NYC Radio Live Podcast

Perhaps one of the only radio broadcasts to blossom into a major live event (Ragas Live Festival), NYC Radio Live is the podcast/archive of the musician and producer, David Ellenbogen. As broadcast on WKCR 89.9 FM-NY, it has featured over 300 live performances, interviews with musicians from over 40 countries, and conversations with great artists, directors, writers, and thinkers.

Popular episodes have included members of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Sun Ra’s bands (McCoy Tyner, Jack DeJohnette, Reggie Workman, Knoel Scott); rock stars from the Allman Brothers, Steely Dan, and The Meters (Jaimoe, Walter Becker, George Porter Jr). legends of African Music (Toumani Diabate, Hugh Masekela, Ladysmith Black Mombazo); maestros of India (Zakir Hussain, Hariprasad Chaurasia); groundbreaking composers (Terry Riley) and even award winning directors (Alex Gibney).

The Ragas Live Festival was born out of these increasingly ambitious radio shows, and began in the WKCR studio in 2012 when 50 musicians volunteered to play continuous sets for 24 hours, co-creating our historic first broadcast. In 2020, the event featured over 90 artists in 15 cities and 7 countries. The festival continues today as an epic 24 hour live event at Pioneer Works, in Red Hook, Brooklyn, which is simultaneously broadcast on WKCR and podcast on NYC Radio Live.

To listen to your favorite Ragas Live Festival performances and to discover much more, subscribe below.

Subscribe!

Discover over 300 episodes on PodBean!

03.2019

Hariprasad Chaurasia

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.

05.31.2024

George Porter Jr of the Meters!

We hang with the legendary bassist of the Meters at his home in New Orleans! 

George Porter Jr. founded The Meters in 1965 alongside Art Neville, Leo Nocentelli and Joseph Zigaboo Modeliste. Known as one of the progenitors of funk with Sly & The Family Stone and Parliament Funkadelic, The Meters carved their own place in history with syncopated polyrhythms and grooves inherited from New Orleans’ deep African musical roots. Porter’s heavy pockets and fat notes created the rubbery bass lines behind anthems like “Cissy Strut” off the group’s self-titled 1969 debut — The Meters’ greatest commercial single that reached No. 4 on the R&B chart and No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

05.31.2024

Noura Mint Seymali, Jay Gandhi, Ehren Hanson and Jeiche Ould Chighaly - Live at WKCR Podcast 108

This was a meeting of musical royalty from Mauritania, vocalist Noura Mint Seymali, with her husband  Jeiche Ould Chighaly on fretless electric guitar collaborating for the first time with Brooklyn Raga Massive’s Jay Gandhi (bansuri flute) and Ehren Hanson (tabla).

06.15.2024

Reggie Workman

This was an incredible chance to sit down with a living legend of music: Reggie Workman.

As we recover from our legendary 24 hour Ragas Live Festival this weekend, we share two great past  episodes with talents that will be performing very soon.  We'll hear some of Awa Sangho and the BRM's All Stars blistering set as the group is set to return to the Rubin Museum of Art on  August 12th.  Hear her full set Pioneer Works here.  And we'll revisit our chat with Lech Wierzynski of the California Honeydrops who play the knitting factory tonight.  More to come!          

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 Gismonti, Bach and Keith Jarrett are all elements of his musical DNA. We hang with Derek and he treats us to some live performances and stories of how he happened upon discovering this new world of music for the guitar.           

A great discussion with Knoel Scott, a multi instrumentalist and band leader who has played with with the Sun Ra Arkestra since 1979.  Recorded backstage at the Opus 1 Festival in Maryland.  We also hear his original composition, "Harlem Nocturne," featuring Marshall Allen.  

Knoel will be back in town for this exciting show at the Town Hall on March 4th 2020

SUN RA ARKESTRA AND WILLIAM PARKER'S INSIDE SONGS OF CURTIS MAYFIELD         

This first live set is from Ragas Live 2020 Cape Town, South Africa

Derek Gripper - Guitar

Second live set is from Ragas Live 2020 Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

Dr. Toumani Diabate - kora

Ahmed Diabate - kora

Balla Diabate - kora         

The world of music has just lost the Gentle Giant, Yusef Lateef.  WKCR will celebrate his life by playing his music for 33 hours from the stroke of midnight as January 1, 2014.  His bravery and expansive musical vision is unmatched.  I was lucky enough to interview Dr. Lateef in March of 2013, his longtime collaborator Adam Rudolph joined the conversation.           

William Parker is a force in music and if you listen his words, he'll change your mind about what exactly the mystery of music might be.

He will be performing this big double bill on March 4th: SOUNDS OF JUSTICE: SUN RA ARKESTRA AND WILLIAM PARKER'S INSIDE SONGS OF CURTIS MAYFIELDi 

This is a celebration of 25 years of the Vision Festival.

We had an amazing conversation until the batteries ran out on my recorder...enjoy!