Explore every episode of the podcast The Late Set
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coltrane 100, with Steve Rowland | 15 Sep 2026 | 01:16:57 | |
John Coltrane’s centennial has brought a flurry of tributes and testimonials, along with archival discoveries. At WRTI, we’re gearing up for “A Love Park Supreme,” a weeklong celebration in the city that Coltrane called home. And here at The Late Set, we’re doing what we do best: digging into an enlightened conversation. Our guest is Peabody Award-winning oral historian and producer Steve Rowland, creator of the five-hour audio documentary Tell Me How Long Trane's Been Gone, which is rebroadcasting on WRTI the week of Sept. 21, one hour at a time. Rowland, an alumnus of Temple University and WRTI, has incisive things to say about Coltrane’s spiritual quest and creative legacy, and how we can best remember him today. Chapters
The Late Set is a production of WRTI and made possible by WRTI members. Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wrtimusic Subscribe to our YouTube: youtube.com/@WRTImusic Write us an email: editor@wrti.org | |||
| A Voice for Jazz, with Rhonda Hamilton | 01 Sep 2026 | 01:10:17 | |
Jazz radio has never had a better friend than Rhonda Hamilton. During a broadcasting career spanning nearly 50 years, she’s brought the music to a worldwide audience with her trademark warmth, integrity and composure. This year she received a fitting honor: the A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship for Jazz Advocacy, which she’ll formally receive on Sept. 15 during a gala concert at Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles. She’ll be in fine company there: the 2026 class of honorees also includes drummer and percussionist Airto Moreira; keyboardist, vocalist and producer Patrice Rushen; and singer, songwriter and bandleader Carmen Lundy. Rhonda is now on the air at KKJZ-FM in Southern California, but during her longtime tenure at Newark Public Radio, she worked with Josh Jackson, Nate Chinen and our producer, Alex Ariff. We were all delighted to reconnect with her in a conversation brimming with insights from one of our very best. Chapters
Learn more about WRTI’s John Coltrane @100 celebration: wrti.org Want to support The Late Set? Become a WRTI member: wrti.org/donate Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wrtimusic Subscribe to our YouTube: youtube.com/@WRTImusic Write us an email: editor@wrti.org | |||
| Sabotage the Plan, with SML | 18 Aug 2026 | 01:02:15 | |
When SML dropped its 2024 debut, the group’s admixture of loopy groove, staticky texture and shifting timbre came on like a transmission from the outer reaches. Behind the music was a method: rangy collective improv whittled down to size, based on a trove of live tape. SML has released two more albums since, the latest of which, Spontaneous Music Live, consists of two unedited long performances rooted in real-time interplay. For this episode, three of SML’s five members — bassist Anna Butterss, saxophonist Josh Johnson and synthesist Jeremiah Chiu — joined Julian Booker, WRTI’s Associate Program Director for Jazz, to talk about their commitment to shared discovery. (The others are guitarist Gregory Uhlmann and percussionist Booker Stardrum.) Listen in to learn more about one of our moment’s most beguiling bands. Chapters
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| Wellspring, with DoYeon Kim | 04 Aug 2026 | 00:51:07 | |
The gayageum is a plucked Korean zither with a history that stretches to the sixth century. Its first and finest exponent in avant-garde jazz is DoYeon Kim, whose spellbinding debut, Wellspring, reveals a fiercely original voice (in more than one sense). Before a recent show presented by Ars Nova Workshop and the Doris Duke Foundation, Kim joined us to talk about tradition, translation, and the power of self-expression. She even graced us with a solo improvisation on her instrument, which has fast become a vital part of the experimental scene.
