NYC Radio Live

In 1939, a group of children aged 10-16 would sneak out of an institute for the blind in Taledega, Alabama and sing for the Lord - and for donations.  These Blind Boys of Alabama would go on to become one of the most celebrated gospel groups of all time, winning 6 Grammy awards and working with the biggest names in music.  Current lead singer Ricky McKinnie and author Preston Lauterbach, who co-wrote Spirit of the Century: Our Own Story with the Blind Boys of Alabama tell the incredible, unlikely, inside history of this ensemble that is still going strong more than 85 years later. 

Two time Grammy Award winning bansuri maestro Rakesh Chaurasia and tabla pheonom Salar Nader, are two of the most outstanding musicians of their generation. Both child prodigies, Rakesh began his studies with his uncle, Hariprasad Chaurasia at 4 years and Salar began his studies with Zakir Hussain at the age 7.   Rakesh toured the world with Zakir Hussain, Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer and won those Grammys for their album "As We Speak."  We chat with two musicians about where their music came from and where it's going. 

Judith Owen is a vocalist, bandleader, podcaster, and champion of jazz divas who have not yet been given their proper due, like her heroes Nellie Lutcher and Julia Lee.  We caught up with Judith on her way to bring her J.O. Big Band to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (April 30) and a date with her Gentlemen Callers at the Cutting Room in New York City (May 7).   Photo: Steve Rapport photography 

10:30AM set of the 24 hour Ragas Live Festival at Pioneer Works 10.19.24 Gamelan Dharma Swara is one of the leading Balinese gamelan and dance groups in the United States.   Catch them live at the next Second Sundays: May 2026 at Pioneer Works Sunday, May 10, 2026 4pm-5.30pm   Subscribe to the NYC Radio Live podcast for access to over 400 live performances and interviews! NYC Radio Live Home https://nycradiolive.org/ Ragas Live Festival Home https://ragaslive.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nyc_radio_live?igsh=MXUyZDRpNHdtczd6NA%3D%3D

Stanley Jordan is one of the most original and unique guitarists of our time.  In August of 2012 he swung by the WKCR-FM studio DJ'd, performed a solo set, talked music and philosophy, performed live and jammed with all of us including the great guitarist from Mali and Niger, Abdoulaye Alhassane. It was an amazing opportunity to spend time with a creative force who approaches music, science, and life in his own way.  

George Wein was one of the most influential producers in the history of American music.  Founder of the Newport Jazz Festival, Newport Folk Festival, and New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, he lived a life amongst the greatest musicians of our time.  He wasn't a bad pianist and singer either! We share a coversation I recorded sometime between 2005-2010 at his home in Manhattan, where he told stories of the Duke, Pops, Monk, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, LesterYoung, Billie Holiday and much more.

We chat with Joe Westerlund about his life changing experiences with Milford Graves, his early work with Megafaun, and the inspiration of the music of the ituri Rainforest on all of his work. Make sure to check out his latest albums Curiosities from the Drift.  Grotto a trumpet/drums duo with Trever Hagen and  Setting S/T a trio with Jaime Fennelly and Nathan Bowles, to be released on Thrill Jockey on April 24th.

Booker Stardrum whimsically co-founded SML with bassist Anna Butterss, synthesist Jeremiah Chiu, saxophonist Josh Johnson and guitarist Gregory Uhlmann. Their recent releases How You Been and Small, Medium, Large have squarely placed them as one of the most exciting groups in improvised music/jazz today.   A literal heir of the legacy of Harry Parch and his parents, floutist Stefani Starin musician/composer/instrument creator Dean Drummond Booker has been releasing his own creative output of music including his latest Close-up On The Outside, Rafting/Tall Grass (with Photay) and 2021's Crater.

John Scofield is one of the great guitarists of out time.  The multi-Grammy award winning musician, has played with countless legends like Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Miles Davis, Billy Cobham, Charles Mingus, Tony Williams, Herbie Hancock, Mavis Staples, Charlie Haden, Phil Lesh, Dave Holland, Medeski, Martin and Wood...and on and on! John shares his story of how he got here and what he learned along the way from creating magic with all these legends. 

One of the great percussionists of our time, the 2024 Grammy Award-winninga "Kanjira King," began a decades long mentorship with Zakir Hussain in 1990. He tells us one of the first things Zakir did was open his ears to artists like Weather Report, Frank Zappa, and Miles Davis. Don't miss his story about how Zakir tricked him into auditioning for John McLaughlin and Shakti!

Béla Fleck is a 19 time Grammy award winning artist.  He is recognized as the musician who has expanded the possibilities of his instrument, the banjo, and he keeps pushing own limits creatively. Béla is coming to NYC to celebrate his collaborator, the great Zakir Hussain at Carnegie Hall on March 6th.  

