The fifth hour of Blues Before Sunrise brings together a particularly wide-ranging set of recordings, beginning in jazz and ending with a sequence that places Fleetwood Mac alongside J.R. Parker and Leroy Carr. Rather than separating these artists into rigid stylistic categories, the hour presents them as part of a continuing musical conversation. The programming moves from compact jazz performances and familiar songbook material toward blues-centered vocals and a sustained Fleetwood Mac presence, closing with “Albatross.”

Cootie Williams opens with “Epistrophy,” immediately establishing a jazz-focused atmosphere. The title is followed by Cannonball Adderley’s “Two Sleepy People,” Ella Fitzgerald’s “Begin the Beguine,” Joe Williams’ “That Face,” and Wes Montgomery’s “Delilah.” These five selections give the hour an opening section shaped by major jazz artists working with material of different character. The progression is notable for its range of performers: Williams, Adderley, Fitzgerald, Joe Williams, and Montgomery do not duplicate one another’s presence, and the sequence allows changing instrumental and vocal perspectives to define the flow.

“Begin the Beguine” is a particularly important point in that opening run because it places Ella Fitzgerald’s voice within an hour that will later turn toward blues singers and a blues-rock band. Joe Williams’ “That Face” follows, keeping vocals in the foreground before Wes Montgomery’s “Delilah” changes the emphasis again. The hour’s first five recordings therefore work less as a single stylistic block than as a series of carefully placed voices and musical identities. They create room for contrast while maintaining a shared jazz orientation.

Fleetwood Mac enters with “Black Magic Woman,” beginning a five-recording sequence that gives the band a major role in the hour. “If I Loved Another Woman,” “Oh Well,” and “Jumpin’ at Shadows” follow before the final “Albatross” appears at the end of the program. This structure makes Fleetwood Mac more than a passing inclusion. Their recordings form a central arc that returns after the J.R. Parker and Leroy Carr material, providing a consistent electric thread through the second half of the hour.

The placement of Fleetwood Mac after Wes Montgomery creates one of the program’s strongest stylistic shifts. The hour does not explain the connection with historical claims that the playlist does not provide; instead, it lets proximity make the point. Jazz guitar, jazz vocals, blues singing, and a band associated here with five selections are allowed to occupy the same hour without forcing them into a single label. The programming trusts the listener to hear the contrasts and correspondences.

J.R. Parker’s four-song sequence provides another substantial center of gravity. “Wondering,” “I’m Holding On,” “I Feel Alright Again,” and “Can’t Understand” arrive after the first Fleetwood Mac run. The set gives Parker room to establish a distinct voice before the hour returns to Fleetwood Mac. Four consecutive recordings also make the sequence feel intentional: rather than using a single title as a brief transition, the hour gives the artist sustained attention.

Leroy Carr’s “Blues Before Sunrise” comes late in the program, a title whose appearance is naturally meaningful within the show’s own frame. The recording is positioned between Parker’s final selection and Fleetwood Mac’s “Albatross,” connecting the hour’s blues identity directly to its closing musical return. No additional historical argument is necessary; the placement itself makes the title an especially resonant moment.

“Albatross” ends the hour and the five-hour program. After the range of Cootie Williams, Cannonball Adderley, Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Williams, Wes Montgomery, Fleetwood Mac, J.R. Parker, and Leroy Carr, the closing selection leaves the listener with a final Fleetwood Mac statement. It is a fitting conclusion to an hour built around movement between jazz, blues, and electric blues-inflected material. The sequence remains broad without becoming scattered, because each artist is given enough space to register before the program moves on.

Hour 5 Playlist

Epistrophy — Cootie Williams

Two Sleepy People — Cannonball Adderley

Begin the Beguine — Ella Fitzgerald

That Face — Joe Williams

Delilah — Wes Montgomery

Black Magic Woman — Fleetwood Mac

If I Loved Another Woman — Fleetwood Mac

Oh Well — Fleetwood Mac

Jumpin’ at Shadows — Fleetwood Mac

Wondering — JR.Parker

I’m Holding On — JR.Parker

I Feel Alright Again — JR.Parker

Can’t Understand — JR.Parker

Blues Before Sunrise — Leroy Carr

Albatross — Fleetwood Mac