD Sampler Label: Tall Poppies Records

Title: The TrystArtist: David StanhopeComposer: Jean Sibelius (arranged by David Stanhope)Album: David Stanhope – A Virtuoso RecitalLabel: Tall Poppies 

Title: Heritage Overture Artist: Sydney Symphony Orchestra, David PiperComposer: Sandra FranceAlbum: Sandra France – Fluctuating States Of CalmLabel: Tall Poppies 

With a recent concerto for amplified accordion and orchestra and another for more than 60 recorders Holly Harrison clearly loves a challenge. She shares why she enjoys writing for new instruments, and how she composed a work that will be performed by everyone from virtuosos to second-grade students.

Hamed Sadeghi has released two albums this year, each of which fuses his instrument, the Persian tar, with different Western traditions. The latest, Comfortable, features some of Sydney's best jazz musicians, and Hamed talks to Andy about collaboration, improvisation, and poetry.

InsideOut, composed by Holly Harrison, will be featured in upcoming concerts by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, and Western Australian Symphony Orchestra, all featuring James Crabb. The world premiere of Harrison's Frog Hollow will be performed at the Sydney Opera House on September 23, as part of the Festival of Instrumental Music.

Hamed Sadeghi will be performing Comfortable at the City Recital Hall in Sydney on September 5.

Music heard in this program:

Title: Slack RopeArtist: Hamed SadeghiComposer: Hamed SadeghiAlbum: ComfortableLabel: Independent release

Title: bend/boogie/breakArtist: Offspring Ensemble Composer: Holly HarrisonAlbum: Offspring Bites 3: En MasseLabel: Independent release

Title: Balderdash for String QuartetArtist: Goldmund QuartetComposer: Holly HarrisonAlbum: Live Recording

Title: Los Ojos Del CondorArtist: Hermanos GutiérrezComposer: Hermanos GutiérrezAlbum: Los Ojos Del CondorLabel: Easy Eye Sound

Title: InheritanceArtist: Hamed SadeghiComposer: Hamed SadeghiAlbum: ComfortableLabel: Independent release

Title: Before the StormArtist: Hamed SadeghiComposer: Hamed SadeghiAlbum: ComfortableLabel: Independent release

Title: StrawberriesArtist: Robert ForsterComposer: Robert ForsterAlbum: StrawberriesLabel: Tapete Records 

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Antonia Gauci

Dolly Parton said she wrote over three thousand songs, so we can barely begin to honour her extraordinary songwriting in just one hour.

From her early country duets with Porter Wagoner, to the extraordinary purple patch that brought us Jolene and I Will Always Love You (allegedly written on the same day), to lending her voice and country music bona fides to Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter record, her impact on the musical landscape is hard to overstate.

Her image was genuinely iconic, modelled after sex workers in her Tennessee hometown, and her impact on literacy, public health, and human rights will be felt far beyond Appalachia for generations to come. 

She inspired working class people, women, and the LGBTQIA+ community, and did it all by being herself, on purpose. 

Singer songwriter Fanny Lumsden, and musician and broadcaster (and sometimes host of The Music Show) Alice Keath are Andy’s guests to unpack Dolly Parton’s musical and cultural impact.

Music heard in the show:

Dumb Blonde from Hello, I’m Dolly (1969)

Coat of Many Colours from Coat of Many Colours (1971) 

Just Someone I Used to Know from Porter Wayne and Dolly Rebecca (with Porter Wagoner, 1970)

Jolene from Jolene (1974)

I Will Always Love You from Jolene (1974)

9 to 5 from 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs (1980)

Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos) from 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs (1980)

The Seeker from Dolly (1975)

After the Gold Rush from Trio II (1999)

Little Sparrow from Little Sparrow (2001)

Long As I Can See the Light (feat. John Fogerty) from Rockstar (2023)

TYRANT, DOLLY P, JOLENE (Beyonce, featuring Dolly Parton) from COWBOY CARTER (2024)

Light of a Clear Blue Morning from New Harvest… First Gathering (1977)

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country

Technical production by Antonia Gauci, Tim Jenkins, and Tim Traeger

"I think if we saw every conversation as music, we would drastically shift the course of history."  So says the poet and performer aja monet. For her latest record, the color of rain, monet worked with Meshell Ndegecello, Justin Brown, and a whole host of musical collaborators to create something that spans genre, but has seen her named as one of the early headliners of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival.

From the quietest footsteps to the loudest explosions, foley artists craft the sounds that shape a movie, but their work usually leaves them behind the scenes. In his latest composition, Hollywood Parsifals, Thomas Meadowcroft is putting 2 foley artists centre stage with the MSO, and exploring what happens when you combine their skill at sound generation with a full orchestra.

Rubiks Collective is presenting Thomas Meadowcroft's Love Songs Without Subjects at the Melbourne Recital Centre on August 25.

Music heard in this program:

Title: Love Songs Without SubjectsArtist:  asamisimasa, Ditte Marie Bræin, and Thomas Meadowcroft Composer: Thomas MeadowcroftAlbum: Love Songs Without SubjectsLabel: Sofa Music

Title: say it with your chestArtist: aja monetComposer: Aja Monet, Burniss Earl Travis IIAlbum: the color of rainLabel: Drink Sum Wtr

Title: i know that i don't knowArtist: aja monetComposer: aja monet, Justin BrownAlbum: the color of rainLabel: Drink Sum Wtr

Title: for the CongoArtist: aja monetComposer: aja monet, Justin Brown, Abe RoundsAlbum: the color of rainLabel: Drink Sum Wtr

Title: hollyweirdArtist: aja monetComposer: aja monet, Burniss Earl Travis II, Daniel Mintseris, Josh Johnson, Justin BrownAlbum: the color of rainLabel: Drink Sum Wtr

Title: War Western Thriller Horror Romantic Comedy Crime Science Fiction, Hollywood ParsifalsArtist:  MSO, John Simpson, and Eugene UghettiComposer: Thomas MeadowcroftAlbum: Live recording

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Harvey O'Sullivan

James Ellis Ford is better known as James Ford, producer for artists like Pulp, Arctic Monkeys, Florence and the Machine and Fontaines D.C. When you add the Ellis, he's a solo artist making his own music and he joins Andy to talk about his latest album Lost In Another World, and the War Child charity album HELP(2) which he made during his time as a 'boy in the bubble' of a quarantined chemotherapy ward. 

Cafe of the Gate of Salvation are old friends of The Music Show: a gospel choir celebrating their 40th birthday. They join Andy to sing live in the studio, and look back at their history.

And Andy remembers Belinda Webster, the producer, engineer and singular force behind Australia's art music label Tall Poppies. She died last week at the age of 74, and we'll hear her interviewed on The Music Show in 2006.

Celebrate Cafe of the Gate of Salvation’s birthday with them (if you can get a ticket!) on Sunday 23 August at the Factory Theatre in Sydney.

Music heard in the show:

Title: Polonaise for keyboard in F major, BWV Anh. 117aArtist: Geoffrey TozerComposer: Bach, J.S. (maybe)Album: For ChildrenLabel: Tall Poppies

Title: The lovely dawnArtist: Aura Go, Ian MunroComposer: Komalkova, EkaterinaAlbum: I was dancing with a gnatLabel: Tall Poppies

Title: Did You Ever Want To Go To Your Own Funeral?, OvertonesArtist: James Ellis FordComposer: Ford, James EllisAlbum: Lost in Another WorldLabel: Domino

Title: Sunday MorningArtist: Beth GibbonsComposer: Reed, LouAlbum: HELP(2)Label: War Child Records

Title: Be ThankfulArtist: Cafe of the Gate of Salvation, Lisa Spence (soloist)Composer: Yancy, Marvin; Jackson, ChuckPerformed live in The Music Show studio

Title: One StepArtist: Cafe of the Gate of SalvationComposer: Vails, DonaldPerformed live in The Music Show studio

Title: say it with your chestArtist: aja monetComposer: monet, ajaAlbum: the color of rainLabel: drink sum wtr

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country

Technical production by Harvey O’Sullivan

Kate Miller-Heidke's new album, the first since 2020's Child In Reverse is a very theatrical and sometimes funny slice of gothic-folk called The Kiss and the Abyss. In between live performances of two new songs, Kate talks about referencing Handel and planning for the end of the world.

Pianist Maki Namekawa has an enduring relationship with Philip Glass - performing the world premiere of several of his pieces, including the Piano Etudes. Namekawa is in Australia to perform the first 10 of those Etudes, and shares her experience of working with the renown composer.

And selected highlights from a conversation with Philip Glass on-stage at the Perth Festival in 2013, when the Etudes were premiered in their entirety.

Kate Miller-Heidke is on tour from Aug 27 - full dates available here

Maki Namekawa is performing as part of the Now Or Never festival on August 22nd.

