All Songs Considered: Even more songs to calm the nerves

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Songs Considered — Even More Songs to Calm the Nerves
NPR Music | Released: March 3, 2026 | Hosts: Robin Hilton & Lars Gottridge

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Episode Overview

The episode continues NPR’s ongoing “Songs to Calm the Nerves” series, presenting its third installment of carefully curated tracks for alleviating stress and anxiety. Hosts Robin Hilton and Lars Gottridge guide listeners through a diverse and evocative playlist, drawing from genres such as ambient, experimental, folk, and global music. Their conversation explores the emotional resonance and backstories behind their selections, weaving personal reflections, honest banter, and uplifting messages throughout the episode.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why We Need Calming Music (00:14–02:35)

• Personal Reflections on Coping:
  The hosts open with musings about stress, routines, and reassessing habits like drinking—connecting personal challenges to the need for soothing music.
  • Lars shares:

    “A good friend of mine said it's always a good idea to reassess your relationship with alcohol. Just kind of take a step back and, like, how do I interact with this substance? Does it help me? Does it hurt me? Does it hinder me?” (00:41, Lars Gottridge)

  • Robin emphasizes the comfort of routines and the sense of every day being an “exception” to the rules.
• Trilogy Theme:
  They acknowledge the growth of this playlist series and balance of musical moods, noting their personal comfort in both heavy and ambient music.

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2. Track-by-Track Playlist Breakdown

The Choir – “You Don’t Have To Smile”

• Why It Calms (02:35–06:12):
  • Lars introduces The Choir’s first instrumental album, “Translucence,” reflecting on their Christian rock roots and highlighting the “cathedral, swelling, ambient” textures.
  • Robin admits he wasn’t familiar with The Choir but instantly enjoys the meditative quality.

Orbital Patterns – “Can’t Tell if I’m Aw”

• Ambient Warmth (06:12–10:26):
  • Robin presents the project by Abdul Alam, describing the track as “transfixing” and pondering instrument sources.
  • Lars adds:

    “Ambient music is certainly what I feel drawn to. I have a personal playlist… ‘has the Next Song Started yet?’ …just 10, 20-minute ambient and drone tracks.” (09:42, Lars Gottridge)

Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto – “Logic Moon”

• Glitches & Resonance (10:46–16:01):
  • Lars describes the duo’s collaboration, recalling an anxious night riding the D.C. Metro, soothed by the track’s “backwards and forwards” piano and digital glitches.
  • Robin reacts to the “unnerving” digital blips:

    “It sounds like something's wrong. Like it sounds like something's broken or it's like an alarm…” (15:39, Robin Hilton)

  • Lars responds:

    “But that little water bottle… was also out of time. And I felt out of time. I felt out of sync. And here is this thing that suddenly became in sync in a strange way.” (15:50, Lars Gottridge)

Leah Bertucci – “Vap”

• Textural String Ambience (16:31–21:10):
  • Robin introduces Bertucci as a “New York-based composer, improviser,” highlighting her expansive work for strings, voice, and electronics.
  • Lars coins the term “pastoral ambient music,” likening it to soundtracks for Terrence Malick films, emphasizing the tactile, “textured” nature of the piece.

Hayden Pedigo – “Long Pond Lily”

• Bittersweet Optimism (21:10–26:32):
  • Lars shares admiration for Pedigo’s storytelling through guitar, noting the music’s comforting presence.
  • Robin reflects:

    “It's just so reassuring in a way…like optimism, but it's not blind optimism or blind idealism. …There’s something that's just like a steady, calming hand in this music.” (24:42, Robin Hilton)

  • Discussion of blending “bittersweet” feelings and fingerstyle guitar continues.

