Miranda July

2017-12-03: As part of BBC 6 Music's Art Is Everywhere season, Jarvis presents an interview he did earlier in 2017 with artist Miranda July. Miranda and Artangel created the UK's first interfaith charity shop, a pop-up in a famous London department store. She talks about the thinking behind the project, how it played out in practice and the way that shoppers have taken it to their hearts. Birthdays: Ozzy Osbourne, Daryl Hannah, Nino Rota and Andy Williams. 

COMING SOON 

James Rhodes

2017-06-18: Pianist James Rhodes joins Jarvis to talk about his documentary, Geeking Glenn Gould. A lifelong fan of the Canadian classical superstar, James enthuses about Gould's recordings and genius musical mind; his prescient understanding of the future for recorded music; and his revolutionary approach to Bach. James remembers when he first became entranced by Gould, and affirms how lucky he felt to make this programme about his idol. Jarvis also asks James about his own unorthodox approach to performing and his passion for demystifying the culture of classical. Plus: an astrophysicist enables us to hear a solar flare; Sally Ride became the first US woman to launch into space, this day in 1983; Kraftwerk; and Canada 150 with Robert Lepage. And Jarvis pays tribute to the late Adam West, who was his childhood hero as Batman. Birthdays: Paul McCartney (we hear his advice to young musicians). 

James Rhodes' Spotify playlist of essential classical music is at bit.do/instrumental

A Surrealist Sunday Service

2017-06-11: Don your diving helmet and aqualung, and plunge into the depths for an encounter with 'the marvellous'. Jarvis marks the anniversary of the 1936 London International Surrealist Exhibition. Archive news reports recall the controversy surrounding the event; documentary clips tell how the artworks, found objects and 'primitive' pieces were brought together; and a lady remembers witnessing Dalí nearly dying in a diving suit as he prepared to lecture. The Surrealists used their art to access dreams and the unconscious: an unexplored part of reality. In that spirit, Jarvis tries creating his own expressive Surrealist sound piece with cut-up tape recordings courtesy of William S Burroughs. Birthdays: Barry Adamson (praising Bernard Herrmann), Jacques Cousteau (an Undersea World clip), Gene Wilder (Francophile) and Pete Murphy (on Bauhaus's greatest hit). 

Sleep Until the Dawn Comes

2017-05-07: Last night (6th May), Jarvis attended a performance of Max Richter's project 'Sleep' at Old Billingsgate Market in London. He aims to give us a flavour of the event, describing the atmosphere, sharing conversations with musicians and audience members, and ending with a drowsy meeting with Max in the morning. Max talks about the challenge of keeping in time with the slow tempo and explains how the ensemble keeps going for eight hours. This is all interspersed with somnolent music and poems, a previous interview with Max, and extracts from the radio play The Dreams. Later, we are roused by clips from International Dawn Chorus Day over on Radio 4, with a poem about the dew, an account of medieval sleep patterns and a star-fade song for the larks. Birthdays: Matt Helders, Anne Dudley (on orchestration) and Michael Rosen (midnight feasting).

Playtime with Jarvis, with Steven Johnson

2017-04-09: Inspired by his conversation with Brian Eno, Jarvis invites Steven Johnson to talk about his book Wonderland: How Play Made the Modern World. Steven tells Jarvis about how leaps forward in human knowledge have often come through our love of fun, creativity and entertainment. He starts with ancient music, bone flutes and the link between chanting and language. He shows the direct line from music boxes and player pianos to programmable music and computation. He describes how a moment of childish delight led Charles Babbage to conceive of the computer, and considers the wide-reaching influence of Daphne Oram. Looms, typewriters, calculators, bitcoin — Steven explains how technological and cultural innovation is often driven by our urge to make new music. Birthdays: Charles Baudelaire, Tom Lehrer, Hugh Hefner (making excuses), Valerie Singleton (reluctant convent girl), Seve Ballesteros (remembered by caddie Dave Musgrove) and Carl Perkins. Valete: Alessandro Alessandroni.