Music heard in this program:

Title: Etude 9Artist: Maki NamekawaComposer: Philip GlassAlbum: Philip Glass: The Complete Piano EtudesLabel: Orange Mountain Music

Title: ButterfliesArtist: Kate Miller-HeidkeComposer: Kate Miller-Heidke & Kier NuttallAlbum: The Kiss & The AbyssLabel: EMI

Title: HolidayArtist: Kate Miller-HeidkeComposer: Kate Miller-Heidke & Kier NuttallAlbum: The Kiss & The AbyssLabel: EMI

Title: Love Sweet LoveArtist: Kate Miller-HeidkeComposer: Kate Miller-Heidke & Kier NuttallAlbum: The Kiss & The AbyssLabel: EMI

Title: Lascia Ch’io PiangaArtist: Emma Matthews & NZ Chamber OrchestraComposer: George Frideric HandelAlbum: Handel AriasLabel: Artworks

Title: Little AntsArtist: Kate Miller-HeidkeComposer: Kate Miller-Heidke & Kier NuttallAlbum: The Kiss & The AbyssLabel: EMI

Title: Etude 1Artist: Maki NamekawaComposer: Philip GlassAlbum: Philip Glass: The Complete Piano EtudesLabel: Orange Mountain Music

Title: Dance VIIIArtist: Philip Glass & Michael RiesmanComposer: Philip GlassAlbum: In The Upper RoomLabel: Orange Mountain Music

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Antonia Gauci and Brendan O’Neill

Grace Cummings’ latest album is called Bloodhorse! and it's fantastic and fantastically strange. Her ragged, bluesy voice floats through a lush, ornate sound world on tracks like 'The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Morphine', and 'WITCH! WITCH! WITCH!', the latter of which was recorded whilst Grace wielded a grim reaper style scythe in the studio. She joins Andy to take us into the highly-strung world of the record.

Anna Maria della Pieta was a Venetian orphan who was taught, celebrated and written for by Antonio Vivaldi. Her musical life is the subject of a new production by the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, with American historical violinist Augusta McKay Lodge leading. Augusta joins Andy to tell the story of Anna Maria.

Plus new music from Mara, who is playing Phoenix Central Park in Sydney on 18 August.

Vivaldi’s Legacy is on in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane 12 - 25 August.  

Music heard in the show:

Title: Violin Concerto in E Major, RV 267a 'per Anna Maria'; I. AllegroArtist: Théotime Langlois de Swarte, Orchestre Le ConsortComposer: Vivaldi, AntonioAlbum: Vivaldi: Concerti Per Una VitaLabel: Harmonia Mundi

Title: The Hills Are Alive With The Sound of Morphine, WITCH! WITCH! WITCH!, My God, John LennonArtist: Grace CummingsComposer: Cummings, GraceAlbum: Bloodhorse!Label: ATO Records

Title: Loosening My GripArtist: Mara, feat. Abby SundbornComposer: Schwerdtfeger, MaraAlbum: Air Leak/Loosening My GripLabel: Pure Space

Title: Violin Concerto in E Major, RV 267a 'per Anna Maria'; II. AndanteArtist: Théotime Langlois de Swarte, Orchestre Le ConsortComposer: Vivaldi, AntonioAlbum: Vivaldi: Concerti Per Una VitaLabel: Harmonia Mundi

Title: Violin Sonata in A Minor: I. –Artist: Augusta McKay LodgeComposer: Pisendel, Johann GeorgAlbum: Beyond Bach and Vivaldi: Rare Unaccompanied Works for the Baroque ViolinLabel: Naxos

Title: A Certain PanicArtist: Kate Miller-HeidkeComposer: Miller-Heidke, Kate; Nuttall, KierAlbum: The Kiss and the AbyssLabel: EMI

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country

Technical production by Antonia Gauci and Brendan O’Neill

Can you tell the history of the world in fifty pieces of music? No, but BBC Radio 3 presenter and writer Tom Service has given it a red hot go in A History of the World in 50 Pieces: The Classical Music That Shapes Us. He joins Andy to talk through the surprising stories behind some of those pieces, from Handel to Happy Birthday. 

Music heard in the show:

Title: Overture from The Marriage of FigaroArtist: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Riccardo MutiComposer: Mozart, Wolfgang AmadeusAlbum: Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro K492Label: Warner Classics

Title: Psalm 130: ‘Du fond de l'abîme’Artist: Ann Murray, BBC Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus, Yan Pascal TortelierComposer: Boulanger, LiliAlbum: Faust et HélèneLabel: Chandos

Title: “Gente, Gente!”, and “Questo giorno di tormenti” from The Marriage of FigaroArtist: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Riccardo MutiComposer: Mozart, Wolfgang AmadeusAlbum: Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro K492Label: Warner Classics

Title: Scena II. Ruggier de danni asprissimi, from La liberazione di Ruggiero dall'isola d'AlcinaArtist: Huelgas-Ensemble, Paul Van NevelComposer: Caccini, FrancescaAlbum: Caccini, F: La liberazione di Ruggerio dall'isola di AlcinaLabel: Deutsche Harmonia Mundi

Title: Fuera, Fuera! Haganles lugar!Artist: Florilegium, Arakaendar Bolivia Choir, Ashley SolomonComposer: Chavarria, Roque Jacinto deAlbum: Bolivian Baroque Volume 3Label: Channel Classics

Title: Gruppen, for 3 Orchestras (extracts)Artist: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Bruno Maderna, Michael GielenComposer: Stockhausen, KarlheinzAlbum: Gruppen, PunkteLabel: BMC

Title: The Rumble, America from West Side StoryArtist: Leonard Bernstein; Kiri Te Kanawa; José Carreras; Tatiana Troyanos; Kurt Ollmann; Marilyn HorneComposer: Bernstein, LeonardAlbum: Leonard Bernstein Conducts West Side StoryLabel: Deutsche Grammophon

Title: MbubeArtist: Solomon Linda’s Original Evening BirdsComposer: Linda, Solomon Album: Single, 1939Label: Gallo

Title: WimowehArtist: The WeaversComposer: Linda, SolomonAlbum: The Weavers at Carnegie HallLabel: Vanguard

Title: The Lion Sleeps TonightArtist: The TokensComposer: Linda, Solomon; Peretti, Hugo; Creatore, Luigi; Weiss, George David; Stanton, AlbertAlbum: The Lion Sleeps TonightLabel: RCA Victor

Title: The Lion Sleeps TonightArtist: Billy Eichner and Seth RogenComposer: Linda, Solomon; Peretti, Hugo; Creatore, Luigi; Weiss, George David; Stanton, AlbertAlbum: The Lion King (2019)Label: Walt Disney Records

Title: The Lark AscendingArtist: Tasmin Little, BBC Philharmonic, Andrew DavisComposer: Vaughan Williams, RalphAlbum: The Lark AscendingLabel: Chandos

Title: America: A Prophecy, Op. 19 Artist: Susan Bickley, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Thomas AdèsComposer: Adès, ThomasAlbum: Adès: America A ProphecyLabel: Warner Classics

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country

Technical production by Tegan Nicholls

All The Grateful Dead are one of the iconic bands of the last century, not just for their music, but for their extended tours, which saw their fans follow them across America and create a very special sort of travelling community. Mischa Richter shares stories from the road and explores his new documentary Summer Tour.

Don Walker talks basement recordings, lessons from Nashville, and his new album Love Songs, plus he shares a memory of Glenn A Baker.

And in a church in Germany, an organ is 25 years into a 639 year performance of John Cage's piece As Slow As Possible. The notes change rarely, only every couple of years, and one of those changes has just happened. Director of the John Cage Trust Jeffrey Lependorf tells Andy what it felt like to be there as an A natural was added to the sound. 

Summer Tour is screening as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival

Don Walker is on tour in October - dates here

Music heard in this program:

Title: As Slow As PossibleArtist: John CageComposer: John CageAlbum: Live Performance

Title: The Wheel (Live in Chicago - 1976)Artist: Grateful DeadComposer: Jerry Garcia; Robert HunterAlbum: So Many RoadsLabel: Grateful Dead Records

Title: Dark Star (Live At the Fillmore West)Artist: Grateful DeadComposer: Jerry Garcia; Robert HunterAlbum: Live/DeadLabel: Warner Bros. - Seven Arts Records

Title: LuckArtist: Don WalkerComposer: Don Walker, Thomas Busby, Jason IsbellAlbum: Love SongsLabel: Sony Music

Title: Breakfast in ParisArtist: Don WalkerComposer: Don WalkerAlbum: Love SongsLabel: Sony Music

Title: Could You Still Be HereArtist: Don WalkerComposer: Don WalkerAlbum: Love SongsLabel: Sony Music

Title: Fly AwayArtist: Don WalkerComposer: Don WalkerAlbum: Love SongsLabel: Sony Music

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Tegan Nicholls

Anita O'Day was a jazz singer who lived 'the jazz life'. She's been compared to people like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald: an incredible singer, storyteller, and a deeply troubled drug user and alcoholic.  Despite the turmoil of her personal life, she's one of the most precise singers of her generation, on the beat and right in tune for every note. 

Author James Gavin, who knew O'Day, returns to The Music Show with his fresh biography, Cool Heat: Anita O’Day and Her Dangerous Jazz Life.