Max Richter – “All Human Beings” from Voices

• Hope & Humanity (26:42–31:45):
  • Robin highlights this album’s inspiration from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, featuring Eleanor Roosevelt’s reading.
  • Lars and Robin share earnest messages of hope:

    “I truly believe this…love always wins. Hate does not win. ...Love is always on strong, solid ground…” (31:32, Robin Hilton)

  • Lars reflects on the importance of art, prayer, and reminders of our shared humanity:

    “Reminding ourselves that we are a humanity that deserves to be loved and connected and supported is crucial.” (30:11, Lars Gottridge)

Wayne Shorter & Milton Nascimento – “Ponta de Areia (Tarja)” [from Native Dancer]

• Brazilian-Jazz Fusion (32:05–36:53):
  • Lars brings in this “chill party” record, emphasizing the cross-pollination of New York jazz with Brazilian popular music.
  • He proudly references Milton Nascimento’s vocals and the involvement of Herbie Hancock, noting the song’s feeling of “longing.”
  • Robin points out the unique blend:

    “There is sort of a New York City vibe in it…” (35:39, Robin Hilton)

Maby Fratti – “El Sol Sigue”

• Guatemalan Sonic Tapestry (37:00–41:56):
  • Robin admires Fratti’s voice, cello, and orchestration, calling it “beautiful.”
  • Lars extols the cello’s human resonance, likening her to Arthur Russell:

    “The cello is the only instrument that encompasses the entire range of the human voice... an instrument that you literally hug with your body…especially if you’re singing with the cello, what kind of resonance are you capturing?” (40:20, Lars Gottridge)

Ida – “Don’t Get Sad”

• Gentle Encouragement (41:56–46:19):
  • Lars recounts seeing Ida live, describing their music as “comfort in this world, but they’re not shying away from the things that are hurting.”
  • Robin praises the song’s “simple little images” and suggests it for a “hang in there” playlist with songs like R.E.M’s “Everybody Hurts.”
  • Memorable quote:

    “Let’s go for a walk. Put on your gloves. ...But I want them to say that to me.” (45:29, Lars Gottridge)

Henryk Górecki – “Symphony No. 3, Op. 36 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs): Lento”

• Transcendent Closure (46:50–50:54):
  • Robin closes with one of his all-time favorite pieces, highlighting its breathtaking slow build and emotional power.
  • Suggests versions by Beth Gibbons, Lisa Gerrard, and Colin Stetson, but singles out Dawn Upshaw’s performance as “the greatest all time.”
  • Lars:

    “Start with this one…But the Beth Gibbons and the Lisa Gerrard versions are also really incredible.” (50:34, Lars Gottridge)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Every day feels like an exception. We're gonna break that rule today, too.” (01:22, Robin Hilton)
• “I have a personal playlist…‘has the Next Song Started yet?’ …10, 20-minute ambient and drone tracks.” (09:42, Lars Gottridge)
• “It's a very tangible ambient music.” (20:07, Lars Gottridge, re: Leah Bertucci)
• “You feel like you're in a movie where the whole town comes together and solves a problem.” (25:34, Lars Gottridge, on Hayden Pedigo)
• “Love always wins. Hate does not win…the long fight…Love is always on strong, solid ground…” (31:32, Robin Hilton)
• “There’s going to be a lot of different ways that you’re going to do that. Some people are going to fight, some people are going to love, some people are going to make art. The point is that you do it.” (30:53, Lars Gottridge)
• “This song in particular is such a great let’s wind the party down. But let’s, like, recognize that we had a great night.” (36:32, Lars Gottridge)

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Key Timestamps

| MM:SS | Segment | |----------|---------------------------------------------------| | 00:14 | Opening quips on stress, routines, and coping | | 02:35 | The Choir – “You Don’t Have To Smile” | | 06:08 | Orbital Patterns – “Can’t Tell if I’m Aw” | | 10:46 | Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto – “Logic Moon” | | 16:31 | Leah Bertucci – “Vap” | | 21:12 | Hayden Pedigo – “Long Pond Lily” | | 26:42 | Max Richter – “All Human Beings” | | 32:05 | Wayne Shorter & Milton Nascimento – “Tarja” | | 37:00 | Maby Fratti – “El Sol Sigue” | | 41:56 | Ida – “Don’t Get Sad” | | 46:50 | Henryk Górecki – “Symphony No. 3, Lento” | | 50:54 | Closing reflections / alternate versions discussed | | 51:13 | Goodbye & acknowledgments |

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Overall Tone and Takeaways

• Genuineness, vulnerability, and humor: The hosts blend playful banter with honest, sometimes vulnerable talk about anxiety, hope, and musical healing.
• Diverse yet cohesive: The playlist and commentary flow naturally, crossing genres and borders but united by a spirit of calm and introspection.
• Actionable inspiration: Beyond listing tracks, the episode encourages listeners to develop their own routines and playlists that foster resilience.
• Enduring optimism: The closing is a hopeful affirmation that love and art help us persevere—even in turbulent times.

