Radio - presenting and guesting

Mother of seven, Welsh, and decamped to France, Lizzie Jones and her husband still call Cardiff home. A year after they moved her parents followed. Sadly her dad Peter developed bowel cancer and as we talked was in intensive care recovering from an operation. But Lizzie was here to run on Bank Holiday Sunday, The Brecon Ultra - 42 miles from Brecon to Cardiff - all part of her training for the big run next year from the home of Rugby to the Millenium Stadium.She’s doing it to raise money for Bowel Cancer UK. After hearing her story contribute here.

Straight from the opening with First Minister Carwyn Jones, Mark Drakeford, Minister for Health and Social Services called in to the Radio Glamorgan studios. Excited, passionate and eloquent as ever, he explains his pleasure at the completion of the second phase of the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales. The hospital is a collaboration between donors, the University, the health board and Welsh Government, “an example of the long tradition of collective and cooperative ways of doing things in Wales”, said Drakeford.No stranger to the RG studios, he once again speaks with frankness and clarity about some of the difficult decisions his portfolio brings.(In March 2009 I broadcast a live interview with the team of cyclists crossing USA to raise funds for the Noah’s Ark Appeal. Catch it here.)

The S4C, nordic-noir detective series Y Gwyll/Hinterland has been a huge success, not least because it portrays a not much visited part of Wales - Ceredigion. Until now that is. Visiting film locations has always been popular but Dafydd Wyn Morgan is taking visitors by foot to some of the locations, to tread where the cast and film crews have so vividly portrayed a unique countryside, and maybe way of life.Arriving in the studio as his hero ‘Mathias’ Dafydd tells me how he got into the business and the launch of @hinterlandwalks later in the month.His choice of music to suit the theme: Chris Rea “On The Beach”, The Proclaimers “Gonna Be (500 miles), and Aled Jones “Aberystwyth”. Of course.

Fiona Bennett was born in Cardiff in 1962 and she began having piano lessons at the age of four. At fourteen, she was awarded a scholarship to study piano and music theory at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and within two years, she was a regular performer on Welsh language television and radio, singing and playing her own material.Her new album, ‘A Country Suite’ is a collection of six short pieces for piano which she composed. The music is inspired by Fiona’s love of costume dramas, especially those set in the late 19th century such as ‘Lark Rise to Candleford’ and ‘Cranford’ and each movement is a snapshot of country life during that era.You can find the fab Flash Mob video here.For the interview she chose the opening track “The Landcsape”, Barry Manilow’s ‘One Voice’ and a Maria Callas aria from ‘La Boheme’.

Unlike in England, responsibility for Health and Social Services in Wales is the personal responsibility of one man, Professor Mark Drakeford (right in picture). West-Wallian by birth, with deep and passionate roots in Wales we explored through three pieces of music his life, his job, his vision for health services in Wales. He is a compelling conversationist, moving, committed and challenging.His musical choices (not well-credited on air I am afraid) were: Parti Fronheulog singing “Ar gyfer heddiw’r bore (Faban bach)” ; Paul Robeson and “Joe Hill”; and the Dietrich Fischer-Diskau/Gerald Moore recording of Schubert’s Wintereisse, D911 “Der Leiermann”.

On the 6 November at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama there’ll be a big celebration of Adolphe Sax, the man who invented the saxaphone. As well as a star studded concert in the evening, including Amy Dickson, there’ll be master classes and a massive sax scratch performance.Two members of Aventus - Alice Atkinson and Joshua Jones came in to explain all.