Music heard in the show: 

Title: Let Me Off UptownArtist: Gene Krupa Orchestra, Roy Eldridge, Anita O’DayComposer: Bostic, Earl; Evans, ReddAlbum: Let Me Off UptownLabel: Okeh

Title: Tea For TwoArtist: Anita O’DayComposer: Youmans, VincentAlbum: Anita O’Day At Mister Kelly’sLabel: Verve

Title: What Is This Thing Called Love?Artist: Anita O’DayComposer: Porter, ColeAlbum: Anita O'Day Swings Cole Porter with Billy MayLabel: Verve

Title: Angel EyesArtist: Anita O’Day, Johnny MandelComposer: Brent, Earl; Dennis, Matt Album: Waiter, Make Mine BluesLabel: Verve

Title: Don't ExplainArtist: Anita O’Day, Johnny MandelComposer: Holiday, Billie; Herzog, Arthur Jr.Album: Travelin' LightLabel: Verve

Title: Boogie Blues Artist: Anita O’Day, Gary McFarland OrchestraComposer: Krupa, Gene; Biondi, RayAlbum: All the Sad Young MenLabel: Verve

Title: Old Devil MoonArtist: Anita O’DayComposer: Harburg, Yip; Lane, BurtonAlbum: Mello'dayLabel:  GNP Crescendo

Title: In A Mellow ToneArtist: Anita O’DayComposer: Ellington, Duke; Gabler, MiltAlbum: In A Mellow ToneLabel: DRG

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country

Technical production by Emrys Cronin and Ross Richardson

American composer William Basinski's very long and much celebrated avant-garde electronic work The Disintegration Loops was born from the gradual decay of magnetic tape. It was created over a month in August and September 2001, during which time Basinski witnessed the collapse of the World Trade Centre from his New York apartment. 25 years later, the piece is being presented in its entirety in Melbourne, with Basinski hosting a sleepover of sorts as part of the Now or Never Festival.

Will Swenson has been part of many Broadway revival casts - from Hair to Les Misérables to Assassins - but playing Neil Diamond in his prime is a different sort of revival. He joins Andy to talk about the jukebox musical A Beautiful Noise, and getting the real Neil's blessing.

And we remember Glen Hansard, the Irish musician, actor and co-composer of the Oscar-winning film Once and its stage adaptation, who has died at the age of 56. 

Plus it's National Poetry Month and The Music Show launches Middle of the Air for 2026, our competition in partnership with Red Room Poetry. Throughout August entries are open to submit a poem, which may be chosen by newly-announced partner artists Missy Higgins and Ziggy Ramo to transform into two new songs. 

Music heard in this program:

Title: DLP 6Artist: William BasinskiComposer: William BasinskiAlbum: The Disintegration Loops IVLabel: 2062

Title: CratersArtist: Missy HigginsComposer: Missy HigginsAlbum: The Second ActLabel: Eleven

Title: BanambaArtist: Ziggy RamoComposer: Guyala Bayles, Lewis Mitchell, Macario De SouzaAlbum: Human?Label: Impressed Recordings

Title: Crunchy Granola SuiteArtist: Neil DiamondComposer: Neil DiamondAlbum: Hot August NightLabel: MCA Records

Title: I Am... I SaidArtist: Neil DiamondComposer: Neil DiamondAlbum: StonesLabel: MCA Records

Title: Kentucky WomanArtist: Will SwensonComposer: Neil DiamondAlbum: Live Performance

Title: What Happens When The Heart Just StopsArtist: The FramesComposer: Glen Hansard & The FramesAlbum: For The BirdsLabel: Little Big Music

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Emrys Cronin & Ross Richardson

The latest in our Music Now & Then series with composer Liza Lim, who first appeared on The Music Show in its early years when she was in her mid twenties, where both her youth and the 'difficulty' of her music were remarked upon. 

As her opera The Oresteia is remounted by Sydney Chamber Opera and ELISION Ensemble, Andy speaks with Liza on stage about revisiting works and ideas over more than thirty years. 

The Oresteia is staged at Sydney's Carriageworks 24-31 July.

Music heard in the show:

Title: The Oresteia: The Furies; Positions of a memory theatre (Cassandra’s Dream Song); Athena’s TrumpetArtists: Jeannie van de Velde, Julie Edwardson, Deborah Kayser, Andrew Muscat-Clark, Tyrone Landau, Grant Smith (singers), Elision Ensemble/Sandro GorliComposer: Lim, LizaAlbum: Mother TongueLabel: BR Klassik

Title: The Compass, II. – Artist: William Barton (digeridoo), Carin Levine (flute), Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Christoph PoppenComposer: Lim, LizaAlbum: Musica Viva Vol. 47Label: BR Klassik

Title: A Sutured World, IV. Simon Says. Alle Vögel fliegen hochArtist: Nicolas Altstaedt (cello), Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Edward GardnerComposer: Lim, LizaAlbum: Musica Viva Vol. 47Label: BR Klassik

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country

Technical production by Harvey O’Sullivan, Mickey Grossman and Ann-Marie Debettencor

The Veils frontman Finn Andrews joins Andy to talk about love, death, and Sinead O'Connor, all features of their latest and aptly named album Fragile World.

Married couple Anna Maria Friman and Arve Henriksen are both Norwegian musicians who've benefited from Norway's remarkably genre-blind attitude to making music. She's a classical vocalist (one third of Trio Mediæval), he's a jazz trumpeter, and together they're teaming up with the Australian Chamber Orchestra for a program of Nordic music.

The Veils are in Melbourne and Sydney 20 & 21 August, the new album Fragile World is out now.

From Winter's Stillness with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Trio Mediæval and Arve Henrikson is on tour around Australia 25 July - 9 August.

Music heard in the show:

Title: Lungs, Aurora, Little White Bird, High HopesArtist: The VeilsComposer: Andrews, FinnAlbum: Fragile WorldLabel: V2 Records

Title: Det lisle bånetArtist: Trio MediævalComposer: Trad.Album: Folk SongsLabel: ECM Records

Title: AcceptanceArtist: Arve HenriksenComposer: Henriksen, ArveAlbum: Mental FatigueLabel: Arve Maria Music

Title: St Magnus Hymn (Nobilis Humilis)Artist: Arve Henriksen, Trio MediævalComposer: Trad.Album: RímurLabel: ECM Records

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country

Technical production by Harvey O’Sullivan, Mickey Grossman and Ann-Marie Debettencor

Ziggy Ramo, Leah Senior, and Kate Fagan join Andy to talk about the art of turning poetry into song.

Recorded live at the 2026 Sydney Writers' Festival, in partnership with Red Room Poetry.

Songs performed live:

• Ziggy Ramo: Little Things (after Kev Carmody and Paul Kelly)
• Leah Senior: The Arbour (text by Giles Watson)
• Kate Fagan: Child Upon the Road (Kate Fagan, based on Child Ballad #3, The False Knight Upon the Road)

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country

Technical production by Antonia Gauci and Harvey O'Sullivan

Electropop singer, songwriter and producer Montaigne took the plunge into the world of independent music after over a decade with a big label a couple of years back. Their first offering in the indie era is an album called it's hard to be a fish. But they've not left their earlier music behind entirely: Montaigne joins Andy to talk about taking their 2016 album Glorious Heights on the road in August.

Elissa Goodrich is a composer and percussionist whose album Gene Tree is the result of her long-term engagement with climate science and genetics. She and her guitarist Elliot Folvig join Andy to explain how the DNA of moths and butterflies, the patterns of cells dividing and multiplying, and transcriptions of mRNA all part of the creative process.

Gin Wigmore's last album was eight years ago. Since then she's got divorced, picked up sticks with her kids and moved from LA to her native Aotearoa New Zealand where she's been writing and recording music and running a deli. The new album is called Beautiful Mess and she performs it live in The Music Show studio. 

Music heard in the show:

Title: Replication SlippageArtist: Elissa Goodrich, Gideon Brazil, Elliott Folvig, Miranda HillComposer: Goodrich, ElissaAlbum: Gene TreeLabel: Independent release

Title: Glorious HeightsArtist: MontaigneComposer: Cerro, JessAlbum: Glorious HeightsLabel: Sony

Title: so fast in the waterArtist: MontaigneComposer: Cerro, JessAlbum: It’s hard to be a fishLabel: Independent

Title: Moth Returns to Mountain Ash I, The Other Moth, Moth Returns to Mountain Ash IIArtist: Elissa Goodrich, Gideon Brazil, Elliott Folvig, Miranda HillComposer: Goodrich, ElissaAlbum: Gene TreeLabel: Independent release

Title: Country Diamond, Tip of My TongueArtist: Gin WigmoreComposer: Wigmore, GinAlbum: Beautiful MessLabel: Universal

The Music Show is produced on Gadigal, Gundungurra and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country

Technical production by Antonia Gauci and Harvey O’Sullivan

ELISION Ensemble began as a Melbourne new music ensemble, but have gone on to become international in both focus and reputation, building enduring collaborations with some of the world's best modern composers. Elision turns 40 this year and the artistic director Daryl Buckley reflects on the ensemble's history and their birthday celebrations.