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For further listening, NPR’s “Songs to Calm the Nerves” playlist on both Apple Music and Spotify is recommended and continues to grow with each installment.

Transcript

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[Robin Hilton]

I saw this headline recently. It said, people are drinking like it's 2020.

[Lars Gottridge]

We are.

[Robin Hilton]

That's what the headline said. People are drinking like it's 2020. And I shared this with a friend of mine and he said, that's awesome. And I said, I don't think it's actually supposed to be a good thing.

[Lars Gottridge]

No, I'm drinking. I mean, for me, I'm drinking far less than I ever had in my adulthood.

[Robin Hilton]

Is that intentional?

[Lars Gottridge]

Yeah, it's intentional. A good friend of mine said it's always a good idea to reassess your relationship with alcohol. Just kind of take a step back and, like, how do I interact with this substance? Does it help me? Does it hurt me? Does it hinder me?

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

It. Yeah.

[Lars Gottridge]

You know, I've been thinking a lot about it the last couple years, and I, you know, I still have a beer, like on a Friday night, but that's about it.

[Robin Hilton]

You're being very good. Is that how you stay grounded then right now?

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Are you?

[Lars Gottridge]

I think so. I think it's like having routines.

[Robin Hilton]

That's true.

[Lars Gottridge]

And having things that I do regularly and then allowing yourself deviations when it's just the crisis calls for it, you know?

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

I think the problem is every day feels like an exception. We're gonna break that rule today, too.

[Lars Gottridge]

Y. Well, some days, you know, I do work for a journalism company, but some days I do try to tune out what's happening in the world, but, you know, sometimes you just can't help it, you know?

[Robin Hilton]

Around this time last year, we did an episode of All Songs Considered called Songs to Calm the Nerves, which was exactly what it sounds like. It was an extended playlist of grindcore and death metal.

[Lars Gottridge]

Hell, yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

And then a bit later last fall or so, we did More Songs to Calm the Nerves. And here we are, we're making it a trilogy. Even More Songs to Calm the Nerves. And Lars Gottridge, even though I know you do love you some grindcore and death metal, I can also count on you for the complete opposite, at least sonically.

[Lars Gottridge]

For what it is worth, I do find comfort in heavy metal.

[Robin Hilton]

I know you do too. And for this show, you've been very good to me. I thought, he's gonna bring some noisy

[Lars Gottridge]

thing on, because I did think about it. But the funny thing is, after looking at your playlist, you actually balanced me out with kind of noisier. Oh, you think? Okay, okay, we'll get to that, though.

[Robin Hilton]

All right, well, let's just start with what we've been listening to here. It's one of your picks, a band called the Choir. And this piece is called you don't have To Smile. I Can already Feel everything sort of melting away. This is a great pick. And, you know, I have to admit, I didn't know the Choir, so I did a little reading about them, and they've been doing this for a minute.

[Lars Gottridge]

The Choir has been a band since the early 80s. They've made all sorts of music, but they're ostensibly, they're a rock band. And more specifically to my growing up, and I think a lot of listeners know this, but I grew up on Christian rock, so this was a Christian rock band that I loved.

[Robin Hilton]

But they must do more sort of ambient stuff. Are they instrumental rock?

[Lars Gottridge]

This is their first instrumental album ever.

[Robin Hilton]

Oh, wow.

[Lars Gottridge]

Okay. So for the last 30, almost 40 years, it's primarily been a vehicle for the songwriting of Steve Hindalong and Darie Dougherty. And Dari has one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard. He has his own gorgeous tenor that verges on alto. It's very high and lofty and airy, and he sings songs about wonder and curiosity. And even without you hearing him sing here, you can hear that wonder and curiosity in this, like, cathedral, swelling, ambient music.

[Robin Hilton]

Well, I love this. This is a great pick and a great way to start the show off. So the album it's from is called

[Lars Gottridge]

Translucent, came out just earlier this year in January, so it's pretty brand new.