The Infinite Mix

2016-11-06: A tour of The Infinite Mix, an exhibition created by the Hayward Gallery and the Vinyl Factory at a former office building in central London. Audio-visual installations by 10 contemporary artists explore the interplay between sound and moving image; curator Ralph Rugoff talks about a selection of them with Jarvis. Most of the artists have composed, commissioned or remixed soundtracks that relate to the visual element of their work in surprising ways, ensuring that what you hear is just as thought-provoking as what you see. Plus, listeners choose a song in honour of America, which makes a big decision next week. Birthdays: Adolphe Sax and Mike Nichols.

States of Mind

2016-02-07: Curator Emily Sargent talks to Jarvis about States of Mind, an exhibition at the Wellcome Collection. It explores issues around consciousness, including identity, perception, synaesthesia, somnambulism and memory disorders. Throughout the show, Jarvis reads from the book which accompanies the exhibition; and the music bed comes from William Basinski's Disintegration Loop series, music archived on magnetic tape which has deteriorated rather beautifully. And listeners suggest music tracks that can alter our own states of mind. On This Day, a film premiered about a puppet who gains consciousness, Disney's Pinocchio. We also hear an extract from Stephen Hawking's recent Reith Lecture. Birthdays: Danny Goffey, Ray Mears (on his fascination with forests), Charles Dickens (Armando Iannucci enthuses about the author), King Curtis, Ashton Kutcher, Emo Philips (on visiting the school psychologist), Ossip Gabrilowitsch, Juliette Gréco and Eddie Izzard. Valete: Maurice White.

Film Music, Bees and the Sea Organ

2016-01-31: Inspired by some graceful Vivaldi on a Bond soundtrack, Jarvis asks listeners for a piece of music that we discovered thanks to a film. He shows us a strange track composed by film director and meditator David Lynch. He also reads out the traits of Aquarius, and shares a hippy record he picked up in Hamburg. On This Day, Scotch Tape was first marketed. As the weather outside is so dreich, we imagine ourselves on a warm, sunny afternoon, surrounded by the buzzing of bees. (Find out more here about BE/One a 'transcendental drone symphony' created by 40,000 bees and 12 musicians.) We're also lulled by the sound of Croatia's Sea Organ, an architectural instrument which plays music using the waves of the sea. Birthdays: Philip Glass, Phil Manzanera, John Lydon, Alan Lomax, Tallulah Bankhead, Lloyd Cole, Norman Mailer and Derek Jarman. 

DAVID EAGLEMAN

2015-11-08: Jarvis is joined by neuroscientist David Eagleman to talk about his new book The Brain: The Story of You. They discuss how human brains develop, the amazing workings of the unconscious mind, how we perceive memories in slow motion, and the idea of uploading a personality to a computer. David also discusses his role in Max Richter's Sleep project, and talks about sleep and dreams. Birthdays: Bram Stoker, Gordon Ramsay, Nerys Hughes, Alain Delon, Parker Posey, Paul McKenna, Hermann Rorschach, Rickie Lee Jones and Ken Dodd.

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6 Music Live at the British Library

2015-09-27: Ahead of this year's John Peel lecture hosted by Brian Eno, Jarvis and Mary Anne Hobbs broadcast live from the foyer of the British Library. In this special extended edition of the Sunday Service, the library's curators give Jarvis, Mary Anne and Matt Everitt unique access to the printed archives as well as taking them deep into the secret basement where the audio archives are stored. Jarvis also applies for a Reader Pass and author David Cavanagh drops by to talk about the broadcasting career of John Peel. 