Chapters:
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| ResoNation, with Steven Bernstein | 21 Jul 2026 | 01:13:54 | |
Steven Bernstein is a known wildcard in the modern jazz game. He's a wily slide trumpeter, and the whip-smart bandleader behind both Millennial Territory Orchestra, a pugnacious little big band, and Sexmob, a go-anywhere four-piece band. So in some respects, Bernstein's latest is striking for its directness. ResoNation Trio finds him strictly on valve trumpet and flugelhorn, with a lean-and-limber rhythm team of Scott Colley on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums. True to form, Bernstein added a further twist — inviting maverick producer Scotty Hard to reconstitute the trio's recordings for the companion album Ultra Resonance, a kaleidoscopic refraction evoking both dub and electronic collage. Bernstein dropped by our studio before a recent show to talk about the jazz tradition, his drive for connection, and why this project had to happen now. Watch the full conversation on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/n3IwFJe5AiE Chapters: Want to support The Late Set? Become a WRTI member: wrti.org/donate Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wrtimusic Subscribe to our YouTube: youtube.com/@WRTImusic | |||
| The Power of Presence, with Kalia Vandever | 07 Jul 2026 | 00:50:18 | |
Mana, the new album by Kalia Vandever, takes its name from a Native Hawaiian term for spiritual energy or sacred power. It’s an intentional gesture from an artist who has long possessed the instinct of a shape-shifter. In addition to trombone, Vandever works with electronics and synthesizers on the album, as well as vocals — a first, inspired in part by their experiences with Haley Heynderickx, Japanese Breakfast and Harry Styles. Before a mesmerizing solo performance at Solar Myth, Vandever joined Nate Chinen for a conversation about myth and mystique, collaboration and solitude, and what it means to open up in new ways as an improvising artist. Chapters
Want to support The Late Set? Become a WRTI member: wrti.org/donate Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wrtimusic Subscribe to our YouTube: youtube.com/@WRTImusic Write us an email: editor@wrti.org | |||
| Universal Truth, with Emmet Cohen | 23 Jun 2026 | 00:52:03 | |
Emmet Cohen makes music for the people. That isn’t to say he panders or dumbs it down. Cohen is simply a pianist who puts connection at the center of his performance ethic, whether he’s burning down the bandstand, lighting up a livestream or laying it down in the studio. He has also made a point of seeking out his jazz elders and welcoming younger fans into the fold, all with a spirit of upbeat discovery. There’s a reason DownBeat’s July cover story bears the headline “Emmet Cohen: Messenger of Joy.” Cohen recently came through Philadelphia with his tour Miles and Coltrane at 100 and stopped by WRTI for a lively chat. Along with saxophonist Tivon Pennicott, he also performed the title suite from his new album, Universal Truth. Watch the performance of the “Universal Truth” suite: youtu.be/3O-9LYjxj88 Watch our interview with Emmet Cohen: youtu.be/N-Cps3TDKvI Chapters
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| Yeah No, with Chris Speed and Jim Black | 09 Jun 2026 | 00:51:49 | |
When Chris Speed formed Yeah No in the late 1990s, there was no lane for its hybrid style, which drew from both post-punk and post-bop, with shoegaze and Balkan klezmer folded into the mix. Speed, a multi-reedist, had intrepid partners in trumpeter Cuong Vu, bassist Skúli Sverrisson and drummer Jim Black — each a sonic visionary, and all committed to a shared band ideal. Since then, the musicians have pursued other projects in far-flung locales. So it felt momentous this spring when Yeah No kicked off a reunion tour at Solar Myth under the auspices of Ars Nova Workshop, whose inaugural show the band played more than 25 years ago. Before the performance, Speed and Black sat down for an onstage interview with Nate Chinen, whose history with the band stretches back to that era. Chapters
Special thanks to Beau Gordon, Mark Christman and the folks at Ars Nova Workshop and Solar Myth. Want to support The Late Set? Become a WRTI member: wrti.org/donate Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wrtimusic Subscribe to our YouTube: youtube.com/@WRTImusic Write us an email: editor@wrti.org | |||
| Miles Davis at 100 | 26 May 2026 | 00:51:27 | |
We’ve rarely seen a centennial celebration like the one that coalesced around Miles Davis: cover stories, deluxe reissues, luxury brand partnerships and tributes of every imaginable form. Then again, we’ve rarely seen an artist like Miles — who once credibly claimed to have “changed music four or five times.” His body of work remains a source of endless fascination. In this episode, Josh Jackson and Nate Chinen sit down to compare notes and highlights, including some of the less celebrated turns and pivots in a famously forward-thinking career. Want to support The Late Set? Become a WRTI member: wrti.org/donate Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wrtimusic Subscribe to our YouTube: youtube.com/@WRTImusic Write us an email: editor@wrti.org | |||
