Alongside comfort classics from Talking Heads, TV on the Radio, Doves, Wes Montgomery and Abdullah Ibrahim are some of the year’s most interesting newer releases from James Blake, Benjamin Booker, pôt-pot, Nirosta Steel and others.
In the 2 p.m. hour, pianist Michael Malis and Constantine Novotny perform their new album “Another Shore, Another Country” live in our studios ahead of their Concert of Colors performance on Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Hellenic Museum of Michigan.
Malis’s original song cycle is based on the poetry of C.P. Cavafy, the seminal poet of the Greek diaspora. They will also perform traditional songs in an intimate, stripped-down setting, evoking the beauty and majesty of Greece.
Malis is a recipient of Greek America Foundation’s 40 Under 40 Award. His music has been described as “downright transcendental” and he has shared the stage with luminaries such as Marcus Belgrave, Marion Hayden, Tyshawn Sorey and many others.
Novotny is a baritone who has performed with Apollo’s Fire Singers, American Bach Soloists, Audivi, and many others. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and St. John the Divine Cathedral.
Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.
In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for July 17, 2026
- “Please Go Easy With Me” — S.E. Rogie
- “Soweto” — Abdullah Ibrahim
- “(Nothing But) Flowers” — Talking Heads
- “O Tempo (Foi O Meu Mestre)” — Fabiano do Nascimento & Vittor Santos e Orquestra
- “Thinkin Bout You” — Flea
- “I Had a Dream She Took My Hand” — James Blake
- “Train on the Island” — Aldous Harding
- “I’m Confessin’ (That I Love You)” — Joe Webb
- “Bossy Nova” — Gabrielle Cavassa
- “Northern Shuffle” — Julian Lage
- “NRG” — Pigeon
- “22° Halo” — pôt-pot
- “West Side” — Studio
- “FRESH FEELING” — Nirosta Steel
- “There Goes the Fear” — Doves
- “SAME KIND OF LONELY” — Benjamin Booker
- “Province” — TV on the Radio
- “Fishbrain” — Mount Kimbie
- “Gently Trapped” — Henry Threadgill, Vijay Iyer & Dafnis Prieto
- “Open the Door” — Betty Carter
- “Four On Six (Remastered 2025)” — Wes Montgomery
- “Spellbinder” — Gabor Szabo
Listen to In The Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