The Go Twos began as a collaboration between Rosie McDonald and Nigel Lever - a blend of traditional Celtic and more contemporary folk, along with bluegrass. They recorded a new album - Kurrawarra -  last year and released a few early singles, but Nigel passed away late in 2025, before the full record was released. Rosie talks about the album and about Nigel.

Elision Ensemble performance dates available here.

Music heard in this program:

Title: HejiraArtist: The Go TwosComposer: Joni MitchellAlbum: KurrawarraLabel: Independent release

Title: Negatives I; DeltaArtist: Elision EnsembleComposer: Richard BarrettAlbum: Richard Barrett: Chamber WorksLabel: Etcetera

Title: Athena’s TrumpetArtist: Elision Ensemble & Jeannie van de Velde Composer: Liza Lim & Barrie KoskyAlbum: Singing in TonguesLabel: NMC

Title: Lay Down Your Weary TuneArtist: The Go TwosComposer: Bob DylanAlbum: KurrawarraLabel: Independent release

Title: Days Warm BreezeArtist: The Go TwosComposer: The Go TwosAlbum: KurrawarraLabel: Independent release

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Tim Jenkins

Guringai writer and creator Kaylene Langford is behind the mic for NAIDOC Week, with a celebration of Koori Radio for its 25th anniversary.

"It's an ecosystem for song people" says Stiff Gins' Nardi Simpson, one of the acts championed by Sydney's Indigenous station.

From beginnings in a Redfern terrace with a knocked-through wall to a cornerstone of Indigenous culture, it's a story of local connection and global solidarity.

Kaylene is joined by co-founder Cathy Craigie, program manager Gavin Ivey, and musicians including Stiff Gins, Casey Donovan, and DOBBY who have championed and been championed by the station. 

Discover music and performances by our guests:

Stiff GinsCasey DonovanDOBBY (new album MARSHMALLOW out 31 July)Gina WilliamsSunny Luwe

Music heard in the show:

Title: Nutbush City LimitsArtist: Casey DonovanComposer: Tina TurnerAlbum: Countdown: Live at the Sydney Opera HouseLabel: ABC Music

Title: Whossat on the WassatArtist: Wire MCComposer: Wire MCAlbum: SingleLabel: Independent release

Title: Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, BabeArtist: Barry WhiteComposer: White, BarryAlbum: SingleLabel: Philips

Title: Mr. WendalArtist: Arrested DevelopmentComposer: Arrested DevelopmentAlbum: SingleLabel: Chrysalis

Title: Big MoodArtist: BARKAA feat. Kobie DeeComposer: Quayle, Chloe; Duncan, Kobie; Turier, JacobAlbum: Big TiddaLabel: Bad Apples

Title: Shake ItArtist: Casey DonovanComposer: Dimataga, Carl; Rollins, John BenjaminAlbum: SingleLabel: Cee Dee

Title: Same Old SongArtist: NokturnalComposer: NokturnalAlbum: Single releaseLabel: Sputnik Records

Title: Bindi BindiArtist: Gina Williams and Guy GhouseComposer: Gina Williams, Guy GhouseAlbum: Bindi BindiLabel: Independent release

Title: It Won’t Be Long Til I See You AgainArtist: Sunny LuweComposer: Luwe, SunnyAlbum: Feeling GoodLabel: Independent release

Title: Sabotage!Artist: DOBBY (feat. Josh Pyke)Composer: Clapham, RhyanAlbum: MARSHMALLOWLabel: ABC Music

Title: Something About A Cake ShopArtist: Stiff GinsComposer: Briggs, Kaleena; Simpson, NardiAlbum: CrossroadsLabel: Gadigal Music

Title: Close Your EyesArtist: Stiff GinsComposer: Briggs, Kaleena; Simpson, Nardi; Donovan, EmmaAlbum: OriginsLabel: Gadigal Music

Title: YadingjiArtist: CooeeComposer: Saunders, Kirli; Harding, Mark ChesterAlbum: MessengersLabel: Independent release

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Tim Jenkins

It’s almost impossible to choose a Beatles song for Cover Story (we’ve been putting it off for three series). The band’s productivity in 1964 alone would give us ten good options. It was the year of their first - and second! - US tours, their one Australian tour, and the film A Hard Day’s Night. Can’t Buy Me Love inspired a wide and wild range of covers, so strap in with DOBBY and Vanessa Hughes for jazz, bossa nova, and raunchy madrigal takes on the classic. 

Every great song gets covered. Sometimes beautifully, sometimes badly, and sometimes by people who clearly should have known better.

Cover Story, returning for its third series, hunts down the best, the worst, and the downright strange versions of classic songs, and asks the question: why does this version give us goosebumps while that one makes our skin crawl?

Can’t Buy Me Love

By Paul McCartney, credited to Lennon/McCartney.

First performed by The Beatles

Released as a single 1964

Versions heard in the show:

• The Supremes - A Bit of Liverpool (Motown, 1964)
• Ella Fitzgerald - Hello, Dolly! (Universal, 1964)
• Stanley Turrentine - Mr. Natural (Blue Note, recorded 1964, released 1980)
• Peter Sellers - A Hard Day’s Night (recorded 1965, released 1993)
• Chet Atkins - Chet Atkins Picks on the Beatles (RCA Victor, 1966)
• The King’s Singers - New Day (Warner Music, 1980)
• Blackstreet - Another Level (Interscope, 1996)
• Tahta Menezes - Relaxing Bossa Lounge 3 (Charm Music, 2009)
• Leo Sayer - Northern Songs (Edsel Records, 2022)
• Paul McCartney - Tripping the Live Fantastic (Parlophone, 1990)

Technical production by Isabella Tropiano

The show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country. 

Stephen Foster's songs remain among the best known music to come out of the United States, with classics like Oh! Susannah, Hard Times (Come Again No More), and Old Folks At Home still covered to this day. He wrote with an ear to melody that saw his songs performed both in minstrel shows and in the parlour, and with an ambiguity that led to his lyrics being claimed by both sides prior to the civil war.

July 4 marks 200 years since Foster's birth and, on his bicentenary, Christopher Lynch, author of Formulating Foster,  will explore the music, the myths, and the man behind them.

Music heard in this program:

Title: Hard TimeArtist: Emmylou Harris and The Nash RamblersComposer: Stephen FosterAlbum: At The RymanLabel: Reprise Records

Title: Old Folks At HomeArtist: Paul RobesonComposer: Stephen FosterAlbum: A Lonesome RoadLabel: ASV

Title: Oh! SusannaArtist: 2nd South Carolina String BandComposer: Stephen FosterAlbum: Hard RoadLabel: Independent release

Title: Camptown RacesArtist: 2nd South Carolina String BandComposer: Stephen FosterAlbum: Hard RoadLabel: Independent release

Title: Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young CharmsArtist: John McCormackComposer: Thomas Moore

Title: Jeanie With the Light Brown HairArtist: Jan DeGaetani & Gilbert KalishComposer: Stephen FosterAlbum: Songs By Stephen FosterLabel: Nonesuch

Title: Beautiful DreamerArtist: Broderick SmithComposer: Stephen FosterAlbum: Crayon AngelsLabel: ABC Music

Title: Hard Times (Come Again No More)Artist: Bruce Springsteen And The E Street BandComposer: Stephen FosterAlbum: Live at Nassau Coliseum Label: Independent release

Title: Sabotage! feat. Josh PykeArtist: DOBBYComposer: Rhyan ClaphamAlbum: MarshmallowLabel: ABC Music

Technical production by Isabella Tropiano

The show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country. 

Never Tear Us Apart began its life as a bluesy demo by INXS’s keyboardist and songwriter Andrew Farris. Frontman Michael Hutchence gave it lyrics, producer Chris Thomas gave it synthesisers, and the public gave it a place on every Australian Music best-of list. 

And the covers come from far and wide: you’ll hear English, American, Welsh, French and Lanarkshire accents amongst the covers. 

Andy’s guests are ABC Classic’s Alice Keath, and Double J’s Al Newstead. 

Every great song gets covered. Sometimes beautifully, sometimes badly, and sometimes by people who clearly should have known better.

Cover Story, returning for its third series, hunts down the best, the worst, and the downright strange versions of classic songs, and asks the question: why does this version give us goosebumps while that one makes our skin crawl?

Never Tear Us Apart

Words by Michael Hutchence, music by Andrew FarrisFirst performed by INXSOn the album Kick, 1987

Versions heard in the show:

• Joe Cocker - Respect Yourself (2002)
• Tom Jones feat. Natalie Imbruglia - Reload (1999)
• The National - Songs for Australia (2020)
• The Ten Tenors - Wish You Were Here (2017)
• Courtney Barnett - Rehearsal Room Recording (2018)
• The Twilight Sad - single (2011)
• Paloma Faith - John Lewis Ad (2012)
• INXS with Ben Harper and Mylene Farmer - Original Sin (2010)

Next time on Cover Story: The Beatles’ Can’t Buy Me Love.

Technical production by Tegan Nicholls

The show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country. 