[Robin Hilton]

Oh, wow. Well, I want to follow with something that's maybe another kind of ambient Y track from an artist known as Orbital Patterns. This is a project of an artist named Abdul Alam, an electronic artist and composer based out of Michigan. He had what is. I mean, I guess I would call it an ambient album he put out last year called Imposter Syndrome. Well, actually, that came out in 2023. Last year he had an extended version of it called Extended Imposter Syndrome. And that's what I want to play a cut from. They're all pretty long. It is the extended version, after all. But I want to play a bit of one called Can't Tell if I'm Aw.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Ram. It.

[Robin Hilton]

Previous installments of music to calm the nerves. We've talked about the different kinds of songs that can, you know, lower your shoulders and slow the blood and it doesn't just have to be ambient music. There are certainly lots of different kinds of music that'll do that. But it is. I find it is what I reach for the most. Anything that can sort of lull me into a trance. And, you know, the longer the cut, the better. Because I think Stephen Thompson said in one of the episodes we did that then you don't have to get up and hit play again or skip to the next track or flip the record over or whatever.

[Lars Gottridge]

Ambient music is certainly what I feel drawn to. I have a personal playlist that I update every now and again called has the Next Song Started yet? And it's just 10, 20 minute ambient and drone tracks. This seems like a good contender for that playlist.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah, that's a great name for a playlist, actually. I just. I find this really transfixing. This is really beautifully done. And I don't really know what's. What he's making the music with either, which is something else I really love. Could be guitars, maybe it could be run through a bunch of pedals, could be synths. I'm not really sure.

[Lars Gottridge]

I actually have another song on that playlist that I was just talking about that has the next song started.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Oh, okay.

[Lars Gottridge]

It's one that's been in my life for a long time that I return to often when I need to reset my pulse.

[Robin Hilton]

Right. Clear.

[Lars Gottridge]

Yes. Yes.

[Robin Hilton]

That would be a good name for a playlist.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

Clear.

[Lars Gottridge]

It's the song Logic Moon from the album Insign, which was a collaboration between the German artist Alva Noto and the Japanese pianist and composer Ruichi Sakamoto.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Sa.

[Robin Hilton]

I'm so glad you picked this and picked something from Richie Sakamoto. Honestly, I can't believe that we didn't play anything from him on either of our.

[Lars Gottridge]

I was looking at previous episodes. It's like, why is Sakamoto not on any of the.

[Robin Hilton]

I know. I mean, his music is just so perfect for calming the nerves and he's obviously produced so much. I'm going to forgive myself for not knowing this album or. And I really don't know Alvin Noto either.

[Lars Gottridge]

They did a handful of these collaborations and all of them are stunning and beautiful and I've loved every single one of them. If this is your mode, this is a great place to be. I remember when I first moved to Washington, D.C. i didn't know anybody here. I was trying something new for myself, for somebody who grew up, you know, in the South.

[Robin Hilton]

Had you never really lived anywhere else?

[Lars Gottridge]

Never lived. Not really as an adult. You know, moved around when I was a kid, but. And so I remember I was on the metro late one night and I put this album on and this song in particular came on. And I remember watching there was like a bottle of water that had fallen to the floor and it sprung a leak and the water was just kind of like moving back and forth on the floor of this metro sort of in time with these little glitches. And I remember hearing, seeing that and hearing the glitches and then hearing Sakamoto's. It's like he's playing one note at a time and he's resolving and unresolving a chord at the same time. And everything seems to be backwards and forwards. And it. In that moment, I sort of felt like I was allowing myself to experience something new. It was calming.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah. Wow.

[Lars Gottridge]

Cause I was so full of anxiety about this place I'd never been. And I was like, suddenly I felt, oh, this is okay.

[Robin Hilton]

That's a real American beauty plastic bag floating in the air moment. Lars.

[Lars Gottridge]

Yes, I know.

[Robin Hilton]

Watching the water bottle slosh back and forth in time to this, It actually makes me appreciate this song a little bit more because I found if I had any complaint about it, I would say that the little digital glitch sounds that pulse throughout this are actually a little unnerving to me.

[Lars Gottridge]

They're a little jarring.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah.

[Lars Gottridge]

But they're so soft.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

They are.

[Robin Hilton]

But it sounds like something's wrong. Like it sounds like something's broken or it's like an alarm or something telling me.

[Lars Gottridge]

But like that little water bottle is like. That was also out of time.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah.