His website says “Nathan Wyburn, age 24, is a Welsh Fine Art graduate who specialises mostly in creating iconic celebrity portraits and ‘Pop culture’ imagery with non-traditional mediums such as Food (Marmite on toast, ketchup, sugar, chocolate), along with other everyday items (newspaper cut outs, soil, candles, toothpaste, fake tan). And, indeed that’s what you get.A celebrity artist who holds celebrity up to the mirror - sometimes in fun, other times more seriously. And like those celebrities it was celebrity machine Britain’s Got Talent that rocketed him from art college to a fame which means that for the past four years his work has been sustaining him financially, and very nicely too I suspect.He has an exhinbition currently @thecardiffstory - there’s a press article here.His own celebrity barometer rating by the way is an astonishing 10 million YouTube hits - and growing.It’s an engaging conversation where he treats art, and his art seriously, but celebrity with a large pinch of salt - perhaps a suitable medium for a portrait of myself !Music in the theme - Charlotte Church (see picture above) and Jessica Lee Morgan sending up the idea with “I Wanna Be famous”.

Owain Wyn Evans made his TV name as a very young presenter at the BBC and has now grown into one of Wales’ celebrity weatherpeople. He’s fronting the Roath Rocks benefit gig for Ward A6 at University Hospital Wales, Cardiff - listen to Wayne Courtney and James Clode interviews here . We explore his Welsh upbringing, his passion for drums, and the perils of live hosting. Music includes two James Clode Band tracks and Georgia Ruth’s “Codi Angor”.

Wayne Courtney (of Roath Rocks, Roath Bake-Off etc) works at UHWV on Ward A6 and spends much time raising funds for the ward. He talks about their next effort and introduces us to the lineup.Headlining is the new band from James Clode who’s album “Citadel” I have played and they are attracting plaudits all round: "Totally Awesome, they rocked and stomped the Brewhouse."We get to hear amongst all the chat two tracks from the album “This Life’s Drums” and the single “I’m No Hero”. Live with just James on acoustic guitar “The One Thing” a track also on the album, and the as yet unrecorded track for a new CD “Educated”.Amazing what we get up to in the ‘production’ studio at Radio Glamorgan whilst the new one is being built.

Today’s Radio Glamorgan interviewee was Emily Cole the national coordinator of Mentrau Iaith, Cymru which supports the work of the local organisations throughout Wales promoting the Welsh language.Live from the Maes at this year’s National Eisteddfod in Llanelli we discuss the Maes, learning Welsh, her rôle and that of the organisation, the fact that’s she’s not a first-language speaker - and I get her to translate the Welsh version of the government’s advert about organ donation. We discover the importance of organ donation as she reveals that her brother had a liver transplant here at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff.All Welsh music of course: her favourite band The Super Furry Animals, and the Al Lewis Band who were to perform on the Maes later.

Stephen Wheel is nothing if not prolific. Amongst a busy life as music teacher and newish dad he has produced a new album “Cassette Records” hot on the heels of his successful “Out of the City I Can’t Sink”. That was previewed here on Radio Glamorgan.But speed hasn’t reduced his ambition, this is a full-scale production number and we hear two tracks, the first single “Invisible to the Touch” and “Watcher in the Wind” - both getting their first ever airplay.The album will be available in a very limited edition of 100 copies only: downloads from all the usual places.

ELLIE MAKES MUSIC has been described as sounding like ‘A Welsh Taylor Swift!’ or ‘Laura Marling’s Little Sister’. Two bold statements indeed, but if you knew that Ellie was complemented in the  Horizon’s Awards at this  year’s BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, an event broadcast live to millions from The Royal Albert Hall and that Ellie played her first London gig at The Houses Of Parliament with Cerys Matthews, Mark Ellen, Mark Radcliffe and Controller Radio Radio 2 & 6 Music in attendance as invited guests, then maybe, just maybe, those bold opening statements don’t seem so overblown anymore! That gig btw was arranged by non other than our own Kevin Brennan MP of MP4.ELLIE MAKES MUSIC songs are coming of age stories from the front-line of teenage life.   On her new download, ‘I Pray’ she sings about loneliness and missing somebody very special.  Her previous releases have dealt with overcoming anxiety and domestic abuse, weighty subjects indeed for someone who has only just turned 20.  Under her real name Cardiff based Ellie James has enrolled at Bath Spa University for full time studies in Commercial music.In this interview we play two tracks from her CD and the latest single “I Pray”. She’ll be back I warrant.