He's Back

2015-09-06: Jarvis returns to the airwaves. He shares new music and tracks he's discovered over the summer holidays. On This Day, Norman Joseph Woodland was born, the inventor of bar codes. Jarvis demonstrates an app which can scan bar codes and turn them into music. Other birthdays include Van Morrison, Roger Waters, Tim Henman, Alice Sebold, Idris Elba, Nina Persson and Bernie Winters. We also remember Tony Wilson, and learn about Max Richter's eight-hour album 'Sleep', which is designed to help the listener sleep peacefully all night long.

How Music Got Free - STEPHEN WITT

2015-07-05: Journalist Stephen Witt joins Jarvis to talk about his book How Music Got Free, which traces the secret history of digital music and the ensuing piracy. They discuss: the invention of the mp3 format; the controversy about mp3 sound quality; how the music industry failed to grasp the importance of copyright-protecting files and then massively overcharged for CDs; the worker in a US CD factory who leaked nearly 2000 albums over a decade; and how we may be coming to the end of an era, as legal streaming subscription services make it much easier for listeners to access music without pirating it. Plus: On This Day, the National Health Service was created and Spam first appeared in the shops. Jarvis tells us a little more about Cornelia Parker's Magna Carta embroidery exhibit. We hear the traits of Cancer, the sign of the crab. And listeners are asked about our best festival memories. Birthdays: Aneira Thomas, Róisín Murphy, Robbie Robertson and Dolly the cloned sheep. 

This is the last Sunday Service before the summer holidays and guest presenters will be sitting in until September.

Fête de la Musique

2015-06-21: Jarvis celebrates Fête de la Musique — a day when anyone in France can play music in the street — with a sonic journey around Paris. He rifles through the racks of Parisian record stores, rummages in a vintage clothing shop, and passes un magasin de fruits et légumes. He also visits the Phonogalerie in Pigalle to view old gramophones and discuss all kinds of early playback machines with curator Jalal Aro. Plus, quotes from Jean-Paul Sartre, a jazz approach to International Yoga Day and Jane Russell tells a Hollywood version of Little Red Riding Hood. Birthdays: Jean-Paul Sartre, Lalo Schifrin, Michel Platini, Eumir Deodato, OC Smith, Jane Russell, Ray Davies, Ian McEwan, Françoise Sagan and Lana Del Rey.

Spooky Sunday Sounds

It's time to get in the mood for Hallowe'en, so we hear a horrifying story of vampirism read by Christopher Lee. Jarvis quizzes us on our knowledge of monster sounds and there's a recipe for pumpkin pie. 

The Sound of Cinema

As part of the BBC's Sound of Cinema season, Jarvis visits Pinewood Shepperton's sound effects studio to meet Foley professionals Peter Burgis and Glen Gathard. They provide him with an insight into how cinematic sound effects are created and mixed, why films require ambient sounds both big and small, and who gave the process the name of Foley. Then they draw on their vast array of props to aurally 'illustrate' a spooky story scribbled by Jarvis. On This Day, Jason Lewis finished pedalling his way around the globe, and the first talkie, The Jazz Singer, opened. This week's recipe is for apple strudel. Birthdays: Le Corbusier, Carole Lombard (a clip from 1942 film To Be or Not to Be), Glenn Branca, William Butler (remembering his first guitar), Britt Ekland (what is the enduring appeal of The Wicker Man?) and Stanley Kramer last week.

The Maudlin Megamix

With a major birthday approaching, Jarvis muses over the autumnal change in the air. He asks listeners about our must-have music for birthdays. The BBC's Sound of Cinema season gets a mention, and On This Day, Lehman Brothers imploded. We wonder whether the unearthly beauty of the glass harmonica ever really sent anyone mad. Then it's time for a 50th birthday Maudlin Megamix, during which Jarvis reads the story Forever Overhead by David Foster Wallace, about an adolescent boy taking his first tentative dive into the unknown. Today in history, Winston Churchill reminds us, was the climax of the Battle of Britain. And we cheer ourselves up with this video. This week's recipe: pizza. Birthdays: Oliver Stone (arguing that we are addicted to greed), Ben Wallers, Cannonball Adderley, Bruno Hoffmann, Sophie Dahl (on why she loves cooking) and Jimmy Carr (with a quick quip).