Alina Pash was last on the show back in 2021, before the Russian invasion of her country began. At that point, Pash said that she wanted to stay in Ukraine and be part of a strong emerging music scene there. Circumstances changed and Alina is now based in the USA, but she returned home last year with the Belgian-Canadian producer Apashe. Together, they recorded with local choirs in Kyiv, drawing on the traditional music of Ukraine to create something very modern.

Singer-songwriter Kristina Olsen has been a regular guest on the Music Show over the years, playing folk, jazz, and blues. But her latest work sees her taking on a new challenge - choral compositions. With a suite of works inspired by the equinoxes and solstices, Olsen is connecting with local choirs on her latest tour across Australia.

Kristina Olsen's full tour dates are available here

Music heard in this program:

Title: Winter Solstice EveArtist: Kristina Olsen, Angie Doctor, Kim Scanlon, Ed Johnson, Avi JacobsonComposer: Kristina Olsen

Title: KyivArtist: Apashe & Alina PashComposer: Apashe & Alina PashAlbum: Hymns of ResilienceLabel: Majestic Collective

Title: EverestArtist: What So Not ft. Alina PashComposer: Chris Emerson, Alina PashAlbum: Everest singleLabel: Independant release

Title: PortalArtist: Alina Pash & David AugustComposer: Alina PashAlbum: Alina Pash Coven DeluxeLabel: Bad Witch Good Corporation

Title: VoyagerArtist: PJ HarveyComposer: PJ HarveyAlbum: Voyager SingleLabel: Partisan Records

Title: I Still Do Miss You Pierre (live)Artist: Kristina OlsenComposer: Kristina OlsenAlbum: Live performance

Title: Maybe Better (live)Artist: Kristina OlsenComposer: Kristina OlsenAlbum: ChemistryLabel: Take A Break Productions

Title: Never Tear Us ApartArtist: INXSComposer: Michael Hutchence, Andrew FarrisAlbum: KickLabel: WEA

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Tegan Nicholls and Marcus Hobbs

A love song, a football anthem, and a weapon of war for men with acoustic guitars: Noel Gallagher said he thought Wonderwall was an annoying song when he wrote it. 

Cover Story dips more than a toe into the world of Britpop with composer and ex-Go-Between Amanda Brown, and conductor, composer and singer Dan Walker. 

Every great song gets covered. Sometimes beautifully, sometimes badly, and sometimes by people who clearly should have known better.

Cover Story, returning for its third series, hunts down the best, the worst, and the downright strange versions of classic songs, and asks the question: why does this version give us goosebumps while that one makes our skin crawl?

Wonderwall

Words and music by Noel GallagherFirst performed by OasisOn the album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, 1995

Versions heard in the show:

• The Mike Flowers Pops - single (1995)
• Cat Power - John Peel Session live at the BBC (2000)
• Bring Me the Horizon, single (2025)
• Paul Anka - Rock Swings (2005)
• Brad Mehldau - Brad Mehldau Trio Live (2008)
• Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Plays The Music of Oasis (1997)
• Ryan Adams - Love Is Hell (2004)
• The Killers - Live At Lollapalooza Chile (2018)
• Oasis - Live in Dublin August 2025

Next time on Cover Story: the nation’s favourite Australian song, Never Tear Us Apart by INXS.

Technical production by Antonia Gauci

The show this week was made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country. 

As one-half of A.B. Original, Trials was responsible for one of the key moments in Australian hip-hop over the last decade with the album Reclaim Australia. Away from that collaboration he’s worked with everyone from Paul Kelly to the Hilltop Hoods. His latest work though marks a debut of sorts - his first solo release, called Hendle.

Shadow puppetry, dance theatre, and music are all part of a new show called In Shadows, featuring a live composition by Hantu. Isobel D’Cruz Barnes explores the myths and traditions behind her latest work.

Music heard in this program:

Title: Tree of LIfeArtist: HantuComposer: HantuAlbum: In ShadowsLabel: Live Recording

Title: run to the riverArtist: TrialsComposer: Daniel RankineAlbum: hendleLabel: Universal Music Australia

Title: whistle while I walkArtist: TrialsComposer: Daniel RankineAlbum: hendleLabel: Universal Music Australia

Title: what’s the colour of love?Artist: TrialsComposer: Daniel RankineAlbum: hendleLabel: Universal Music Australia

Title: That's How I PrayArtist: Vika & LindaComposer: Vika Bull, Francesca De Valence, Karen Jacobsen, Mark SholtezAlbum: Where Do You Come From?Label: Mushroom

Title: PartyArtist: HantuComposer: HantuAlbum: In ShadowsLabel: Live Recording

Title: Tree of LIfeArtist: HantuComposer: HantuAlbum: In ShadowsLabel: Live Recording

Title: WonderwallArtist: OasisComposer: Noel GallagherAlbum: (What's The Story) Morning Glory?Label: Epic

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Antonia Gauci

Cover Story makes a long overdue visit to the songwriting of Carole King, who with her then-husband Gerry Goffin wrote Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow as songwriters-for-hire in the Brill Building music factory of 1960s New York. Originally recorded and made famous by The Shirelles, King's own version of the song on 1971's Tapestry might be its most famous iteration, but there are many brilliant, unforgivable, and indefinable versions for Andy and his guests, Felix Cross and Laura Case, to dig their teeth into. 

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

Music by Carole King, lyrics by Gerry GoffinFirst released by The Shirelles on Tonight’s The Night, 1960

Versions heard in this episode:

• Carole King - Tapestry (1971)
• Johnny O’Keefe - B-side to single ‘Rock'n'Roll Will Stand’ (1964)
• Linda Ronstadt - Silk Purse (1970)
• Amy Winehouse - Lioness: Hidden Treasures (2011)
• Taylor Swift - Carole King Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction (2021)
• Dana Valery - single (1976)
• Andy Gibb/P.P. Arnold - Andy Gibbs Greatest Hits (1980)
• Ann Hampton Callaway - Slow (2005)
• Carole King & James Taylor from Live at the Troubadour (2010)

Next time on Cover Story: Oasis's britpop anthem Wonderwall

Technical production by Tegan Nicholls

The show was made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country. 

Comedian David Mills takes his acerbic humour into the world of cabaret for this year's Adelaide Cabaret Festival. He joins Andy to talk about pessimism, storytelling, and picking the right song for the moment.

Violist Lawrence Power joins the Australian Chamber Orchestra this month for a program wending its way through the rolling hills of English music, from Thomas Tallis and Henry Purcell to Jonny Greenwood and Kate Bush. 

Music heard in this program:

Title: The Man With The Child In His EyesArtist: Kate BushComposer: Kate BushAlbum: The Kick InsideLabel: EMI

Title: The SnakeArtist: Oscar Brown JrComposer: Oscar Brown JrAlbum: Tells It Like It Is!Label: Columbia

Title: Pirate JennyArtist: David MillsComposer: Kurt Weill & Bertolt BrechtAlbum: Live RecordingLabel: Supplied by artist

Title: MothersongArtist: Leah SeniorComposer: Leah Senior and Jesse WilliamsAlbum: Pt. RoadknightLabel: Third Eye Stimuli

Title: Flos Campi - Moderato alla marciaArtist: BBC National Orchestra of Wales ft. Lawrence PowerComposer: Ralph Vaughan WilliamsAlbum: Ralph Vaughan Williams/McEwen: Flos Campi & Viola ConcertoLabel: Hyperion

Title: Flos Campi - Andante quasi lentoArtist: BBC National Orchestra of Wales ft. Lawrence PowerComposer: Ralph Vaughan WilliamsAlbum: Vaughan Williams/McEwen: Flos Campi & Viola ConcertoLabel: Hyperion

Title: Symphony, for double string orchestra - Allegro moltoArtist: London Symphony Orchestra/Vernon HandleyComposer: Elizabeth MaconchyAlbum: Elizabeth Maconchy: Selected worksLabel: Lyrita

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Tegan Nicholls

Daniel Avery has been filling dancefloors around the world for more than a decade, both as a dj and with his own critically acclaimed records. On his latest, Tremor, Avery has embraced his love of rock and shoegaze, blending driving guitars with his normal electronics. Not content with one set of songs, Avery completely remixed his own album, turning it back to the dancefloor with his Midnight Versions.  

There aren’t many musicians who have been nominated for a Hugo - one of the biggest sci-fi awards - but the hip-hop group clipping have had that honour twice, a testament to the narratives that drive their songs. They’re an unusual group musically as well, drawing inspiration from experimental composers and techno music, as well as from their own genre. William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes share how theatre brought the group together, and the very surprising lengths they've gone to in order to get the sounds they want.

Daniel Avery is on tour, including date at Rising, Vivid, and Dark Mofo. Details here.

Clipping is on tour, including Dark Mofo. Details here.

