What do Duke Ellington, United Airlines, and the K Pop group Red Velvet share in common? They've all covered George Gershwin's piano concerto, Rhapsody in Blue. First premiered in 1924, the piece became an immediate hit for the way it blended American jazz with the European symphonic tradition. Gershwin had a number of successes as a composer in his day—his ... Show More
Oct 6
Has Taylor Swift jumped the shark?
One year after the release of her twelfth studio album The Life of a Showgirl, Taylor Swift is back with an encore. Specifically, The Encore, four tracks that have polarized critics and Swifties alike, from the country-esque number one hit “Patient Zero” to her ode to married Ohi ... Show More
47m 55s
Sep 29
Carly Rae Jepsen’s pop pedagogy
Five years after her first appearance on Switched on Pop, Carly Rae Jepsen returns to the podcast to talk all things Day and Night, her latest album. Born out of Swedish disco, big emotion, and substantive life change – including becoming a wife and a mother – the double album is ... Show More
49m 17s
Jan 2011
Blue Music
Songs with blue in the title, including Blue Moon, Little Girl Blue, Blue Yodel #3, Blue Tango and Once In a Blue Moon. Performers include: Margaret Whiting, Bing Crosby, Bill Monroe, Jimmie Rodgers and the Duke Ellington Orchestra.
44m 8s
Jul 2013
Big Band Themes Part 1
Themes include: Take the A Train, Cherokee, I'm Getting Sentimental Over You, Blue Prelude, Nightmare and Bubbles In the Wine. Performers include: Duke Ellington, Bob Crosby, Lawrence Welk, Tommy Dorsey, Fletcher Henderson and Artie Shaw.
45m 9s
Nov 2018
Sergei Rachmaninoff, Chapter 8: A Stunning Finale
When the urge to compose finally struck again, Rachmaninoff took a little theme by Nicolo Paganini and turned it into a tour de force for the piano and orchestra, called Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. In this final episode of the Great Composers series on Rachmaninoff, we also ... Show More
33m 34s
Aug 2014
1940s Jazz
Performers include: Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Fats Navarro, Charlie Christian, Bud Powell, Lu Watters, Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson and Billie Holiday. Songs include: Marmaduke, The Chase, Sage Hen Strut, Raincheck, Air Mail Special and There Is No Greater Love.
44m 23s
Jan 2022
Renowned classic “The Jasmine Flower” with a touch of Jazz
Previously, we got up-close with Jazz musician Liu Peiyi, and he shared his 10-year experience of learning Jazz with a couple of world-renowned masters in the States, as well as his understanding of jazz music and his ways to promote the popularity of the genre among the public. ... Show More
27m 2s