As the last magical notes of this summer’s Tanglewood season resonate in our souls, we will return to our normal programming schedule this month. Don’t fret, we will still get to enjoy the Boston Symphony Orchestra on Sunday evenings 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. to hold us over until next year’s Tanglewood season.
We have a great line up of holiday special programming coming up on Labor Day, September 5th. Our specials begin at 9 a.m. with Work n’ Music-A Labor Day Special. This program features music about work and workers in a variety of genres: soft rock, bluegrass, country, bebop, folk, show tunes, and more. Artists include Amy Adams, Tom Paxton, Jim Croce, Sawyer Brown, Gordon Lightfoot, Joan Baez, Jim Brickman, Hank Snow, The Silhouettes, John Denver, and many more. plus a classic comedy bit by George Carlin.
Starting at 10 a.m., we will enjoy a 2 hour special marking the 50th anniversary of the release of The Beatles' landmark album RUBBER SOUL. Producer Paul Ingles presents another in his acclaimed series of specials on Beatles' history. Over a dozen musicians, music writers and Beatles fans comment on the significance of this 1965 release by the band along with song-by-song notes on the writing and performances of each track. RUBBER SOUL was slotted at #5 in a ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE 2012 survey of the Top 500 Rock Albums of AllTime. The fun continues at 2 p.m. with Workin’: The Work Song in Jazz and Popular Music. Work songs gave laborers a way of transforming their toil into something more meaningful, of enriching their everyday lives through music. How did the influence of the work song emerge in the recordings of artists such as Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Nat Adderley, Dave Brubeck and other musicians? Jazz historian Ted Gioia, author of Work Songs, joins Night Lights for a Labor Day look at the work song's relationship to jazz and popular music. Other featured artists include Louis Armstrong (his ode to Pullman porters, "Red Cap"), Cassandra Wilson (her cover of Jimmy Webb's "Wichita Lineman") and Sting (with saxophonist Branford 4 WAMC PROGRAM GUIDE SEPTEMBER 2016 5 Marsalis joining him for the tribute to English coal-miners, "We Work the Black Seam").
Also coming up this month; WAMC will host a live debate between the candidates for New York's 19th Congressional district seat, Republican John Faso and Democrat Zephyr Teachout, on September 15th from 1-2 p.m. at The Linda in Albany. Featuring two former candidates for governor of New York, the race to replace retiring GOP Congressman Chris Gibson is one of the most closelywatched in the country in this election cycle.
Hosted by WAMC's President and CEO Dr. Alan Chartock - anchor of WAMC's daily Congressional Corner segment - the debate will be co-moderated by WAMC's Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Allison Dunne and Times Union state editor Casey Seiler, also of WMHT's NY Now. The debate will be broadcast live over WAMC's 29 radio frequencies and at wamc.org. It is free and open to the public, though reservations are required. Doors open at noon.