Music heard in this program:

Title: DodgerArtist: clippingComposer: Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Snipes, William HutsonAlbum: Dead Channel SkyLabel: Sub Pop 

Title: Haze (with Ellie)Artist: Daniel AveryComposer: Daniel AveryAlbum: TremorLabel: Domino

Title: Until The Moon Starts ShakingArtist: Daniel AveryComposer: Daniel AveryAlbum: TremorLabel: Domino

Title: Until The Moon Starts Shaking (Midnight Version)Artist: Daniel AveryComposer: Daniel AveryAlbum: Tremor (Midnight Versions)Label: Domino

Title: DominatorArtist: clippingComposer: Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Snipes, William HutsonAlbum: Dead Channel SkyLabel: Sub Pop 

Title: Bring The NoiseArtist: Public EnemyComposer: Public EnemyAlbum: It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us BackLabel: Def Jam Recordings

Title: Get UpArtist: clippingComposer: Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Snipes, William HutsonAlbum: CLPPNGLabel: Sub Pop

Title: Run For Your LifeArtist: clippingComposer: Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Snipes, William HutsonAlbum: There Existed An Addiction To BloodLabel: Sub Pop 

Title: Ask What HappenedArtist: clippingComposer: Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Snipes, William HutsonAlbum: Dead Channel SkyLabel: Sub Pop 

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Isabella Tropiano

Every great song gets covered. Sometimes beautifully, sometimes badly, and sometimes by people who clearly should have known better.

Cover Story, returning for its third series, hunts down the best, the worst, and the downright strange versions of classic songs, and asks the question: why does this version give us goosebumps while that one makes our skin crawl?

According to some Dolly Apocrypha, Dolly Parton wrote Jolene and I Will Always Love You on the same day: a lifetime's worth of goosebump production in a single day. And whilst I Will Always Love You is best known by its Whitney Houston cover, Jolene is Dolly's most covered song. 

And the variety is stunning. Join Andy and his guests - Adelaide Cabaret Festival's Reuben Kaye and Gillian Cosgriff - to paint a picture of a beauty beyond compare. 

Jolene – Dolly Parton

Composed and performed by Dolly PartonReleased as a single, January 1974

Versions heard in this episode:

• Olivia Newton John - Come On Over, 1976
• Beyonce - COWBOY CARTER, 2024
• Dami Im - Jolene (Acoustic) single, 2018
• Nicola Zuraitis, Dan Pugach and his Big Band - single, 2025
• Strawberry Switchblade - Strawberry Switchblade, 1985
• Darcy Clay - Jesus I Was Evil (EP), 1997
• Miley Cyrus - Attention (Live), 2022

and

• Reuben Kaye and Gillian Cosgriff - live in The Music Show studio, 2026

Next time on Cover Story: Carole King's Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? 

Technical production by Isabella Tropiano and Angela Grant

The show this week was made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country. 

A portrait of the legendary trumpeter Miles Davis on his centenary. We hear how Miles not only changed music but also the lives of those he played with. We've pulled interviews from The Music Show's archives with former bandmates including pianists Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea, saxophonists Wayne Shorter and Gary Bartz, guitarist John McLaughlin, bassist Dave Holland as well as big fans of his music like Paul Grabowsky. We move from the Birth of the Cool to Kind of Blue, Nefertiti, Bitches Brew and, finally, to Aura.

As a bonus, we'll also hear what it was like working with Miles Davis the actor. In the last ten years of his life he aspired to appear on screen— he only starred in one full-length film before his death in 1991, and that was Rolf de Heer's Dingo.

More Information

Archive interviews featured

Chick Corea (2007)Dave Holland (2007)Wayne Shorter (2016)John McLaughlin (2009)Gunther Schuller (1998)Paul Grabowsky (2019)Herbie Hancock (2007)Rolf de Heer (2020)Gary Bartz (2016)

Music played in this program

Title: JoshuaArtist: Miles DavisComposer: Victor FeldmanAlbum: Seven Steps To HeavenLabel: CBS BP233072

Title: Venus De MiloArtist: Miles DavisComposer: Gerry MulliganAlbum: Birth Of The CoolLabel: Capitol Records T-762

Title: DeceptionArtist: Miles DavisComposer: Miles DavisAlbum: Birth Of The CoolLabel: Capitol Records T-762

Title: So WhatArtist: Miles DavisComposer: Miles DavisAlbum: Kind Of BlueLabel: Coronet KLP893

Title: Blue In GreenArtist: Miles DavisComposer: Miles DavisAlbum: Kind Of BlueLabel: Coronet KLP893

Title: NefertitiArtist: Miles DavisComposer: Wayne ShorterAlbum: NefertitiLabel: CBS SBP 2335 15

Title: E.S.P.Artist: Miles DavisComposer: Miles Davis, Wayne ShorterAlbum: E.S.P.Label: CBS SBP 233267

Title: Pharaoh's DanceArtist: Miles DavisComposer: Joe ZawinulAlbum: Bitches BrewLabel: CBS S2BP-220056

Title: Concert on the RunwayArtist: Miles Davis and Michel LegrandComposer: Miles Davis and Michel LegrandAlbum: Dingo: Selections From The Motion Picture SoundtrackLabel: Warner Bros. Records ‎- 9 26438-2

Title: WhiteArtist: Miles DavisComposer: Palle MikkelborgAlbum: Aura Label: CBS 463351 1

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Harvey O'Sullivan, Emrys Cronin, Que Nguyen, Nathan Turnbull and Simon Branthwaite

Library archivist Sabrina Lipovic

We pay tribute to Sonny Rollins, who died this week at the age of 95. Rollins played with many of the greats of jazz, but was himself something of loner. Driven by ideas of perfection, Rollins played into his 80s, but spent years away the music industry, including a famous three-year sabbatical where he played for no one other than himself on the Williamsburg Bridge in NYC. Andy spoke to Rollins in 2008, and we revisit that conversation here. 

For some, performing a show taking on the work of Bette Midler could be a little intimidating; Janis Joplin even more so. Mahalia Barnes is doing both at once, performing songs from The Rose as part of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. She shares what those greats mean to her and what she looks for when she covers a song. 

Live in the Music Show studio, Cass McCombs performs songs from his latest album Interior Live Oak, and talks about his place in the folk tradition and his time writing folk songs for children

Mahalia Barnes performs The Rose is on at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival on the 14th of June

Cass McCombs is performing at the Sydney Opera House for Vivid on the 31st of May

Music heard in this program:

Title: The RoseArtist: Bette MidlerComposer: Amanda McBroomAlbum: The Rose (The Original Soundtrack Recording)Label: Atlantic

Title: The BridgeArtist: Sonny RollinsComposer: Sonny RollinsAlbum: The BridgeLabel: RCA

Title: Whose Side Are You OnArtist: Bette MidlerComposer: Charley Williams & Kenny HopkinsAlbum: The Rose (The Original Soundtrack Recording)Label: Atlantic

Title: Stay With MeArtist: Lorraine EllisonComposer: George David Weiss & Jerry RagovoyAlbum: Stay With MeLabel: Warner Bros. - Seven Arts Records 

Title: I'm On FireArtist: Mahalia Barnes and the Soul MatesComposer: Bruce SpringsteenAlbum: I'm On Fire singleLabel: Independent release

Title: PriestessArtist: Cass McCombsComposer: Cass McCombsAlbum: Interior Live OakLabel: Domino

Title: Missionary BellArtist: Cass McCombsComposer: Cass McCombsAlbum: Interior Live OakLabel: Domino

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Harvey O'Sullivan, Angela Grant, and Brendan O'Neill

Hilary Geddes is a guitarist of understated virtuosity, and a composer of music that takes jazz into a rolling, lush, environmental register. Her latest album Redleaf, with the Hilary Geddes Quartet, is a record of the sounds she's heard, the music she's created, and the relationship between the players over the past four years.

Kae Tempest returns to The Music Show ahead of his appearance at Vivid Sydney. His latest album Self Titled is his most personal, threading the needle between fury and optimism with the wordy humanity he's known for. He talks to Ce about how the Self in Self Titled has evolved. 

Tour dates for Hilary Geddes here

Kae Tempest’s national tour which includes dates in Perth, Melbourne (Rising) Brisbane (Open Season) and Sydney (Vivid) starts June 4

Music heard in this program:

Title: HyperdistillationArtist: Kae TempestComposer: Kae TempestAlbum: Self TitledLabel: Island Records

Title: First (solo version)Artist: Hilary Geddes Composer: Hilary GeddesAlbum: Live performance

Title: First Artist: Hilary Geddes QuartetComposer: Hilary GeddesAlbum: RedleafLabel: Earshift Music

Title: Three Five TenArtist: Hilary Geddes QuartetComposer: Hilary GeddesAlbum: RedleafLabel: Earshift Music

Title: Prayers To WhisperArtist: Kae TempestComposer: Kae TempestAlbum: Self TitledLabel: Island Records

Title: BreatheArtist: Kae TempestComposer: Kae TempestAlbum: Self TitledLabel: Island Records

Title: Sunshine On CatfordArtist: Kae TempestComposer: Kae TempestAlbum: Self TitledLabel: Island Records

Title: I Stand On The LineArtist: Kae TempestComposer: Kae TempestAlbum: Self TitledLabel: Island Records

Title: Blue In GreenArtist: Miles DavisComposer: Miles DavisAlbum: Kind of BlueLabel: Island Records

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Isabella Tropiano and Timothy Jenkins

Barry Conyngham’s piece Ice Carving isn’t performed very often, and almost never in its intended configuration - a solo violinist surrounded by an audience, who are then surrounded by 4 string orchestras. It’s finally getting its proper form at The Ian Potter Centre in Melbourne and Barry takes us back to the inspiration, at The Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

It's been 30 years since Mogwai released their debut single, Tuner/Lower, and the band have gone from one of the young teams of rock to one of post-rock's longest running groups. Stuart Braithwaite, the band's guitarist and occasional singer, looks back on the band's three decades.