[Lars Gottridge]

And I felt out of time. I felt out of sync. And here is this thing that suddenly became in sync in a strange way.

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[Robin Hilton]

I actually have an artist that I think I maybe discovered on one of your many playlists that you've shared over the years. Leah Bertrucci oh yeah, I know you're a fan of hers. I guess if you had to call Leah Bertrand Bertucci any one thing as an artist. She's a saxophonist, but I mean, that's

[Lars Gottridge]

really the least of what she does.

[Robin Hilton]

It really is the least of what she does. And she's a New York based composer, improviser, makes beautiful avant garde music. She does play the saxophone, but really she writes for voice and strings and electronics and all kinds of other sounds. She's put out a number of albums and EPs over the past decade or so. But I want to play a single that she released in 2023 called Vap

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Sam Sa.

[Robin Hilton]

So no saxophone.

[Lars Gottridge]

No on this one at all.

[Robin Hilton]

All strings, violin, viola, cello. It's all performed by the Quarteto Maurice.

[Lars Gottridge]

This is what goes back to what I was saying earlier about how I was surprised how some of your picks felt noisier than what I was expecting. Because I love Leah Bertucci's music and this is the kind of music that's totally in my jam. I love, I like to call it pastoral ambient music or stuff that you can see soundtracking a Terrence Malick movie.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Maybe.

[Robin Hilton]

My all time favorite director, right? Yeah.

[Lars Gottridge]

But there's always such a tension with this kind of composition. You're doing a lot of glissando on this string strings and you're. You're screeching them.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah. You're getting the texture of the strings for sure.

[Lars Gottridge]

It's a very tangible ambient music.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Maybe.

[Robin Hilton]

Because also, as you say, it's is pastoral. There's something about it that I really love. The texture of the strings. It's like you can hear the bow dragging across them and the, you know, outside of the tone that it produces and you can hear the fingers moving on the strings and I don't know, there's a lot of humanity in that in a way for me. And yeah, I really love this.

[Lars Gottridge]

Can I change the mood like a little bit?

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Yeah.

[Lars Gottridge]

I can't help but notice that we're picking a lot of somber music. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm very much on Team Sad Songs Make Me Happy.

[Robin Hilton]

Right. I bet I know where you're going from here. I've seen your playlist here.

[Lars Gottridge]

There's a guitarist named Hayden Pedigo who I've loved for a long time. I've been following his career since he was a teenager. I've talked about him on the show many times already. But he has a new record coming out just announced today. It's called I'll Be Waving as yous Drive Away. It's out in June. And he has a new song called Long Pond Lily that I actually saw him perform last fall here in Washington D.C. he previewed a handful of new tracks when he was playing at the Songbird Music venue. And this song really stuck out to me.

[Robin Hilton]

Full disclosure, this is not where I thought you were going. We'll get to where I.

[Lars Gottridge]

Where I thought you were. Okay.

[Robin Hilton]

I know a little bit later on the show, but this is so wonderful. It is just. It's just so reassuring in a way. I don't know what else. It's like optimism, but it's not blind optimism or blind idealism. You know, it's. It's not music just to make you forget everything for a while, you know, which that's important in good kind of music too. But there's something that's just like a steady, calming hand in this music.

[Lars Gottridge]

I think that's right. And something I say about Hayden often is that he's a storyteller without words. And there are so many characters in this song. You have that acoustic guitar, you have that rippling electric guitar figure. A little drums come in. I think there's some pedal steel. I think there's some upright bass that pops through. Everything's got a little bit of a bounce to it.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Yeah.

[Lars Gottridge]

And you feel like. You feel like you're in a movie where the whole town comes together and solves a problem.

[Robin Hilton]

Everything's gonna be just fine.

[Lars Gottridge]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah. It conjures a lot of really wonderful images and they. And it's partly because of the name, you know, Long Pond Lily. Again, pastoral. It feels kind of like you're stepping into a Monet painting or something. You know, it has all those weird, wild, wonderful colors. But then also the album title, I'll Be Waving as yous Drive Away. I thought, well, maybe they're waving to try to get their attention because they're about to drive off a cliff. I don't think so.

[Lars Gottridge]

I love. That's where your mind went to first.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Bye.

