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I usually have way too many new things to listen to or assignments that require me to dig deep into the work of a specific artist to spend much time listening to the radio. But if I had more, I’d have my dial (or more accurately, my browser) permanently set to WFMU, the brilliant freeform station in northern New Jersey. There are a lot of fantastic shows on the station, but I think the one that most pleases my sprawling aesthetic is Give the Drummer Some, which airs every Friday from 8 to 11 AM Chicago time. Host Doug Schulkind regularly stumps me with his choices, which are often obscure, but never just for obscurity’s sake. One thing I like about his show is his enthusiasm: you can hear it in every segue.
Justo Betancourt, Lo Sabemos (Fania)Agathe Max, This Silver String (Xeric)Conference Call, Poetry in Motion (Clean Feed)Mulatu Astatqe, Mulatu of Ethiopia (Worthy)Kenny & Amanda Smith Band, Live and Learn (Rebel)