Tortoise, another central figure in post-rock, are also celebrating 30 years since one of their biggest albums, Millions Now Living Will Never Die. John McEntire explains how the band decides which drummer will play on a given track, why they're drawn to unusual time-signatures, and why it took 10 years for them to complete their latest record.  

Ice Carving has three shows on May 29. Details here

Tour dates for Mogwai, beginning on May 23 at Vivid in Sydney, are available here

Tour dates for Tortoise, beginning May 27 in Sydney, are available here

Music heard in this program:

Title: Mogwai Fear SatanArtist: MogwaiComposer: MogwaiAlbum: Young TeamLabel: Spunk

Title: Ice CarvingArtist: Sydney Symphony Orchestra & Wilfred LehmannComposer: Barry ConynghamAlbum: Live performanceLabel: ABC Music

Title: What Kind of Mix Is ThisArtist: MogwaiComposer: MogwaiAlbum: The Bad FireLabel: Rock Action Records

Title: Yes! I Am A Long Way From HomeArtist: MogwaiComposer: MogwaiAlbum: Young TeamLabel: Spunk

Title: OganessonArtist: TortoiseComposer: TortoiseAlbum: TouchLabel: International Anthem Recording Company

Title: Glass MuseumArtist: TortoiseComposer: TortoiseAlbum: Millions Now Living Will Never DieLabel: Thrill Jockey

Title: After RainArtist: Hilary Geddes QuartetComposer: Hilary GeddesAlbum: RedleafLabel: Earshift Music

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Isabella Tropiano

Judy Small is a fixture of the Australian folk scene, a writer and performer of songs about politics and people. She joins Andy to recap the thirty-ish years since she was last on the show, including a career in family law and as a federal judge, and the process she's been undertaking of recording some of her last songs (Swansongs) and appearing at the 60th National Folk Festival.

And Ce Benedict reports from the festival itself, where transcontinental dulcimer jams, children busking, and bardic reinterpretations of Smashmouth all contribute to one of Australia's most distinctive festival experiences. 

Music heard in the show: 

Title: Home HomeArtist: ApollineComposer: Hickey, LuisaAlbum: Home HomeLabel: Independent Release

Title: Stand Or Fall, Within These Walls (Yad Vashem)Artist: Judy SmallComposer: Small, JudyAlbum: SwansongsLabel: Independent Release

Title: The White Bay Paper SellerArtist: Judy SmallComposer: Small, JudyAlbum: Mothers, Daughters, Wives / Ladies and GemsLabel: Independent Release

Title: You Don't Speak For MeArtist: Judy SmallComposer: Small, JudyAlbum: Judy Small - Best of the 80sLabel: Independent Release

Title: EncantoArtist: Maryam RahmaniComposer: Rahmani, MaryamAlbum: KamandLabel: Independent Release

Label: Independent ReleaseTitle: Home HomeArtist: ApollineComposer: Hickey, LuisaAlbum: Home Home

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Emrys Cronin and Timothy Jenkins

Xiu Xiu has been a leading figure in American avant-pop for more than two decades: combining abrasive noise and extremely dark subject matter with a catchy pop sensibility. It’s perhaps no surprise then that they’ve been drawn to the work of David Lynch, releasing their version of the music of Twin Peaks, and now, appearing at Dark Mofo in Tasmania to present their take on Eraserhead. Jamie Stewart talks passion, performance, and Dolly Parton.

 in 1707 Alessandro Scarlatti wrote an oratorio called il primo omicidio - The First Murder. It features Cain, Abel, their parents Adam and Eve, and (naturally) God and Satan providing a bit of sung commentary too. Ashlyn Tymms, Madison Nonoa, and Erin Helyard share Pinchgut Opera's approach, which uses a distinctly Australian setting.

Pinchgut Opera are performing The First Murder at Roslyn Packer Theatre from May 23

Music heard in this program:

Title: JoleneArtist: Xiu XiuComposer: Dolly PartonAlbum: Xiu MF'n XiuLabel: Polyvinyl Record Company 

Title: Common LoonArtist: Xiu XiuComposer: Xiu XIuAlbum: 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto With Bison Horn GripsLabel: Polyvinyl Record Company 

Title: Il primo omicidio, Parte prima; 'La fraterna amica pace'Artist: Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and René JacobsComposer: Alessandro Scarlatti Album: Scarlatti: Il primo omicidioLabel: Harmonia Mundi

Title: La Fraterna amica paceArtist: Erin Helyard, Ashlyn Tymms, Madison NonoaComposer: Alessandro Scarlatti Album: Live Performance

Title: The White Bay paper sellerArtist: Judy SmallComposer: Judy SmallAlbum: Ladies & GemsLabel: Crafty Maid

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Emrys Cronin and Timothy Jenkins

American Singer-songwriter Connie Converse would be hard enough to pigeonhole had she not disappeared without a trace in 1974. She wrote folk songs, and art songs, and the story of her life and disappearance is a fascinating one. It's the subject of a biography called To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse by Howard Fishman, who joins Andy to tell the tale and listen to her wonderful and wonderfully strange songs. 

Gia Margaret's new album is called Singing, fitting for her first return to vocal music after eight years of having lost her voice. As she tells Andy, adversity led her to finding creativity in instrumental writing, which she's now brought back to the voice for her latest release. 

And we hear new music by tar virtuoso Hamed Sadeghi from his new album, Convergence. 

Join us for The Music Show at Sydney Writers' Festival on 21 May with Ziggy Ramo, Leah Senior and Kate Fagan

Voiceless Mass, by Raven Chacon, can be performed in 'any space of worship with high ceilings and pipe organ' and plays with the amplifying power of a church's architecture, while commenting on the silencing of voices and languages that churches have been active in throughout their history. It won the composer the Pulitzer Prize for music in 2022 and is heading to the Rising Festival in Melbourne.

Raven talks to Andy about the intersection of politics and music, his role as a mentor, and what he wants to add to John Cage's understanding of silence.

The huge sound of the Melbourne Town Hall grand organ might seem like an unusual choice for the composer and guitarist Cam Butler, but for his latest album, he had a chance to take over the hall - and brought along a rock band and a string orchestra to complete the mix. Cam’s project is a cinematic album of guitar-organ-strings-rock maximalism, called World Forever and he shares how he approached this latest challenge, and how he gets the most from his normal instrument, the guitar.

Cam Butler will be performing World Forever live at the Melbourne Town Hall on May 22. 

Join us for The Music Show at Sydney Writers' Festival on 21 May with Ziggy Ramo, Leah Senior and Kate Fagan

Music heard in this program:

Title: Haunted RuinsArtist: Cam ButlerComposer: Cam ButlerAlbum: World ForeverLabel: Heavy Machinery Records

Title: Voicless MassArtist: Present MusicComposer: Raven ChaconAlbum: Raven Chacon: Voiceless MassLabel: New World Records

Title: Don't Cry (Your Father & Grandfather Are GoodArtist: Himba Hymn CollectiveComposer: Himba Hymn CollectiveAlbum: Himba Hymn: Ghosts Of Namibia's Skeleton CoastLabel: Sublime Frequencies

Title: World ForeverArtist: Cam ButlerComposer: Cam ButlerAlbum: World ForeverLabel: Heavy Machinery Records

Title: Clear InfinityArtist: Cam ButlerComposer: Cam ButlerAlbum: World ForeverLabel: Heavy Machinery Records

Title: RottenArtist: Gia MargaretComposer: Gia MargaretAlbum: SingingLabel: Jagjaguwar

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Isabella Tropiano

The American pianist Ruth Slenczynska, who died last week at the age of 101, was a childhood prodigy (although she denies the label). That came at a huge price, including a punishing concert schedule from the age of 4, orchestrated in the main by a tyrannical teacher-father. She went on to be one of the great pianists of the 20th century, playing duets with Harry Truman, touring with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops and being taught by Artur Schnabel, Egon Petri and Sergei Rachmaninov - to whom she was possibly the last remaining student link. Andy spoke to her in 2020 at the tender age of 95. 

Scottish composer Anna Meredith creates a meeting place between the concert platform and the rave in her music. Her piece for electronics and string quartet, Tuggemo, takes its name from an archaic English word for a swarm of bees, and demands to be heard loud. It's being given its Australian premiere by Omega Ensemble as part of their Howl concert season.

Sophia Brous is an Australian composer based in the US, and she creates semi-improvised song cycles from selections by 20th century writers. Her new collaborator of sorts is the late Dorothy Porter, with her partner Andrea Goldsmith acting as a guide through the poetry Porter wrote in the last years of her life. Andrea and Sophia join Andy to talk about Porter's impact on music and music's impact on her. 