September 1, 2013

Jarvis returns with tales of his summer adventures! Including surviving the absolutely boiling weather; the Venice Biennale; the Big Melt in Sheffield; the End of the Road Festival; a Beck-inspired concert at the Barbican; the Despacio project in Manchester; the Rory McEwen exhibition at Kew; and at a lakeside cocktail bar, an entertainer making a surprising song choice. Today in history, World War II began — Stephen Fry recites WH Auden's poem about that day — Martha the last Passenger Pigeon died, the Cod Wars started, and Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea was published. Plus, what could replace The A-Z of Peel: perhaps recipes for Sunday lunch? Birthdays: Edgar Rice Burroughs (we learn Tarzan's language), AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (founder of Krishna Consciousness), Johann Pachelbel, Violet Carson (in character as Ena Sharples), Barry Gibb (recalling the Saturday Night Fever premiere), Bruce Foxton (on lyric-writing), Gloria Estefan and Armi Aavikko (video).

Blue Monday Recipe

Resistance is futile: let the Sunday Service flow through your circuits. The Melomics organisation created music for us using the keywords 'relaxing/Sunday/mellow': was it successful, or can the listeners do better? On This Day, the Miners' Strike ended, the second Opium War started, HSBC was founded and the opera Carmen premiered. Jarvis shares nocturnal sounds from his tropical holiday. This week, New Order's Blue Monday is 30 years old. But what were the secret ingredients of this groundbreaking hit? Its creators give us a flavour. We hear about disappointing birthdays from This American Life. Also today in history, the USA adopted The Star-Spangled Banner as its national anthem and 1933 film King Kong was released. The Peel U is for The Ukrainians. Birthdays: Robyn Hitchcock (discussing religion and belief), Tone-Lōc, Arthur Machen, Ira Glass, Jennifer Warnes, Brian Cox (contemplating Saturn), Ronald Searle (with some wise advice) and Alexander Graham Bell.

The Sound of the Underground

Celebrating 150 years of the London Underground, Jarvis takes us on an exuberant ride through the subway systems of London, Paris and beyond. There are Tube facts and a recording of Jarvis's Metro ride today. Emma Clarke explains how she became one of the voices of the Underground network. We travel further: today is the beginning of Chinese New Year, we glimpse Russia, then we reach the deepest realm there is. Back to reality with the rubbish morning commute; it's time to spice up the journey with Poems on the Underground and some naughtiness on the NY Subway. The Peel S is for The Sabres of Paradise. We take a detour into the world of chess, as On This Day Garry Kasparov was beaten by Deep Blue. We alight and our magical Tube train hurtles away. Birthdays: Bertolt Brecht, Boris Pasternak, Roberta Flack, Jerry Goldsmith, Jimmy Durante. Valete: Reg Presley.

Folsom Prison Anniversary

The Lord of Misrule's reign has ushered in the reign of the Lord Bowie! Jarvis shares some records he's acquired from his mother's house move. We investigate triskaidekaphobia, fear of the number 13. Radical spiritual teacher George Gurdjieff was born today in 1887: he believed music was one way of transcending to a higher plane of consciousness. We hear about Polari, an archaic form of gay slang. On This Day in 1968, Johnny Cash performed a legendary concert at Folsom Prison. We learn all about how it transpired and Cash's interest in prison reform. The Peel O is for Mike Oldfield — featuring an extraordinary version of Tubular Bells. Birthdays: George Gurdjieff, Suggs (whose stage name was once a graffiti tag), Edmund White (on writing gay literature), Wayne Coyne (regretting his singing skills), Bill Bailey (on his start in musical comedy) and Michael Bond (on his beloved creation, Paddington Bear).