[Robin Hilton]

No, wait. But you know, it's clearly someone's leaving and it's again that idea that it's okay, you're waving fondly. You know, it's okay to be sad and to say goodbye and still feel good.

[Lars Gottridge]

Yeah. It can be bittersweet.

[Robin Hilton]

Well, I know you love yourself some finger picked guitars.

[Lars Gottridge]

That's true.

[Robin Hilton]

And Hayden Pedego is one of the best. Doing it right now.

[Lars Gottridge]

I think so. Absolutely.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

You know, on the last installment of Songs to calm the Nerves, we played a little bit of Max Richter's Sleep. You know, that opus designed to put you to sleep and then guide you to sleep. And I wanted to feature all new stuff on this episode, but, you know, from different artists than we featured before. But I just had to reach for Max Richter again because I have been thinking a lot about and listening a lot to this album that he put out in 2020 called Voices. And it's just this really, I think, profoundly stirring album that is inspired and sort of about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was this document that the United nations put out not long after World War II. And the album Voices from Max Richter has a lot of really gorgeous music in it, but also a reading of the Declaration by a number of different people. And it opens with a track called All Human Beings. And the first voice you're going to hear on this cut is actually Eleanor Roosevelt, who chaired the UN Committee that drafted this.

[Narrator/Reader (Eleanor Roosevelt reading)]

I'm going to read you the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the preamble. Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. Now, therefore, the General assembly proclaims this Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common, common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive, by teaching and education, to promote respect for these rights and freedoms, and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective, effective recognition and observance. Article 1. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity.

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All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of community. Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

[Robin Hilton]

I just find this so inspiring, so uplifting. If you need a reminder that the world is a good place, full of good people trying to do good things, listen to this. Really, this whole album. And it's not just a reading like this. It is just full of really gorgeous music, too.

[Lars Gottridge]

When I saw that you were going to feature this song, I was like, man, Robin's feeling hopeful.

[Robin Hilton]

I know I put on a good game face with the whole grumpy old man thing, but I, deep in my heart, I am an optimistic, hopeful person.

[Lars Gottridge]

Yes, that's so crucial. It is so easy to give in to despair. And I am definitely one of those people who struggles with that, like, giving in despair. And like I said, I have my routines to kind of keep me steady. I am a prayerful person. So that is an important part of my, you know, keeping myself level headed. Reminding ourselves that we are a humanity that deserves to be loved and connected and supported is crucial. There's going to be a lot of different ways that you're going to do that. Some people are going to fight, some people are going to love, some people are going to make art. The point is that you do it.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah. If you could indulge me just being very earnest for a moment, I will say, and this is something that I've. I've said to my kids whenever they're worried about what they hear in the news or what's going on in the world. I say that the thing that gives me the most hope is that I, and I truly believe this is that love always wins. Hate does not win. Hate can cause lots of problems and make life very difficult for people and hurt people, but it never wins the long fight. And, you know, because hate is ultimately very brittle and hard and it's hollow and it's very unstable. It teeters and falls over eventually. Love is always on strong, solid ground, solid footing, and it's very resilient and it sense makes not feel like it, but love always wins.

[Lars Gottridge]

Amen, brother. Robin. Robin, let's play something a little bit different than everything else we've been playing.

[Robin Hilton]

Okay, now I know where I think you're going.

[Lars Gottridge]

I think I've mentioned on the show before that I have an extremely fond love and appreciation for music from Brazil on the show. And in 1975, Wayne Shorter, the great American saxophonist, did this record called Native Dancer. And he is the name on the record. But the star of the show is the Brazilian singer Milton Nascimento. It's a great record. It's incredibly influential. Esperanza Spalding has cited it as a major influence. And it's a record I come back to often. It's a great party record if you need like a chill party record. But there's one song on it that just as our colleague Stephen Thompson says, slows the blood, but also feels like it could soundtrack a late night party wind down. This is the track Tarja from Native Dancer.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Sam. God.

[Robin Hilton]

And Wayne Shorter in his saxophone actually doesn't come in until like maybe halfway through. We. We can scooch ahead here so people can hear.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Just.

[Lars Gottridge]

Okay, great.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Yeah.

[Lars Gottridge]

It's so crucial this.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Sa.

