Soweto Kinch begins a four-part journey of discovery in Harlem, a few square miles in northern Manhattan which have given the world great musical riches.
He hears from Pulitzer Prize winning novelist David Levering Lewis (author of "When Harlem Was In Vogue") about the origins of the area and visits the site of the "Tree of Hope" where superstitious musicians have touched the bark to help launch their careers.
We hear about the unique Harlem Stride style of piano jazz; visit speakeasies and the site of the famous Lincoln Theatre (which is now an Episcopalian church); and journey to Sugar Hill, the home of the Harlem Renaissance movement which saw intellectuals produce some of the area's richest writing, poetry and painting.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 2009. Show less