Playlist for the Unpopular Music Webcast for April 29, 2017

In which your host is not quite as over the flu as he thought when he left the house, but I think not a bad show for being thrown together at the last minute, mostly things I heard in the past week. A mix of jazz, classical (old and new), blues, pop, and other.

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Oh, and remember, just because the music is being played by an orchestra, it doesn't mean you can't crank it up.

There are also a couple of my all-time favorites in here, which I'm surprised I hadn't played before (the Zorn and Putnam's Camp)

See the playlist after the break...

Music appreciation from Jonathan Demme

For some reason, I've never seen Philadelphia, and I also worked in the classical department of a record store in the years following its release (and therefore always needing to be able to hook up a customer with Maria Callas singing La Mamma Morta at any given time), so I was not expecting to be so blown away by this scene as I came across it in the Onion AV Club's appreciation piece for the late Jonathan Demme.

Playlist for the Unpopular Music Webcast for April 22, 2017

As I was assembling the program this morning, I came to realize that the challenge of this webcast, and I imagine any radio show, is in making the arbitrary sequence of musical selections seem inevitable. Perhaps this weeks selections are a bit too arbitrary to pull that off, perhaps not.

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See the playlist after the break...

Webcast info for April 15, 2017

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As we are out of town for the holidays (this year is Easter and Patriot's day rather than Patriot's Day and Record Store Day), we will rebroadcast the Unpopular Music episode from July 16, 2016. This program features a bit more pop music than is standard along with many references to the hot sweaty day on which it was recorded.

Random You Tube find of the day - Dusty Springfield and Burt Bacharach

I was doing some random research on a song and came across this.

If you've been to a concert with me, you know I'm stingy with standing ovations. This is the first time I've given a standing ovation to something on You Tube.

Playlist for the Unpopular Music Webcast for April 8, 2017

Today's program offers the typical jazzy first hour and grab bag second. A few long things as I'm having some time management issues. (Including having time to write this.)

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See the playlist after the break...

Webcast info for April 8, 2017

Due to the fact that that the Somerville Media Center hosted a 24 fundraiser for the Boston Hassle, the building ended up being closed at noon. I got a chance to load my show and let it run without commentary (which is likely an improvement.)

The playlist and archive will show up at their regular times.

I'm out of town for the holiday next week, so there will be a classic episode in my place.

See you in two weeks!!

Playlist for the Unpopular Music Webcast for April 1, 2017

I had toyed with the idea of doing an April Fool's program, playing a bunch of overplayed classic rock songs. A "songs you know by people you've heard of" kind if show as that ad, was it for Mix 98, used to go, albeit with songs I actually like, of which there are plenty.

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Instead, I decided to plow ahead with what passes for a usual show - a bunch of white-guy jazz, a trans-century, multi-genre freeform set. It does end with Fleetwood Mac, so there's that.

See for yourself after the break...

Chuck Berry talks about genre on Soul Train

Laquinta asks "Do you find blues more soothing than today's sounds?"¹ to which Chuck Berry replies "Well, to me, each type of music is a feeling, and blues, there's nothing that can replace it when you're blue. And there's nothing that can replace rock when you're reeling, and so on..."

Playlist for the Unpopular Music Webcast for March 25, 2017

Here we are once again,

We're a bit light on jazz this week, a bit more Afro-pop. Additionally, while looking for something to fill a gap, I came across a bunch of tracks that didn't fit, but seemed to kind of go well together, so they now make up most of the second hour. And it being the first weekend of spring, we have our traditional Stravinsky offering (no pun intended).

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See the playlist after the break...

Playlist for the Unpopular Music Webcast for March 18, 2017

A mixed bag today, we start with some hard bop and then jump around a bit. Maybe too many downers in the second hour, but it perks up towards the end.

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See the playlist after the break...

Playlist for the Unpopular Music Webcast for March 11, 2017

This week, Unpopular Music celebrates its third anniversary. I had planned to do something special, but instead put off assembling the program until about four hours ahead of time. We have a typically jazzy first hour, with a somewhat pretentious freeform second hour. It was also freezing cold (almost literally) in the studio, and the headphone amplifier had a short circuit. Nonetheless, it's a show I think you'll like (if you like this sort of thing, that is)!!

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See the playlist after the break...

Playlist for the Unpopular Music Webcast for March 4, 2017

A last minute creation which got off to a terrible start, but turned out OK. A pretty wide variety of music this week - some different flavors of jazz, music from Algeria and Ethiopia, French baroque, poetry readings, and a couple of pop songs. I was hesitant at first about the opera selection, but I heard a program on another station that played both Maria Callas and Patsy Cline and figured "why can't I?"

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See the playlist after the break...

Playlist for the Unpopular Music Webcast for February 25, 2017

We have a typically jazzy first hour, followed by a somewhat loose collection of odds and ends (though still somewhat jazzy) for the second. Technical difficulties around the 45 minute mark leave me a bit frazzled (I mean, "James Moody on guitar"), but we, and the BFR computer generally recover. (Although if I had to do it over again, I would have put the Grachan Moncur tune at the top of the second hour (and figured out how to correctly pronounce his first name))

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Also, a rare joint appearance by Meredith and Thelonious Monk (no relation).


See the playlist after the break...

Webcast info for February 18, 2017

Hi folks,

I have to be out of town this weekend, so in my stead we will have my pre-recorded self presenting the Unpopular Music episode from last October 8th. It's a bit on the obscure side, and the recording is a bit fuzzy, but there are many stimulating sounds.

We'll be back next week.

Playlist for the Unpopular Music Webcast for February 11, 2017

Greetings from a snowy Somerville Saturday. I was a little disheveled for most of the program. I sometimes say that the host is the weakest link in this production. This is one of those times.

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I forgot to get the random playlist that was running before my time slot to stop on time, so that Ted Hawkins track carried over past noon, but it was too good to leave out.

A relatively low jazz content this week, there's entries from Brazil and Africa, some new-classical type things from the Soviet Union, German techno-pop, some long slow quiet things, a couple of interesting pop covers and more.

Meanwhile the playlist is in its usual place after the break...

Playlist for the Unpopular Music Webcast for February 4, 2017

A show for the midway point of winter. I have not heard whether or not the groundhog saw his shadow. Doesn't matter. Winter will end whenever Trump orders it.

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However, I, alone, decide the playlist. See for yourself after the break...

Webcast info for January 28, 2017

I'm out of town this weekend, so this week you are treated to a classic episode from the archives, in particular the program from September 17th, 2016. It features some long pieces, as I was feeling lazy that week, and also some explorations of jazz and classical connections, with mixed success.

Anyway, see you next week.

Playlist for the Unpopular Music Webcast for January 21, 2017

A bit of a grab-bag today. I had some things I was going to say, but then I didn't. I thought of some others and kinda babbled them out. Wait. I shouldn't be down on myself like this. This show is awesome! Be super cool like me and listen to it. You'll thank yourself later.

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See the playlist after the break...

Playlist for the Unpopular Music Webcast for January 14, 2017

Here's a pretty loosely assembled program for you this week. It was kind of a low energy week for me. I tried not to repeat too many albums from last week, but, you know how things are.

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Also, abrupt endings and tape hiss.

See for yourself after the break...