Saxophone player and composer Emma Rawicz and jazz pianist and bandleader Julian Joseph join Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye as they take us from a 1973 Elton John hit to music with historical links to the Deep South.
Special guest Rhiannon Giddens, the American folk musician, fiddler and banjo player, reveals the history of the bluegrass banjo, taking us from West Africa to the Americas, and the role of the transatlantic slave trade.
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Bennie and the Jets by Elton John
SilkyM by Sean Mason
They Say I’m Different by Betty Davis
Walkin’ Boss by Sam Amidon
Bapaalaay by Esukolaal
Other music in this episode:
Carnaval de Paris by Dario G
Slave to the Rhythm by Grace Jones
Dreams by Kelsey Lu
He Used to be Your Man by Lena Wilson
Freight Train by Elizabeth Cotten
Texas Hold 'Em by Beyoncé