NYC Radio Live
Live performances and in-depth conversations with extraordinary musicians, artists, writers, and thinkers from more than 40 countries. Hosted by David Ellenbogen and broadcast on WKCR 89.9 FM in New York City. Creator of the 24-hour Ragas Live Festival, which debuted as a broadcast on WKCR in 2012 and is now presented annually at Pioneer Works.
Episodes
Nov 11, 2025
Nov 11, 2025
1hr 20 min
Yuka Honda is serious about food. In fact, her famous group, Cibo Matto means "crazy food," in Italian.
Her and Nels Cline (Wilco, Consentrik Quartet) are passionate about Star Root Farm, and are organizing an all-star fundraiser featuring them with John Medeski, Billy Martin, Scott Metzger and Sean Lennon.
It's going to be on November 20th at the Bearsville Theater and it's going to be amazing!Join David and Hungry Mari as they chat food, music, and human evolution with Nels Cline and Yuka Honda.
Nov 7, 2025
Nov 7, 2025
1hr 18 min
Two weeks ago the world lost the jazz legend Jack DeJohnette, who changed music with his work with artists like Miles Davis, John and Alice Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Keith Jarrett and countless others. We spoke for over and hour and broadcast parts of this interview in 2010 for WKCR-FM, but it has remained unheard since then, and the complete conversation has never been shared.In our conversation, Jack reflects on his first time on stage as a child with T-Bone Walker, his work with folks like Sun Ra and Thelonius Monk, and the zen state he enters when he plays, tapping into what he calls the "the library of collective consciousness."
Oct 29, 2025
Oct 29, 2025
36 min
Kayhan Kalhor is one of the outstanding instrumentalists of our time. A virtuoso of the kamancheh, he has helped popularize traditional Persian music and collaborated with musicians from Yo Yo Ma and Toumani Diabate. We connect with the Grammy Award winning artist at his home in Tehran and chat music, history, and philosophyKayhan will be performing a not-to-be-missed concert at Town Hall on November 30th
Oct 24, 2025
Oct 24, 2025
1hr 3 min
Final nineteenth set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival.
Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th, 2025.
Shahid Parvez (sitar)
Nitin Mitta (tabla)
Visit Ragas Live Festival for more!
Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.
Oct 24, 2025
Oct 24, 2025
1hr 17 min
enth set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival. Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th, 2025.
L. Shankar (double violin, vocals)
Selvaganesh (kajira, mridangam)
Swaminathan Selvaganesh (kanjira)
Amit Kavthekar (tabla)
Visit Ragas Live Festival for more!
Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.
Photo Credit: Ellen Qbertpaya
Oct 24, 2025
Oct 24, 2025
14 min
Seventeenth set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival.
Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th, 2025.
Anand Avirmed (Mongolian throat singing & horsehead fiddle)
Mari Tanaka (sruti Box)
Visit Ragas Live Festival for more!
Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.
Oct 24, 2025
Oct 24, 2025
44 min
enth set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival. Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th, 2025.
Priya Purushothaman (vocal)
Pratyush Goberdhan (sarangi)
Tejas Tope (tabla)
Visit Ragas Live Festival for more!
Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.
Oct 24, 2025
Oct 24, 2025
58 min
Fifteenth set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival. Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th, 2025.
Mandolin U. Rajesh (mandolin)
Swaminathan Selvaganesh (kanjira)
Praveen Narayan (tabla)
Visit Ragas Live Festival for more!
Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.
Oct 24, 2025
Oct 24, 2025
39 min
Fourteenth set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival. Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th, 2025.
NESOM honors Allah Rakha and Zakir Hussain (tabla ensemble)
Visit Ragas Live Festival for more!
Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.
Oct 24, 2025
Oct 24, 2025
1hr 6 min
Thirteenth set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival. Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th, 2025.
Purbayan Chatterjee (sitar)
Amit Kavthekar (tabla)
Visit Ragas Live Festival for more!
Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.
Oct 24, 2025
Oct 24, 2025
51 min
Twelfth set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival. Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th, 2025.
Vinay Desai (santoor)
Vivek Pandaya (tabla)
Visit Ragas Live Festival for more!
Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.
Oct 24, 2025
Oct 24, 2025
59 min
Eleventh set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival.
Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th, 2025.
Whispering Worlds w/ Aaron Shragge (John Hassell Tribute)
Aaron Shragge -trumpet/shakuhachi/fx/composition
Luke Schwartz, guitar
Damon Banks, bass
Deric Dickens, drums
Visit Ragas Live Festival for more!
Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.
Oct 23, 2025
Oct 23, 2025
49 min
Tenth set of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival. Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th, 2025.
Radhika Samson (surbahar)
Tejas Tope (pakawaj)
Visit Ragas Live Festival for more!
Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.
Oct 23, 2025
Oct 23, 2025
59 min
Ninth of the epic 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival. Broadcast live from Pioneer Works from October 18-19th, 2025.
Vishnu Ramprasad (navtar)
Praveen Narayan (tabla)
Sriram Raman (mridangam)
Visit Ragas Live Festival for more!
Ragas Live Festival is produced by Pioneer Works in collaboration with NYC Radio Live, The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto), People of Rhythm Productions, and Brooklyn Raga Massive.
About NYC Radio Live
Perhaps one of the only radio broadcasts to blossom into a major live event (Ragas Live Festival), NYC Radio Live is the podcast/archive of the musician and producer, David Ellenbogen. As broadcast on WKCR 89.9 FM-NY, it has featured over 300 live performances, interviews with musicians from over 40 countries, and conversations with great artists, directors, writers, and thinkers. Popular episodes have included members of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Sun Ra’s bands (McCoy Tyner, Jack DeJohnette, Reggie Workman, Knoel Scott); rock stars from the Allman Brothers, Steely Dan, and The Meters (Jaimoe, Walter Becker, George Porter Jr). legends of African Music (Toumani Diabate, Hugh Masekela, Ladysmith Black Mombazo); maestros of India (Zakir Hussain, Hariprasad Chaurasia); groundbreaking composers (Terry Riley) and even award winning directors (Alex Gibney). The Ragas Live Festival was born out of these increasingly ambitious radio shows, and began in the WKCR studio in 2012 when 50 musicians volunteered to play continuous sets for 24 hours, co-creating our historic first broadcast. In 2020, the event featured over 90 artists in 15 cities and 7 countries. The festival continues today as an epic 24 hour live event at Pioneer Works, in Red Hook, Brooklyn, which is simultaneously broadcast on WKCR and podcast on NYC Radio Live. To listen to your favorite Ragas Live Festival performances and to discover much more, subscribe below.