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

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.

Brian Eno (4) - ambient music

2017-01-01: Brian Eno welcomes Jarvis to his studio to talk about his album Reflection. First, Jarvis recreates the moment Brian's concept of ambient music was born — with a nod to an earlier version of the idea, Erik Satie's 'furniture music'. Then over tea, Brian talks about his first ambient album, Music for Airports; his working process and techniques; and his fascination with the interplay between new technology and human creativity. He also emphasises the value of optimism in uncertain, revolutionary times — and the importance of experimentation and play. Then we explore more from the world of ambient music — Jarvis mentions the book/CD Ocean of Sound by David Toop. Lastly, we hear about Brian's software that recycles lyrics into profound new combinations. 

The Sundaze Service

2016-12-04: Are you feeling it? As the BBC's My Generation season reaches 1989, Jarvis takes us on a trip to a virtual acid house rave. We travel there by car following dubious directions, climb up a hill to join the party, avoid throwing a whitey, and feel bliss in the chillout zone. The whole adventure is tied together with evocative extracts from Fierce Dancing by CJ Stone. There's also a clip about the aftermath of a party, acted out by Jarvis and Padgett Powell. And we consider the legacy of this innovative producer-led music and its influence on the electronic music of today.

Marina Abramovic

2016-11-20: During an art-themed weekend across the station, Jarvis chats to performance artist Marina Abramovic. Her work explores the relationship between performer and audience, the limits of the body and the possibilities of the mind. She has just written her memoir, Walk Through Walls, and talks to Jarvis about her tough childhood; discovering art; the compulsion to create; and the discomfort of her most famous piece, The Artist Is Present (2010). She also explains how Asian meditation techniques inform her work and how she has used them to help others. Plus, we hear a recording of a speech by Leonard Cohen, in which he remembers his first steps in playing guitar and songwriting. Jarvis highlights an interesting exhibition in Paris, The Great Animal Orchestra, a celebration of art, science and the music of the natural world. And listeners suggest a song with an arty connection.

Sonic Harvest Festival

2016-10-23: Autumn is upon us, so Jarvis celebrates a 'sonic harvest festival', gathering together new music from the past six months. We revisit some odd facts about the number 23 from 2011, and Jarvis thanks the stranger who treated him to some eggs. He also pays tribute to Desmond Carrington, now retiring from a long broadcasting career. Carrington's The Music Goes Round on BBC Radio 2 strongly influenced the concept of the Sunday Service — Jarvis salutes him and his cat, Golden Paws Sam. Next there's music composed for cats: creator David Teie explains the theory behind it and later listeners submit their feline feedback. And we hear highlights of an interview with Leonard Cohen. He discusses his last album, the pleasure of collaborating with his children, spirituality, songwriting… and hummingbirds. Birthdays: Anita Roddick (considering how to be a happy person).

Yuval Noah Harari

2016-10-09: Jarvis explores some startling new ideas with author Yuval Noah Harari, who talks about his book Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow. Yuval contemplates the projects, dreams and nightmares that will shape the rest of this century, from overcoming death to creating artificial life. Are organisms really just algorithms and is life really just data processing? What's more valuable: intelligence or consciousness? What will happen to society, politics and daily life when non-conscious but highly intelligent algorithms know us better than we know ourselves? There's much to meditate on… Birthdays: John Lennon (reading his poetry), PJ Harvey (on performing live), Sharon Osbourne (on hotel hygiene) and Camille Saint-Saëns.

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.

Sleeping with MAX RICHTER

2015-12-13: With only 12 sleeps to go until Christmas, Jarvis meets contemporary classical composer Max Richter to talk about his 'lullaby for a frenetic world', Sleep.  The eight-hour piece premiered on BBC Radio 3 live from the Wellcome Collection in London, where the slumbering audience lay in beds and the musicians played in shifts. Max discusses his interest in exploring the relationship between music and the subconscious mind. Jarvis recites a dreamy snippet of Coleridge and the listeners suggest some sedative sounds of our own.  Plus: another nod to the Paris climate change talks, and on this day the last ever moonwalk took place — just how would you get to sleep on the moon? Birthdays: Jackie Clune, Jamie Foxx, Tom Verlaine and Lester Bangs. 