Sophia Brous and Paul Grabowsky are performing Life Lines: A Song Cycle of Dorothy Porter at the Melbourne Writers Festival

Music heard in this program:

Title: BlackfriarsArtist: Anna MeredithComposer: Anna MeredithAlbum: VarmintsLabel: Moshi Moshi

Title: TuggemoArtist: Ligeti QuartetComposer: Anna MeredithAlbum: NucLabel: Mercury KX

Title: Lil WaltzerArtist: Anna MeredithComposer: Anna MeredithAlbum: Bumps Per MinuteLabel: Moshi Moshi

Title: NautilusArtist: Anna MeredithComposer: Anna MeredithAlbum: VarmintsLabel: Moshi Moshi

Title: NautilusArtist: Ligeti QuartetComposer: Anna MeredithAlbum: NucLabel: Mercury KX

Title: MoonmoonsArtist: Anna MeredithComposer: Anna MeredithAlbum: FIBSLabel: Moshi Moshi

Title: If Snakes Could FlyArtist: Paul Grabowsky and Katie NoonanComposer: Dorothy Porter and Paul GrabowskyAlbum: Before Time Could Change UsLabel: SBS Weatherwatch

Title: Set PIecesArtist: Sophia Brous and Kit DownesComposer: Sophia Brous and Alejandra PizarnikAlbum: Set Pieces live at The Lincoln Center

Title: 10 Preludes, Op. 23; No. 6 AndanteArtist: Ruth SlenczynskaComposer: Sergei RachmaninovAlbum: Complete American Decca RecordingsLabel: Eloquence

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Isabella Tropiano

Jeremy Sams is a composer, theatre director and a long-time friend of the show. He's the latest in our series of long conversations with old friends. He joined Andy recently in London to talk about how opera, music theatre and the industries behind the art forms have transformed over the years. 

Music heard in the show:

Title: Balloon MusicArtist: Royal Philharmonic OrchestraComposer: Jeremy SamsAlbum: Enduring LoveLabel: Mellowdrama Records

Title: Act II: Tell me what love is from The Marriage of FigaroArtist: Diana Montague (Cherubino)Composer: Mozart, libretto trans. Jeremy SamsAlbum: The Marriage of FigaroLabel: Chandos

Title: Sunday in the Park, Move On, Sunday (Act II) from Sunday in the Park with GeorgeArtist: Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Broadway Company of Sunday in the Park With GeorgeComposer: Stephen SondheimAlbum: Sunday in the Park With GeorgeLabel: Masterworks Broadway

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Antonia Gauci, Timothy Jenkins and Adrian James

ZÖJ, the collaboration between Gelareh Pour and Brian O'Dwyer perform the opening track from their new album, May The Devil’s Ear Be Deaf, live in the music show studios. The album was recorded at an artists retreat in Banff, Canada, and features music “built on fragility and on the fear of its own erasure." They also talk about performing a live score to a remarkable 1925 silent film, Grass: A Nation’s Battle for Life.

The Three Seas have been coming together and then flying apart again for years, and they're back together for a live session in the Music Show studio. With band members living in both Australia and West Bengal, the music is an amalgam of Himalayan folk, Baul spiritual music, rock, dub, and jazz. Their latest album is called Antahkarana and it was recorded in Peter Gabriel's Real World studio, a high-tech idyll in the south west of England.

And we remember two giants of the classical world, conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, who has died at the age of 81, and Ruth Slenczynska, who has died at the age of 102. 

Tilson Thomas was known for his advocacy of modern American repertoire, and his life-long embrace of Mahler's titanic symphonies. In an archive interview, he tells Andy how he thinks about classical music as a whole, and Mahler in particular. 

We'll hear more from Andy's long conversation with Ruth Slenczynska, a child-prodigy concert pianist who learned with Rachmaninov and duetted with President Truman, next time on The Music Show. 

The Three Seas are currently on tour, dates available here

ZÖJ are performing Grass at The Capitol Theatre on May 1

Music heard in this program:

Title: Chromatic Fantasia & Fugue in D minor, BWV903 Artist: Ruth Slenczynska Composer: J. S. BachAlbum: Ruth Slenczynska - Complete American Decca RecordingsLabel: Decca

Title: Symphony No. 4; iii. Fugue (Andante moderato) Artist: San Francisco Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Michael Tilson ThomasComposer: Charles IvesAlbum: Ives - Symphony Nos. 3 & 4, Selected American HymnsLabel: SFS Media

Title: Symphony No. 1 in D major, 'Titan'; iv. Stürmisch bewegtArtist: San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Michael Tilson ThomasComposer: Gustav MahlerAlbum: Mahler - Symphony No. 1Label: SFS Media

Title: TermitesArtist: ZÖJComposer: Gelareh Pour & Brian O'DwyerAlbum: May The Devil’s Ear Be DeafLabel: Bleeemo Music

Title: Real WorldArtist: The Three SeasComposer: The Three SeasAlbum: AntaḥkaraṇaLabel: Earshift Music

Title: RongmoholeArtist: The Three SeasComposer: The Three SeasAlbum: AntaḥkaraṇaLabel: Earshift Music

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Antonia Gauci, AJ Bradford, and Tim Jenkins

The Mountain Goats started out as a solo project by then-psych nurse John Darnielle recording directly into a boombox in his room. Their latest album (Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan) is a "full-on musical", complete with french horn and a string section, recorded on what sound like very nice microphones. Darnielle's tastes and influences are esoteric and wide ranging, and so is this conversation with Ce Benedict, in which they discuss religious schisms, instrumental choices, and musical theatre. 

John Darnielle's new book, This Year: 365 Songs Annotated actually contains 366 songs and is published by Scribe.

Robert Finley's first album was called Age Don't Mean A Thing, which was fitting because he released it in his 60s. Before that, he was a military man and then a carpenter. When he began to go blind he sat down his tools and returned to music - initially the blues - but his latest album Hallelujah! Don't Let the Devil Fool Ya is a gospel album, and a very special one. 

Jake Mason's new album with the Jake Mason Trio is called The Modern Ark and it's got the hammond organ at its core. Jake joins Andy to talk about working with vocalists Kate Cebrano and Kurt Elling, why the trio is the perfect unit of music for him, and going ham(mond).

Film composer Bernard Herrmann’s career started and ended with classics: his first film was Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane (1941), his last was Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1976). But it’s the nine films that Herrmann worked on with Alfred Hitchcock that define his legacy, and in his new book, Hitchcock and Herrmann: The Friendship and Film Scores that Changed Cinema, Steven C Smith examines the work they shared together.

Music heard in this program:

Title: Music from Psycho - The ShowerArtist: National Philharmonic OrchestraComposer: Bernard HerrmannAlbum: PsychoLabel: Unicorn

Title: Music from The Trouble With Harry - OvertureArtist: Royal Scottish National OrchestraComposer: Bernard HerrmannAlbum: The Trouble With HarryLabel: Varèse Sarabande

Title: Music from The Man Who Knew Too Much - Storm Clouds CantataArtist: London Symphony OrchestraComposer: Arthur Benjamin & D.B. Wyndham-LewisAlbum: The Man Who Knew Too Much

Title: Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)Artist: Doris Day and Christopher OlsenComposer: Jay Livingston & Ray EvansAlbum: The Man Who Knew Too Much

Title: Music from The Wrong Man - PreludeArtist: The Warner Brothers Studio OrchestraComposer: Bernard HerrmannAlbum: The Wrong Man

Title: Music from The Wrong Man - HandcuffsArtist: The Warner Brothers Studio OrchestraComposer: Bernard HerrmannAlbum: The Wrong Man

Title: Music from Vertigo Prelude and RooftopArtist: Royal Scottish National OrchestraComposer: Bernard HerrmannAlbum: VertigoLabel: Mercury

Title: Music from Vertigo - Scène d'amourArtist: Royal Scottish National OrchestraComposer: Bernard HerrmannAlbum: VertigoLabel: Mercury

Title: Music from Pyscho - FinaleArtist: National Philharmonic OrchestraComposer: Bernard HerrmannAlbum: PsychoLabel: Unicorn

Title: Music from North By Northwest - OvertureArtist: The M-G-M Studio OrchestraComposer: Bernard HerrmannAlbum: North By Northwest

Title: Music from North By Northwest - The CrashArtist: The M-G-M Studio OrchestraComposer: Bernard HerrmannAlbum: North By Northwest

Title: Music from North By Northwest - The Stone FacesArtist: The M-G-M Studio OrchestraComposer: Bernard HerrmannAlbum: North By Northwest

Title: Music from Psycho - The CurtainArtist: National Philharmonic OrchestraComposer: Bernard HerrmannAlbum: PsychoLabel: Unicorn

Title: Music from Marnie - PreludeArtist: City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul BatemanComposer: Bernard HerrmannAlbum: MarnieLabel: Tsunami

Title: The KillingArtist: National Philharmonic OrchestraComposer: Bernard HerrmannAlbum: Torn Curtain: The Unused ScoreLabel: Varèse Sarabande 

Title: This YearArtist: The Mountain GoatsComposer: John DarnielleAlbum: The Sunset TreeLabel: 4AD

The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country

Technical production by Antonia Gauci