In this special conversation with the reknowned Sarod maestro, Alam Khan, we dig deep into what he learned form his father Ali Akbar Khan, family legends about his grandfather Allauddin Khan and what to expect at the upcoming concert at Carnegie Hall.   Alam will be at Carnegie on March 8th, 2026 celebrating the great tabla maestro as part of the  Zakir Hussain Eternal: Celebrating 75 Years of Genius concert. This interview was recorded in February 6, 2026

A 2011 in-studio musical interview with Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar—torchbearer of an unbroken, 20-generation Dhrupad lineage dating back to the 15th century. 

This is an exclusive interview with the greatest living master of the bansuri, Hariprasad Chaurasia.  David Ellenbogen and Chaurasia's Senior disciple Jay Gandhi join the maestro at his Vrindaban Gurukul, in Mumbai.    This episode was originally broadcast in 2018 

This was an incredible opportunity to sit down with a living legend: Reggie Workman!!! In 1961, Workman joined the John Coltrane Quartet, replacing Steve Davis. He was present for the saxophonist's Live at the Village Vanguard sessions, and also recorded with a second bassist (Art Davis) on the 1961 albums, Olé Coltrane and Africa/Brass. Workman recorded frequently through the 1960s and performed with such icons as Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Thelonious Monk, Max Roach, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Eric Dolphy, Gigi Gryce, Booker Little, Roy Haynes, Wayne Shorter, Red Garland, James Moody, Abbey Lincoln, Alice Coltrane, Booker Ervin, Horace Silver, Benny Golson, Cedar Walton, Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, Curtis Fuller, Yusef Lateef, Pharoah Sanders, Herbie Mann, Archie Shepp, Clifford Jordan, Bobby Hutcherson, Sonny Fortune, Billy Harper, and David Murray.   This episode was originally broadcast in 2019 in support of the "A Love Supreme with Reggie Workman" performance as part of the Wall to Wall: John Coltrane Event.  

North Americas largest Balkan Music festival is coming up this weekend! There is nothing like the Zlatne Uste Golden Fest and there is nobody like Matt Moran, both fixtures of New York's global music scene. Vibraphone and percussion virtuoso Matt Moran is most widely known for his ensemble Slavic Soul Party who played their first performance at the Golden Fest over 2 decades ago. We chat with Matt about his journey and inspirations from Balkan music to Duke Ellington and the ingredients that make Golden Fest such a joyful celebration.   40th Golden Festival!   January 16-17, 2026 Friday: 7:00 pm – 12:30 am Saturday: 5:30 pm – 2:00 am The Marquee Astoria (formerly Astoria World Manor) 25-22 Astoria Blvd, Astoria, NY https://goldenfest.org/

With roots playing with artists like Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings,  Antibalas, The Roots, David Byrne, Amy Winehouse, and Quincy Jones, saxaphone player Cochema is no stranger to the groove.  His hypnotic new album, Ancestros Futuros is the third in a trinity of recordings he composed and arranged and was picked as at to  NYC Radio Live Top 10 Album of the Year.   Cochema has some exciting shows coming up soon  Here is our conversation. 

NYC Radio Live's 2025 Album of the Year was the self-titled Saha Gnawa, an inspiring project that combines tradtional Morrocan trance music (embodied by co-founder Maâlem Hassan Ben Jaafar) alongside amazing jazz/contemporary musicians such as Jason Lindner, Guilherme Monteiro, and Gilad Hekselman. The result is incredible!  We have a great conversation Saha Ganawa's co-founder Daniel Freedman about the magic of groove, trance, and capturing this fresh, electric sound.    Here is the full lineup of the album/ensemble: Maâlem Hassan Ben Jaafar // guembri, vocals Daniel Freedman // drums, percussion, Amino Belyamani // qraqebs, backing vocals David Lizmi // qraqebs, backing vocals Ahmed Jeriouda // qraqebs, backing vocals Naoufal Atiq // backing vocals Jason Lindner // keyboards, synthesizers Guilherme Monteiro // guitar Gustavo DiDalva // percussion Gilad Hekselman // guitar (A1, A2, A3, A4, B4) Roman Diaz // congas (A2, B2, B4) Nels Cline // guitar (A1, A3) Abraham Rodriguez Jr. // vocals, (B2) Gilmar Gomes // percussion (B2) Donny McCaslin // tenor saxophone (B4) Photo Credit: Justin Lane

This episode was originally broadcast on December 16, 2014. Happy Winter Solstice! Seven-time Grammy® winner Paul Winter has a body of work that chronicles his wide-ranging experiences in the musical traditions and natural environments of the Earth.   The saxophonist, composer and bandleader founded Living Music as the recording context for his ensemble, the Paul Winter Consort, and his community of colleagues, which includes some of the world’s finest jazz, world, and classical musicians, along with notable voices from the great symphony of wildlife. It was a blast when he came by my apartment,  played some instruments,  hung out and talked about the big event coming up:  His 35th Annual Winter Solstice Celebration.  

