"What are you doing to make things better?" asks a lovely British-accented voice on the intro to Gilles Peterson's weekly "Worldwide" radio show. One of the many answers Peterson can offer to that question is his latest compilation release on Ether Records, "Gilles Peterson Presents the BBC Sessions."
Avid listeners to "Worldwide" look forward to two things with unparalleled and anticipatory glee-- Peterson's famed rare-as-hen's-teeth-vinyl-only "Brownswood Basement" specials and his exclusive Maida Vale sessions. Peterson began organising the live studio sessions at Maida Vale five years ago. As the point man for underground soul and jazz music in London, many artists passing through the city make certain their schedules include a stop in to Peterson's show. Many times, those stop-ins result in an on-air interview and spins of a few cuts from an upcoming album. What may also happen, is that Peterson will invite an artist into the BBC's Maida Vale studios to record a live session and then air that session as part of "Worldwide" show. Over the past five years, it's those live sessions that give listeners a taste of the finer things in radio broadcasting-- Bjork performing with a 30-piece band; Dwele's rendition of Freddie Hubbard's classic "Red Clay" alongside jazzman Roy Hargrove; Peven Everett swooning on "Gabrielle."
Until the release of the new Ether comp, these magical
moments in radio would be available for a week through "Auntie Beeb's" on-demand service, after which they would fade into the BBC vaults and messageboard lore.
Maida Vale consists of four studios of varying size in which everyone from the BBC Symphony Orchestra to the Beatles has performed. Legendary BBC DJ John Peel made the studios famous among listeners looking to hear cutting-edge live music. Peterson continues that tradition, bringing in artists like Amp Fiddler, New York's underrated soul outfit Heavy, and London's blue-eyed soul-jazz wonder Jamie Cullum, all of whom are featured on the BBC Sessions comp.
One thing that resonates clearly through this collection is Peterson's tremendous passion for music and the spirit with which he transfers that enthusiasm to his listeners. Nowhere is that more apparent than during the Maida Vale sessions. The musicians featured on this CD convey a genuine freeness encouraged by a true champion of music.