[Lars Gottridge]

Just so people know. That's Wayne Shorter on sax, Herbie Hancock on electric piano.

[Robin Hilton]

Oh, wow.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Okay.

[Lars Gottridge]

And then Milton Nascimento again singing. And you know, you don't need to know Portuguese to know what he's singing about, to know that it's beautiful. It is a song about longing, as most songs from the country of Brazil are about.

[Robin Hilton]

This is a very interesting mix of sounds. So it's not necessarily what I first think of when I think of Brazilian music. There is sort of a New York City vibe in it.

[Lars Gottridge]

This is kind of a popular thing that was happening during this time in music where a lot of New York jazz musicians wanted to make Brazilian records. And so that was happening a lot. And so he wanted to do it too, and he does. And he doesn't. Like, he got the right guy to sing, and he brought an ear to the brilliant percussionist to play on a lot of this album. He doesn't play in this song, but they kind of find this third way of music. It's not quite Brazilian popular music. It's not quite jazz. It's not quite. It's call it fusion, I guess, but fusion is just a good word for, like, when you fuse two different kinds of things together.

[Robin Hilton]

Don't know what else to call it.

[Lars Gottridge]

Yeah, yeah. So, like I said, this song in particular is such a great let's wind the party down. But let's, like, recognize that we had a great night.

[Robin Hilton]

Well, nothing calms my nerves more than everyone leaving. So I like the image of this being the final song where, like, everyone's kind of trickling out the door, except for that one person, right.

[Lars Gottridge]

Who just won't leave, won't leave just to punish her.

[Robin Hilton]

Let's go to music from Guatemala and Maby Fratti, a cellist I absolutely love. Kind of like the Leah Bertucci, you know, Maby Fracci contains multitudes. She has collaborated with so many different artists doing so many different styles of music. And again, you know, sort of like, you wouldn't just call Leah Bertucci a saxophonist. I don't think you could just call Mavi Frati a cellist. I want to play something from her solo album that she put out in 2019 called Pia sobre la Tierra, or Feet on the Ground. And this is the opening song, El Sol Sigue. That is the sun is still here.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

She just does so much with her voice, with her cello. The way it's orchestrated, the way the song sort of opens up, I think it's just beautiful.

[Lars Gottridge]

The composer and arranger Simon Parkin, once said that the cello is the only instrument that encompasses the entire range of the human voice, which, you know, is a thing that I've heard many times over the Years, Years. But I think is just true. It starts down at the low C and goes all the way up to the high C. And that is what the human voice can do.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Yeah.

[Lars Gottridge]

And you know, it's an instrument that you literally hug with your body, so you're feeling the vibrations of these strings and you are just enveloped. And especially if you're singing with the cello, what kind of resonance are you capturing? So I think about somebody like Arthur Russell. It was the first time when I really realized that the cello was made for the human voice. And I think Mapi Fateh really inhabits and inherits that kind of like Arthur Russellian world.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah, you would like Oliver Coates. Do you ever listen to him? He did the score for Aftersun.

[Lars Gottridge]

Okay.

[Robin Hilton]

That movie. He does similar things with the cello and can really coax all these incredible sounds out of it. But yeah, Mami Fratti, she does really, really gorgeous work. And I'm just so inspired by everything she does. She is such a creative spirit. Incredible art. Lars, I think you've got one more that you want to play for us.

[Lars Gottridge]

You ask me, you know, what am I doing to help settle my nerves? And, you know, I mentioned routine, but live music is a big part of that for me. It's very important for me to go see a show, even if I'm just going by myself. To be surrounded by like minded lovers of music engaging in this music communion together is very important to me. And so recently I got to see a band that I've never been able to see, but I've been listening to since college. The band Ida. Ida has been sort of reactivated a little bit. They've been doing some reunion shows.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

I was gonna ask, did they break up or they just kind of, you

[Lars Gottridge]

know, they just kind of stopped, you know, life was lifein', you know. And so I was so thrilled that they announced this tour and I saw them here at the black cat in D.C. and definitely cried.

[Robin Hilton]

Well, that's interesting because I know that the song that you want to play is called Don't Get Sad.