Bringing out your first album is a big deal. If you are the son of two of the world’s big names in music - Tony Visconti and Mary Hopkin - then the stakes and expectations are high. And Morgan Visconti has a sister - Jessica Lee Morgan - who beat him to it.Morgan is co-founder of Human, a New York music production company and he had released a commercial written for Dove as his first single “Could You”. He has also co-written an album with mum “You Look Familar”, co-produced with his sister her album “I am Not”. Oh, and he sessioned on the Davie Bowie album produced in secret by dad. He explains all from his NY studio and intros tracks from the new album (release 6 May 2014). You can preorder (this is UK link) on iTunes.

The National Museum in Cardiff currently (until 16 March) has an extraordinary exhibition by Peter Blake of his illustrations for Under Milk Wood. See it!Every afternoon they play the recording by George Martin from 1988 which features a great deal of music and performances by 40 Welsh actors including Sir Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce as 1st and 2nd Voice. Musical performances from Sir Geraint Evans, Mary Hopkin, Tom Jones, Bonnie Tyler create a unique experience with music specially written, including by Elton John.I have strung together this musical selection for today’s Radio Glamorgan show with as little interruption as possible. (Sadly there was a microphone malfunction and rather more post production than is good - but the music is fine!)When you enjoy it seek out the album and hear the whole story of Llareggub. (CD EMI 7243 5 85157 2 5) I do not get referral for the record and I would prefer you to buy from your local record shop :)

Elin Manahan Thomas was in Cardiff today to sing at St David’s Hall with the National Orchestra of Wales. A regular Cardiff visitor, she a busy career of performing, broadcasting and presenting. Her repertoire exploits her talent to “sing high and fast” which she thrilling demonstrates in the three tracks chosen to go with this interview: Iesu Annwyl with Cordydd, Je veux vivre dans le le reve, and Faint with Love by Patrick Hawes.We talk about her stella career, her avoidance of cross-over, and the benefit for singers of having babies - her second arrived last October!Great singer, fabulous recordings and charming insights. What more can one ask for?

Anne-Marie Cunningham is a GP and Clinical Lecturer in Cardiff University, interested in the use of new technologies to further medical education but not just for the sake of it. She is helping sponsor and run an NHS Hackday in Cardiff in January.We talked about her career - and what had fostered her interest in IT, computers and hacking (as well as explaining what hacking really means!). Anne-Marie is really keen that anyone involved in the NHS in Wales gets involved in the hackday - patients, doctors and other front-line personnel like physios. So, see you there?

Rhys Williams was in Cardiff performing on the previous evening, and he’d done a live gig for Jamie Owen. So he popped in and this is the result. Three tracks from his new ‘not all gloom and doom’ and very melodic new album “Great Falls”.His work ranges much wider than music so an unusually interesting guest. And a record that’ll be getting a lot of my airtime methinks.PS Don’t often get selfies to use, so for the avoidance of doubt Rhys is the less bald on on the right of the pic!

He does three days a week as a nurse at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff (Radio Glamorgan’s home) and seems to spend the rest of his life raising money. Wayne Courtney’s latest effort is a music gig to raise funds for the Philippines Typhoon victims: partly because of his many colleagues and friends from there who work at The Heath.Artists featured in this clip are Davy Cartwright, Calum Ross and Krystal Mills and the Rhinestones. But there are lots more.And we talk about other events including the Great Roath Bakeoff - yes cakes!

Well, the content includes me plus clips from some 2013 interviews, snatches of brass band, folk and rock music, dedications etc, all brilliantly edited by Christian at Space Studios Twitter @spacestudiosltd . He can’t be blamed for the sound quality, let alone the content. But it’s amazing how he can eradicate bleepers with a razor blade ....