Yuka Honda is serious about food. In fact, her famous group, Cibo Matto means "crazy food," in Italian. Her and Nels Cline (Wilco, Consentrik Quartet) are passionate about Star Root Farm, and are organizing an all-star fundraiser featuring them with John Medeski, Billy Martin, Scott Metzger and Sean Lennon. It's going to be on November 20th at the Bearsville Theater and it's going to be amazing! Join David and Hungry Mari as they chat food, music, and human evolution with Nels Cline and Yuka Honda.

Two weeks ago the world lost the jazz legend Jack DeJohnette, who changed music with his work with artists like Miles Davis, John and Alice Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Keith Jarrett and countless others.   We spoke for over and hour and broadcast parts of this interview in 2010 for WKCR-FM, but it has remained unheard since then, and the complete conversation has never been shared. In our conversation, Jack reflects on his first time on stage as a child with T-Bone Walker, his work with folks like Sun Ra and Thelonius Monk, and the zen state he enters when he plays, tapping into what he calls the "the library of collective consciousness."   

Kayhan Kalhor is one of the outstanding instrumentalists of our time. A virtuoso of the kamancheh, he has helped popularize traditional Persian music and collaborated with musicians from Yo Yo Ma and Toumani Diabate.      We connect with the Grammy Award winning artist at his home in Tehran and chat music, history, and philosophy Kayhan will be performing a not-to-be-missed concert at Town Hall on November 30th 

Final nineteenth set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival.  Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th, 2025. Shahid Parvez (sitar) Nitin Mitta (tabla)   Visit Ragas Live Festival for more! Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.

enth set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival.  Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th, 2025. L. Shankar (double violin, vocals) Selvaganesh (kajira, mridangam) Swaminathan Selvaganesh (kanjira) Amit Kavthekar (tabla)   Visit Ragas Live Festival for more! Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.   Photo Credit: Ellen Qbertpaya

Seventeenth set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival.  Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th, 2025. Anand Avirmed (Mongolian throat singing & horsehead fiddle) Mari Tanaka (sruti Box)   Visit Ragas Live Festival for more! Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.

enth set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival.  Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th, 2025. Priya Purushothaman (vocal) Pratyush Goberdhan (sarangi) Tejas Tope  (tabla)   Visit Ragas Live Festival for more! Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.

Fifteenth set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival.  Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th, 2025. Mandolin U. Rajesh (mandolin)  Swaminathan Selvaganesh (kanjira)  Praveen Narayan   (tabla)    Visit Ragas Live Festival for more! Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.

Fourteenth set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival.  Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th, 2025. NESOM honors Allah Rakha and Zakir Hussain  (tabla ensemble)   Visit Ragas Live Festival for more! Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.

Thirteenth set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival.  Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th, 2025. Purbayan Chatterjee  (sitar) Amit Kavthekar (tabla)   Visit Ragas Live Festival for more! Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.

Twelfth set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival.  Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th, 2025.   Vinay Desai (santoor)  Vivek Pandaya  (tabla)    Visit Ragas Live Festival for more! Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.

Eleventh set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival.  Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th, 2025. Whispering Worlds w/ Aaron Shragge (John Hassell Tribute)  Aaron Shragge -trumpet/shakuhachi/fx/composition Luke Schwartz, guitar Damon Banks, bass Deric Dickens, drums   Visit Ragas Live Festival for more! Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.

Tenth set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival.  Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th, 2025.   Radhika Samson (surbahar) Tejas Tope (pakawaj)   Visit Ragas Live Festival for more! Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.

Ninth of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival.  Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th, 2025.   Vishnu Ramprasad (navtar) Praveen Narayan (tabla) Sriram Raman  (mridangam)   Visit Ragas Live Festival for more! Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.

Eighth set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival.  Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th 2025.   Asif Khan & Karamat Khan  (vocal, tabla)   Visit Ragas Live Festival for more! Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.

Seventh set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival.  Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th 2025. Sannan Mahboob (Afghan rubab) Karamat Khan (tabla)   Visit Ragas Live Festival for more! Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.

Sixth set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival.  Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th 2025. Arun Ramamurthy Trio Arun Ramamurthy, violin Sameer Gupta, drums Damon Banks, bass   Visit Ragas Live Festival for more! Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.

Fifth set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival.  Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th 2025. Light Over Shadow (Zakir Hussain Tribute):  Sikiru Adepoju Sanga of the Valley V. Selvaganesh Ishaan Ghosh    Visit Ragas Live Festival for more! Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.

Fourth set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival.  Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th 2025.   Saami Brothers (Qawwali)   Visit Ragas Live Festival for more! Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.

Third set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival.  Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th 2025.   Eucademix (Yuka Honda) (electronics)   Visit Ragas Live Festival for more! Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.

