The Beat Authority

Get a leg up on the weekend with host David Sommerstein each Friday afternoon from 3:00 to 4:45 pm for the best funk, latin and other global grooves.

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NCPR News The Beat Authority (stream archive) 01/29/10
Phat beats, dope rhymes, global grooves. Here's your place to listen to the latest edition of The Beat Authority, hosted by David Sommerstein, anytime you want. This 1/29/10 edition is the lead segment of this stream. (This archive will only be available until next week's show is posted.)
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NCPR News Swimming in Speakers live on The Beat Authority 08/28/09
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The Adirondack electric/acoustic band Swimming in Speakers were live guests on The Beat Authority. Chris Clarke and his fellow band member, Meadow, brought a cellist, a viloinist and a drummer into the NCPR studios for a special live set on the show. Hear the whole interview/music segment as they perform "Nevergreen," "Near My Ear," "Mind Does Take," "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Svoboda."
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The Beat Authority Best of 2009 List
(also 2008, 2007 and 2006)


David spitballing beat-free mp3s.

Ever since I got a Fisher Price record player for Chanukkah when I was four, I've been a musical sponge. My favorite stuff is music that ventures across genres, and music that makes you dance.

David enunciating Spanish during his debut broadcast.

Globalization has been a mixed bag, but it's sure invigorated the world of music. Salsa from Israel, flamenco from east L.A., Algerian rai from Paris, hip-hop from Senegal, reggae from Morocco--artists are borrowing at will, threading the sounds they hear on TV and radio into their own traditions.

The Beat Authority is a Friday show. It's a kick into the weekend, a bounce for your afternoon, a swing for your end-of-the-week step. A fresh, eclectic choice of dance music from all over the world. You may hear cumbia or bluegrass or afrobeat or jazz, but it'll keep your head a-noddin' and your spirits up. Join in the groove and enjoy. And if you have suggestions, e-mail 'em in!

David Sommerstein

Finding Music

You can find or special order any of the music heard on this program from local music stores, including:
Northern Music & Video, Potsdam: 315-265-8100
Strawberry Fields, Potsdam: 315-265-7700
Ampersound, Saranac Lake:
518-891-3114
Peacock Music, Plattsburgh:
518-561-0555

 


Program Playlists



Urban & World Music
February 9, 2010 | NPR· teaser
 
February 8, 2010 | NPR· The gospel singer was born about 100 years ago in New Orleans, and when she was 16, she traveled the well-worn path up the Mississippi to Chicago. Beginning in the 1940s, she was one of the first singers to take gospel out of the church, drawing white audiences and selling millions of records. In the process, she inspired generations of singers.
 
February 8, 2010 | NPR· The Minneapolis rapper known as Dessa doesn't have a typical hip-hop profile, but her talent more than compensates. Maggie Wander graduated from college at 20 and then worked as a medical writer. She's an outspoken fan of Jeff Buckley. And, under the name Dessa, Wander just released a terrific hip-hop album called A Badly Broken Code.
 
February 8, 2010 | NPR· Castaneda is the sort of musician who isn't afraid to challenge the established order. He's carving out a place for himself in Latin jazz on an instrument you don't often hear in his style of music: the Colombian harp. Castaneda recently parked himself behind Bob Boilen's desk and crafted a transporting mix of tradition and improvisation.
 
February 6, 2010 | NPR· His hugely influential 1971 spoken-word piece "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" has inspired generations of imitators. Today, after multiple stints in prison, Scott-Heron returns with a more introspective collection of music: I'm New Here. It's his first new recording in 16 years.