For nine years, “Overlooked” host Rob Saffer presented the “Annual Thanksgiving Tryptophanfest of Intolerable Music” as a 'public service' to get his listeners to spend holiday time with their hopefully less intolerable families. Given the abundance of intolerability lately, Saffer has decided to change the subject from intolerable music to music that’s relentless and ecstatic; ignore your family this holiday and listen to the radio! Or, if possible, listen with them.  

“The Third Annual Thanksgiving Tryptophanfest of Relentless & Ecstatic Music” will showcase music that’s ecstatic, sometimes relentlessly so. Through pieces short and long, improvised and composed, from solos to full orchestras, the program will explore musical ecstasy from a variety of perspectives: repetitive rock; avant psychedelia; minimalism in a variety of forms; maximalism; bonafide ‘classics'; and world jazz, among others. Heavy on classical music, it will also feature an interpretation of Steve Reich’s “In C” to celebrate the composer’s 90th birthday in October. 

Playlist: 

Theme: Vitus Labrusca - Ben LaMar Gay

Autoimaginary - Natural Information Society & Bitchin’ Bajas

All That Is Sold - Horse lords

Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band Part 3 - Terry Riley

Symphony #4, Op. 98, Allegro ma non troppo (Brahms) - Seguin & Chamber Orchestra of Europe

Scherzo (Holding Your Own) (Ives) - Emerson String Quartet

Double Sextet (Fast) (Reich) - eighth blackbird

Prelude No. 4 Molto allgre quasi presto (Gorecki) - Jan Lisiecki

Piano Sonata No. 30, Op. 109 (Beethoven) - Vikingur Olafsson

In C, Cells 22-27 (Riley) - Brooklyn Raga Massive

Mousa Azure - Go Organic Orchestra & Brooklyn Raga Massive

Meri Ankhon Ko Bakhshe Hain Aanso - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Rise - MF’ers, JMB & Co. 

“Overlooked” is a show focusing on overlooked and underplayed music of all varieties: jazz, improvisational, international, and other fringe music, ancient to future, familiar to rare, classic to weird. Broadcast live from Overlook Mountain in Ulster County, “Overlooked” offers programs that showcase newly released music along with others that focus on specific musical themes or history.

Host Rob Saffer is the former Executive Director and Producer of the Creative Music Foundation and Creative Music Studio. While living in Brooklyn for 25 years, he served on advisory boards for Celebrate Brooklyn! and Symphony Space. He also co-curated the Brooklyn Museum’s summer jazz series and helped found The Mingus Big Band with Mingus’s widow, Sue. Rob is also a judge for the annual Downbeat Magazine Critics Poll.