In his talk during the shows, Schwartz would hold extended monologues concerning famous pop songwriters and singers, and jazz artists. His music selections incorporated pop jazz, pop standards, big band and Broadway show tunes, augmented by music of nearly any popular style that has influenced twentieth century American tastes. His playlists reflected the "Great American Songbook" or, as Schwartz described it, "America's classical music". Traditionally, Schwartz opened each broadcast with the same secret snippet of music which he had always refused to identify until 2014, at a show at the Brooklyn Academy of Music: slightly more than a minute of "a lilting woman's voice, wordless and yet evocative, over an acoustic guitar." The voice is that of Schwartz's friend since childhood, Carly Simon; listeners had speculated that the music may have been composed by his father, but it was a joint work of his and Carly Simon's. Similarly, he closed most shows with a song from the late cabaret singer Nancy LaMott, followed by a segment from another instrumental recording by Schwartz's idol, the late Nelson Riddle, and his orchestra.