The Music Show

Anita O'Day was a jazz singer who lived 'the jazz life'. She's been compared to people like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald: an incredible singer, storyteller, and a deeply troubled drug user and alcoholic.  Despite the turmoil of her personal life, she's one of the most precise singers of her generation, on the beat and right in tune for every note. 
Author James Gavin, who knew O'Day, returns to The Music Show with his fresh biography, Cool Heat: Anita O’Day and Her Dangerous Jazz Life.
Music heard in the show: 
Title: Let Me Off UptownArtist: Gene Krupa Orchestra, Roy Eldridge, Anita O’DayComposer: Bostic, Earl; Evans, ReddAlbum: Let Me Off UptownLabel: Okeh
Title: Tea For TwoArtist: Anita O’DayComposer: Youmans, VincentAlbum: Anita O’Day At Mister Kelly’sLabel: Verve
Title: What Is This Thing Called Love?Artist: Anita O’DayComposer: Porter, ColeAlbum: Anita O'Day Swings Cole Porter with Billy MayLabel: Verve
Title: Angel EyesArtist: Anita O’Day, Johnny MandelComposer: Brent, Earl; Dennis, Matt Album: Waiter, Make Mine BluesLabel: Verve
Title: Don't ExplainArtist: Anita O’Day, Johnny MandelComposer: Holiday, Billie; Herzog, Arthur Jr.Album: Travelin' LightLabel: Verve
Title: Boogie Blues Artist: Anita O’Day, Gary McFarland OrchestraComposer: Krupa, Gene; Biondi, RayAlbum: All the Sad Young MenLabel: Verve
Title: Old Devil MoonArtist: Anita O’DayComposer: Harburg, Yip; Lane, BurtonAlbum: Mello'dayLabel:  GNP Crescendo
Title: In A Mellow ToneArtist: Anita O’DayComposer: Ellington, Duke; Gabler, MiltAlbum: In A Mellow ToneLabel: DRG
The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country
Technical production by Emrys Cronin and Ross Richardson

American composer William Basinski's very long and much celebrated avant-garde electronic work The Disintegration Loops was born from the gradual decay of magnetic tape. It was created over a month in August and September 2001, during which time Basinski witnessed the collapse of the World Trade Centre from his New York apartment. 25 years later, the piece is being presented in its entirety in Melbourne, with Basinski hosting a sleepover of sorts as part of the Now or Never Festival.
Will Swenson has been part of many Broadway revival casts - from Hair to Les Misérables to Assassins - but playing Neil Diamond in his prime is a different sort of revival. He joins Andy to talk about the jukebox musical A Beautiful Noise, and getting the real Neil's blessing.
And we remember Glen Hansard, the Irish musician, actor and co-composer of the Oscar-winning film Once and its stage adaptation, who has died at the age of 56. 
Plus it's National Poetry Month and The Music Show launches Middle of the Air for 2026, our competition in partnership with Red Room Poetry. Throughout August entries are open to submit a poem, which may be chosen by newly-announced partner artists Missy Higgins and Ziggy Ramo to transform into two new songs. 
Music heard in this program:
Title: DLP 6Artist: William BasinskiComposer: William BasinskiAlbum: The Disintegration Loops IVLabel: 2062
Title: CratersArtist: Missy HigginsComposer: Missy HigginsAlbum: The Second ActLabel: Eleven
Title: BanambaArtist: Ziggy RamoComposer: Guyala Bayles, Lewis Mitchell, Macario De SouzaAlbum: Human?Label: Impressed Recordings
Title: Crunchy Granola SuiteArtist: Neil DiamondComposer: Neil DiamondAlbum: Hot August NightLabel: MCA Records
Title: I Am... I SaidArtist: Neil DiamondComposer: Neil DiamondAlbum: StonesLabel: MCA Records
Title: Kentucky WomanArtist: Will SwensonComposer: Neil DiamondAlbum: Live Performance
Title: What Happens When The Heart Just StopsArtist: The FramesComposer: Glen Hansard & The FramesAlbum: For The BirdsLabel: Little Big Music
The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country
Technical production by Emrys Cronin & Ross Richardson

The latest in our Music Now & Then series with composer Liza Lim, who first appeared on The Music Show in its early years when she was in her mid twenties, where both her youth and the 'difficulty' of her music were remarked upon. 
As her opera The Oresteia is remounted by Sydney Chamber Opera and ELISION Ensemble, Andy speaks with Liza on stage about revisiting works and ideas over more than thirty years. 
The Oresteia is staged at Sydney's Carriageworks 24-31 July.
Music heard in the show:
Title: The Oresteia: The Furies; Positions of a memory theatre (Cassandra’s Dream Song); Athena’s TrumpetArtists: Jeannie van de Velde, Julie Edwardson, Deborah Kayser, Andrew Muscat-Clark, Tyrone Landau, Grant Smith (singers), Elision Ensemble/Sandro GorliComposer: Lim, LizaAlbum: Mother TongueLabel: BR Klassik
Title: The Compass, II. – Artist: William Barton (digeridoo), Carin Levine (flute), Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Christoph PoppenComposer: Lim, LizaAlbum: Musica Viva Vol. 47Label: BR Klassik
Title: A Sutured World, IV. Simon Says. Alle Vögel fliegen hochArtist: Nicolas Altstaedt (cello), Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Edward GardnerComposer: Lim, LizaAlbum: Musica Viva Vol. 47Label: BR Klassik
The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country
Technical production by Harvey O’Sullivan, Mickey Grossman and Ann-Marie Debettencor

The Veils frontman Finn Andrews joins Andy to talk about love, death, and Sinead O'Connor, all features of their latest and aptly named album Fragile World.
Married couple Anna Maria Friman and Arve Henriksen are both Norwegian musicians who've benefited from Norway's remarkably genre-blind attitude to making music. She's a classical vocalist (one third of Trio Mediæval), he's a jazz trumpeter, and together they're teaming up with the Australian Chamber Orchestra for a program of Nordic music.
The Veils are in Melbourne and Sydney 20 & 21 August, the new album Fragile World is out now.
From Winter's Stillness with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Trio Mediæval and Arve Henrikson is on tour around Australia 25 July - 9 August.
Music heard in the show:
Title: Lungs, Aurora, Little White Bird, High HopesArtist: The VeilsComposer: Andrews, FinnAlbum: Fragile WorldLabel: V2 Records
Title: Det lisle bånetArtist: Trio MediævalComposer: Trad.Album: Folk SongsLabel: ECM Records
Title: AcceptanceArtist: Arve HenriksenComposer: Henriksen, ArveAlbum: Mental FatigueLabel: Arve Maria Music
Title: St Magnus Hymn (Nobilis Humilis)Artist: Arve Henriksen, Trio MediævalComposer: Trad.Album: RímurLabel: ECM Records
The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country
Technical production by Harvey O’Sullivan, Mickey Grossman and Ann-Marie Debettencor

Ziggy Ramo, Leah Senior, and Kate Fagan join Andy to talk about the art of turning poetry into song.
Recorded live at the 2026 Sydney Writers' Festival, in partnership with Red Room Poetry.
Songs performed live:
Ziggy Ramo: Little Things (after Kev Carmody and Paul Kelly)
Leah Senior: The Arbour (text by Giles Watson)
Kate Fagan: Child Upon the Road (Kate Fagan, based on Child Ballad #3, The False Knight Upon the Road)
The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country
Technical production by Antonia Gauci and Harvey O'Sullivan