Nights for Monday 5 January 2009
Monday to Friday, 7pm - Midnight
Tonight on Summer Nights
19:10 Tim Shadbolt
The inescapable Invercargill Mayor joins us to discuss his summer plans, and to nominate his favourite summer song.
19:30 The Secret Life of Live Sound Engineers
If you've ever been at a gig and wondered what the person behind the knobs and faders actually does, you're about to find out... The job of a sound engineer can be a taxing one, involving long and late hours, difficult musicians, faulty equipment, drunken punters - everyone's got an opinion, and there is the risk of hearing loss. These are the people responsible for making the right sounds come out of the right places, and ensuring good gig-going experiences for both the performers and the audience. Kirsten Johnstone goes undercover to find out what makes this strange breed tick.
20:10 Love School
We talk to Madam Suki Tong who teaches a class called 'Love relations for life - a journey of romance,love and sexuality' at Singapore Polytechnic.
20:25 Chickenman!
What is our feathered crime-fighting friend up to now?
20:30 Windows on the World
On January the first Cuba marked the 50th anniversary of its revolution. In a two part documentary, the BBC's Alan Little analyses some of the factors that have kept Cuba alive in the public imagination over such a long period. From the iconic images of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, and the five decade-long stand-off between Cuba and the United States, to an exploration of Cuba's military exploits in Southern Africa, and the island's unique approach to diplomacy through medical aid.
21:00 Best of WOMAD - Toumani Diabate
For Kora player Toumani Diabate, fame has come not from just his virtuosity - and no one can match Toumani for sheer dexterity - but it is his incredible soulfulness, a lyricism he brings to the music that has subsequently been captured so beautifully on his albums and live performances. With his Symmetric Orchestra - the name of the group is a nod to Diabate's ongoing balancing act between the old and new - there are scorching horns, fierce percussion and even atmospheric string arrangements.
22:30 Jack Perkins Retrospective Documentary Series - Tales From the Tip Face
His years as overseer of the Nelson tip have brought Jim Hargreaves into contact with all kinds of people and their rubbish. Jack Perkins joins Jim during a busy Saturday morning down at the dump.
23:00 The Chess Records Hour hosted by Marshall Chess.
Marshall's father Leonard Chess founded Chess Records in 1950 with his brother Phil and the two soon built one of the most storied blues labels of all time. Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson and many other blues legends recorded for Chess; Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley laid down the groundwork for rock 'n' roll in the Chess Studios. A teenager at the time, Marshall Chess saw it all - vintage tracks from the Chess vaults and priceless stories from the heyday of the Chicago blues scene. Tonight - the New Years celebrations.