NYC Radio Live

Derek Gripper - Podcast 289

Derek Gripper has miraculously discovered the ability to bring the dazzling polyrhythmic music of the West African Harp, the kora, onto the classical guitar. Egberto Gism

Sami Abu Shumays on Umm Kulthum

Sami Abu Shumays is one of the leading Arab violinists in the US, and a vocalist. In this episode, he shares the story of Umm Kulthum, the legendary voice of Egypt and th

Kevin Hays and Craig Taborn

Grammy Award winning pianist Kevin Hays has a new album out on the new label AHT Records, Live at the Stone  We hang out with Kevin and fellow keyboard legend Craig Tabor

Mustafa Abu Muhammad on the birth and intention of Qawwali

Mustafa Abu Muhammad's family have been practitioners of the ecstatic, Sufi musical tradition of Qawwali for 800 years.  His uncle and his father lead the most popular Qa

Smokey Hormel and Charlie Burnham

Smokey Hormel and Charlie Burnham have played with countless legends of music, like Johnny Cash, James "Blood" Ulmer, Tom Waits, Norah Jones, Cassandra Wilson, Beck, Adel

Ehsan Matoori on beauty of the music and poetry of Iran

Born in Iran in 1979, Ehsan Matoori is one of the leading Santoor virtuosos of today. Ehsan discusses the long and deep history, dating back thousands of years, of Persia

The Chitlin' Circuit: Preston Lauterbach on the Road to Rock and Roll

The roots of rock and roll began in the 1930s, when jazz musicians looked for venues to play beyond the reach of mob-controlled clubs in the North. A promoter laundering

T.H. Vikku Vinayakram, Selvagenesh, Swaminathan Selvaganesh_438

A 2016 interview and live performance with one of the great families of rhythm led by Grammy Award winner and Shakti percussionist T.H. Vikku Vanyakram, his son Selvagane

John Medeski

John Medeski is one of the most versatile pianists and keyboard players of our time.  Already gigging with world class musicians like Jaco Pastorius in High School and co

Anand Avirmed

This is Anand Avirmed and Mari Tanka's set performed live at the 2025 Ragas Live Festival on October 18–19, 2025, at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, New York.   Anand's set

Ra Kalam Bob Moses talks Jack De Johnette, Charles Mingus, Rahsaan Roland Kirk

Drummer and composer Ra Kalam Bob Moses has had an extraordinary career working with just about everybody.  Here's a partial list: Pat Metheny, Charles Mingus, Rahsaan R

Kroba - Ragas Live Festival 2022

5 AM set of the 24 hour Ragas Live Festival at Pioneer Works 10.23.22 Kroba (saxophone and analog synth)   Originally broadcast on WKCR-FM Be the first to hear the la

John P. Murphy and the art of the New Deal

After "the end of the world" in the 1930s, the greatest patron of art in the world became the United States Governement.  The impact of this would surprise anyone who dig

Hariprasad Chaurasia - at home with the legend of bansuri

Today Hariprasad Chaurasia, the greatest maestro of the bansuri, the bamboo flute, turns 88.  We celebrate by sharing our 2018 interview with Pd. Chaurasia conducted at

Mu Qian explores the music of China, Central Asia, and beyond

Dr. Mu Qian is an ethnomusicologist, music producer, performing arts curator, and writer.  He's traveled to places few others have and shares his recordings from Western

Cosmas Magaya - Master of the Shona Mbira

Cosmas Magaya was one of the masters of the Shona Mbira, the magical trance music of Zimbabwe.   Recorded in 2011, originally our 15th episode of NYC Radio Live, he spri

Tony Trischka talks Earl Scruggs, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, and Béla Fleck

Tony Trischka has been called 'the father of modern bluegrass' though he claims here there are 'many fathers and a few mothers.' Either way he expanded the range of the b

Billy Martin talks Medeski, Martin, Wood, John Lurie, and the heartbeat of the clave

Billy Martin (a.k.a. illy B), is a genre-bending drummer, composer and visual artist known for his work with Medeski Martin & Wood, John Lurie’s Lounge Lizards, and other

Miles Davis: Jack DeJohnette, John Scofield, and George Wein share their memories of the maestro

Today is Miles Davis' centenial and we celebrate by sharing interviews with Jack DeJohnette, John Scofield, and George Wein, all who worked closely with Miles.  Jack DeJo

Jeremiah Chiu

Jeremiah Chiu is a synthesist and visual artist.  He brings his unique organic/electronic aesthetic to the experimental supergroup SML and a series of beautiful solo and