[Lars Gottridge]

Yes, it is a song from well youl Find Me, which originally came out in 2000. It's getting a nice box set reissue in April on Numero Group. They're recognizing that you need some comfort in this world, but they're not shying away from the things that are hurting. And that's exactly what this song is about.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Don't get sad on me don't get

[Robin Hilton]

sad

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

on me I may not have a lot of comfort to spare But I hear you. I hear you. Put on your coat and your hat and your gloves and go walking. Take one hand out of your glove on the street when you're walking and look straight ahead. Don't turn around when you're walking. Cause nothing can hurt you now. Just when you walk in.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah, those harmonies are just gorgeous. And I love just all the simple little images in this too.

[Lars Gottridge]

Yeah, the lyrics are fairly unadorned. They're just saying, let's go for a walk.

[Robin Hilton]

Put on your gloves.

[Lars Gottridge]

Yeah, let's go. Yeah. But I want them to say that to me.

[Robin Hilton]

You know, you could be very close if they would just give you a chance.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Right.

[Lars Gottridge]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

Can I come too, on this walk?

[Lars Gottridge]

I love you, Ida, so much. I'm so glad that you're back.

[Robin Hilton]

I have thought of making a mixtape or playlist of songs all about hanging in there, you know, like, maybe you got this playlist, you know, this would fit on that. You know, like REMs, everybody hurts. Peter Gabriel's Don't Give Up. I think Bill Fay's Be not so Fearful would be a good. Maybe we should do that show.

[Lars Gottridge]

Let's do that show.

[Robin Hilton]

Maybe we need to do that show. We can do that a little bit later on.

[Lars Gottridge]

And the image for the show could be the Hang in there cat. Yeah.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Oh, God.

[Robin Hilton]

Well, if people want to listen to full versions of these songs and some of them are very long, we have a playlist songs to calm the nerves that we've been adding to as we've been doing these episodes. So we'll put all of this music on there. We must be up to, I don't know, three and a half hours of music on there by now. Just because the full versions of some of These songs are 15 minutes long, you know, but if people look for that in Apple Music or Spotify, they'll find it there.

[Lars Gottridge]

We're about to add a 25 minute song right now.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

And this is one that, you know, I almost included on both of our previous episodes because it really is one of my all time favorite pieces of music of any music of any genre, but especially music that takes me away. It's from the Polish composer Henrik Goretzky. This is easily his most famous piece. It's his Symphony Number 3, Opus 36. It's known as the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. It is, yes, as you said, like maybe 20 minutes or so. Just this one section and then of course, the whole, whole symphony is much longer. This is the opening piece piece. It's called Lento.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

And.

[Robin Hilton]

And we'll just do a little bit of it here and we can come back and talk more about it.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Satan. Sa.

[Robin Hilton]

This is just a breathtaking work. You know, when it starts off the very beginning, it's so quiet, you can barely even hear it. The cellos that are playing at the beginning, and it just keeps building and building and building. And it's this sort of same line that feels like it has no beginning or end that they just keep repeating. There's something in this piece that it just feels like the very soul of the universe is opening up and revealing itself to me in the most wondrous way. And I have cried to this song so many times just from the beauty of it all.

[Lars Gottridge]

This is probably the most famous version of this piece of music. But there are two versions that came out in somewhat recent years featuring Beth Gibbons as the singer.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Right.

[Lars Gottridge]

Performing with the Polish Symphony. And then Lisa Gerard from Dead Can Dance also did a version.

[Robin Hilton]

Oh, I didn't know that.

[Lars Gottridge]

And they bring their own textures and colors to this piece of music. So start with this one. A song by Don Upshaw. It's the Goat. It's the greatest all time. But the Beth Gibbons and the Lisa Gerard versions are also really incredible.

[Robin Hilton]

I thought you were gonna say Colin Stetson. Cause he did a version, too.

[Lars Gottridge]

Oh, really?

[Robin Hilton]

Okay. Yeah, you should check that out. Really incredible. All right, Lars, thanks as always for this journey.

[Lars Gottridge]

Yeah. Are we gonna hug it out after this?

[Robin Hilton]

Absolutely. Not going to do that. But a firm handshake and thanks for everything will do.

[Lars Gottridge]

Okay, I'll take it.

[Robin Hilton]

And for NPR Music, I'm Robin Hilton. It's All Songs Considered.

[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

Jesus.

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[Interjecting Participant/Support Voice]

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