Second set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival.  Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th 2025. Charumathi Raghuraman (violin) Anantha R. Krishnan (mridangam) Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.

First set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival.  Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th 2025. ARAJ: Ishaan Ghosh (tabla) S. Akash (bansuri) Mehtab Ali (sitar) Pratik Singh (vocals) Vanraj Shastri (sarangi) Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.

I had the thrill of speaking of with the legendary artist, Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan who will be performing the penultimate set of the  Ragas Live Festival next week.  One of the world’s leading sitarists, Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan belongs to an illustrious musical family and has achieved success in not only preserving the tradition, but in pushing its boundaries to greater heights. He is one of the leading exponents of the Etawah gharana (tradition), which was popularized by the great Ustad Vilayat Khan, and belongs to the seventh generation of this musical lineage. He was initiated into the rich music of the gharana by his father Ustad Aziz Khan, who was the son of the legendary sitar and surbahar virtuoso Ustad Waheed Khansahab. Shahid Parvez was recognized as a child prodigy and started performing in public by the time he was eight years old. He is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the Government of India's Padma Shri and the Sangeet Natak Academy Award. This episode will broadcast in a longer version at WKCR 89.9 FM  7PM-9PM on Sunday October 12

This is a great conversation with Rauf Saami of the Saami Brothers brilliantly translated by his Ashar Mumtaz. The Saami Brothers will be preforming for the world music institute on Saturday, October 4, 2025 https://www.worldmusicinstitute.org/saamibrotherskhayal/ The Saami family is the living custodian of the Delhi Qawwal Bacha Gharana – a musical school of thought — founded in the 14th century by the legendary Sufi poet, musician, and scholar Amir Khusrau by combining Persian, Turkish, Arabic and South Asian elements. The Saami family is the last family to preserve this tradition in its purest form and are true masters of Khayal—a word that roughly translates to “imagination.” As exemplary vocalists, they are capable of producing a rarely heard 49-note microtonal scale relayed in a manner that uses few words sung in unending variations.

2 AM set of the 24 hour Ragas Live Festival at Pioneer Works 10.23.22 Qasim Naqvi (Analog Synths - New York)   Originally broadcast on WKCR-FM   Ragas Live Festival 2025 October 18-19 at Pioneer Works Ragas Live Festival  Watch more of the Ragas Live Festival videos on YouTube! Follow Ragas Live Festival

12 PM set of the 24 hour Ragas Live Festival at Pioneer Works 10.23.22   Vinay Desai (santoor) Vivek Pandya (tabla)   Originally broadcast on WKCR-FM   Ragas Live Festival 2025 October 18-19 at Pioneer Works Ragas Live Festival  Watch more of the Ragas Live Festival videos on YouTube! Follow Ragas Live Festival

9 PM set of the 24 hour Ragas Live Festival at Pioneer Works 10.14.23 Trio from the legendary ensemble Bang on a Can, performing music of Nik Bartch, Brian Eno and others.  Vicky Chow (piano) David Cossin (percussion) Mark Stewart (guiter)   Originally broadcast on WKCR-FM   Ragas Live Festival 2025 October 18-19 at Pioneer Works Ragas Live Festival  Watch more of the Ragas Live Festival videos on YouTube! Follow Ragas Live Festival

7:15 AM set of the 24 hour Ragas Live Festival at Pioneer Works 10.20.24 Namami Karmakar (singer) Dibyarka Chatterjee (tabla) Anirban Chakrabarty (harmonium)   Originally broadcast on WKCR-FM   Ragas Live Festival 2025 October 18-19 at Pioneer Works Ragas Live Festival  Watch more of the Ragas Live Festival videos on YouTube! Follow Ragas Live Festival

2:50 PM Set of the 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival at Pioneer Works 10.15.23 Supruli is a NYC-based choir devoted to the traditional folk and liturgical polyphonic singing tradition from Georgia Led by Carl Linich, the choir features Leo Decristoforo, Marina Decristoforo, Ezra Halleck, Sarah Kessler Wolven, Jay Laubscher, Sunny Lawrence, Sarah Leitao, Luka Linich, Sarah Mullins and Addie Grace Mahdavi

Manik Khan (sarod) + Sudhakar Vaidyanathan (tabla) pay tribute to Manik’s father, Ali Akbar Khan. 2:30 AM Set of the 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival at Pioneer Works 2022 Originally broadcast on WKCR-FM The next festival is happening 10/18-19 at Pioneer Works, tix and info at www.ragaslive.com

2:00 AM set of the 24 hour Ragas Live Festival at Pioneer Works 10.20.24 U. Rajesh (mandolin), Harshad Kanetka (tabla) and Swaminathan Selvaganesh (kanjira) at the Ragas Live Festival More details and tix for this October at Ragas Live Festival