Mercy Mercy Me

2015-10-18: The Sisters of Mercy are playing tonight at the Roundhouse in Camden. Jarvis asks: can listeners suggest other bands named after songs, books or films? On This Day in 1922, the BBC was founded; and in 1954, the first transistor radio went on the market, transforming how people could engage with music. We hear the entire Mt Vernon and Fairway EP by The Beach Boys, a spoken word short story about a magic radio. And today is International Necktie Day. Birthdays include Martina Navratilova, Klaus Kinski, Chuck Berry, Jean-Claude Van Damme (talking about environmentalism), Anita O'Day and Rick Moody.

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.

Powerhouse

2015-03-08: It's International Women's Day, so first we appreciate some music made by women from all around the world: from Japan, Cuba, UK, France, Australia, USA, Germany and Belgium. Jarvis reads Ray Bradbury's 1953 story Powerhouse, in which a woman sheltering in a power station has a transcendent experience, understanding the divine power of machines and human connection. We also learn about the Biocomputer Music project — inspired by a dish of slime mould, Professor Eduardo Miranda has created a computer program that responds organically to piano music. And Jarvis recommends a documentary about performing powerhouse Mr James Brown. Birthdays: Angie Hart, LaMarcus Adna Thompson, Bob Brozman, Dick Hyman, Gábor Szabó, Jeffrey Eugenides (discussing character development), Gary Numan (who thinks his early fame made him reclusive) and Micky Dolenz (discussing the peculiar phenomenon of The Monkees).

Brian Eno (3) - a cappella

For the last Sunday Service before Christmas, we have a bit of an office party and hear some dubious cracker jokes. As it's the time of year for carolling, Brian Eno returns to the show to talk about his fondness for a cappella music. He shares a range of examples of sweet and strong singing without instruments. There is also a snowy story read by Iggy Pop, about a father and son's skiing trip on Christmas Eve.

An American Earworm in London

Photo by Michael Ivankay on Flickr

Jarvis is back after a trip to California, where he sang at the Disney Hall for Beck's Song-Reader project. He offers an audio postcard of his time in sunny LA, featuring music inspired by cars and driving, records he found in LA record stores and some Hollywood film music. We also talk about earworms, songs that get stuck in your head — and the lyrics of one earworm give us this week's recipe, for johnnycakes.

Stereo and Storytelling

Jarvis celebrates the work of Tom Dowd, the recording engineer and producer who innovated multi-track recording and popularised the use of stereophonic sound. He also shines a light on fantasy author Alan Garner. Jarvis reads an extract about fairies from Garner's collection of British folklore. He also reads the Grimm tale Faithful John, about a staunch stone servant and the wisdom of crows.

The Beardytron 5000 Mk II

We catch up on last week's International Record Store Day party. Craig Parkinson reads a story by Ian Rankin, a roadie's cautionary tale of a band break-up. Jarvis interviews Beardyman, who begins by explaining how his music is like that of the lyrebird. With his unique 'real-time music production system', the Beardytron 5000 Mk II, he samples vocal sounds to create amazing beatboxing electro. He's a one-man band, producer and studio! He participates in a jamma session, with Jarvis reading the lyrics to a long-lost Pulp song. The Peel W is for Wagon Christ. And today is International Health and Safety at Work Day. Birthdays: Ian Rankin, Kim Gordon, Harper Lee (a short extract from To Kill a Mockingbird), Lauren Laverne (who's recorded a message for us), Ann-Margret, Jacques Dutronc, Blossom Dearie (discussing her name), Penélope Cruz and Yves Klein (there's a spoken word track about his blue).

Record Store Day Round-Up

In honour of Record Store Day yesterday, Jarvis presents some exclusive records, both brand new singles and classic re-releases. Featuring a jazz poetry superjam by Michael Horovitz, and great TV themes from Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Star Trek and the jazz-playing puppets from Thunderbirds. A recent study has shown that new music lights up the brain's reward centre: we test whether new cover versions give your nucleus accumbens a double-whammy of pleasure. On This Day in 1989, protests began in Tiananmen Square and in 1990 Sinéad O'Connor started a lengthy run at the US number one spot. And our old-fashioned host recalls flexi discs fondly but admits that Facebook has him foxed. Birthdays: Iggy Pop (who remembers starting out and his influences), Alistair MacLean, Ira Louvin, Robert Smith (who's tougher than he looks) and Eddy Christiani.