| Monk con Clave, with Carlos Henriquez | 12 May 2026 | 01:05:25 | |
For more than 25 years, bassist Carlos Henriquez has been the beating heart of the rhythm section in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, as well as other bands led by Wynton Marsalis. He’s done more than his share of swinging in those settings. But as a product of the Nuyorican community, Henriquez has also remained deeply rooted in clave — the pulse at the center of folkloric Afro-Latin music. In this episode, he joins Josh Jackson to discuss Monk con Clave, his dynamite new album with the JALC Orchestra, featuring special guests including pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba and percussionist Pedrito Martínez. Henriquez also reflects on his formative path through jazz education, and weighs in on a timely question of succession. Chapters
Want to support The Late Set? Become a WRTI member: wrti.org/donate Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wrtimusic Subscribe to our YouTube: youtube.com/@WRTImusic Write us an email: editor@wrti.org | |||
| Jazz is (Still) Dangerous, with Kresten Osgood | 28 Apr 2026 | 00:49:04 | |
When we declare music a “universal language,” what space do we leave for regional dialects and local customs? How has jazz evolved from a uniquely American export into a music that truly knows no borders? These and other questions hang in the air as we prepare to celebrate International Jazz Day at a moment of roiling global tensions. It feels like the right time to connect with Kresten Osgood — a Danish drummer, composer and commentator, and host of the podcast Dangerous Sounds. He joins Josh Jackson for a far-ranging conversation, sharing his perspective on the music and the mission. Following the interview, Osgood performed a solo drum improvisation. Watch here: youtu.be/arjCn6U4QRU Chapters
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| Organic Music, with Irreversible Entanglements | 14 Apr 2026 | 00:54:31 | |
Irreversible Entanglements can always be trusted to push revolutionary concerns to the fore. But the band puts just as much stock in community, as we’ll hear in this provocative and lively episode. Four of the group’s five members — vocalist Camae Ayewa (aka Moor Mother), trumpeter Aquiles Navarro, saxophonist Keir Neuringer, and bassist Luke Stewart — joined Josh Jackson at The Fabric Workshop and Museum for a listening session and public discussion of Don Cherry’s 1972 album Organic Music Society, as a tie-in to the exhibition The Living Temple: The World of Moki Cherry, presented by Ars Nova Workshop. The band also talked about Future Present Past, its knockout fifth release, and the imperative of speaking truth to power, now as ever. The band also discusses Future Present Past, its knockout fifth release, along with the enduring imperative of speaking truth to power — now as ever. Chapters
Want to support The Late Set? Become a WRTI member: wrti.org/donate Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wrtimusic Subscribe to our YouTube: youtube.com/@WRTImusic Write us an email: editor@wrti.org | |||
| dance! skip! hop!, with Tomeka Reid | 31 Mar 2026 | 00:46:12 | |
Tomeka Reid finds authority in flexibility on the cello, taking full advantage of an instrument that can be earthy or ethereal, growly or sweetly serene. Her irresistible new album — dance! skip! hop! — finds her in all of these modes and more, at the helm of her long-running quartet. During a recent visit to our studio, Reid spoke about how the album grew out of an impulse to dance. In a far-ranging conversation with Nate Chinen, she also reflects on her early cello inspirations, he impact of AACM mentors like Anthony Braxton, and her work as an educator and advocate. Chapters
Want to support The Late Set? Become a WRTI member: wrti.org/donate Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wrtimusic Subscribe to our YouTube: youtube.com/@WRTImusic Write us an email: editor@wrti.org | |||
| Banjo Without Borders: Béla Fleck | 17 Mar 2026 | 01:01:32 | |
In the hands of Béla Fleck, the banjo becomes a skeleton key — capable of unlocking almost any musical door. Among the most acclaimed artists of our era, Fleck has brought his fretboard finesse not only to bluegrass, but also to progressive fusion, chamber and orchestral works, African folk music and more. This episode finds him in the banjo parlor at Vintage Instruments, a retail and repair shop just down Broad Street from the Kimmel Center. Fleck was in town with the Flecktones, his proudly uncategorizable flagship band, and the conversation turns to musical legacies, personal histories, and how his perspective has changed — and how it hasn’t — over the course of a nearly five-decade career. Watch this interview: youtu.be/QQ4tlfSpl3Y Special thanks to Vintage Instruments: vintage-instruments.com Chapters
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| Patternmaster, with Mark Turner | 03 Mar 2026 | 00:45:39 | |
Every jazz musician strives to establish a voice. Some go further — creating a language all their own. Mark Turner is one of those artists: a tenor saxophonist with a vocabulary and syntax so personal that he’s recognizable within a single phrase. Now 60, Turner stands as a modern master — an artist whose influence on the jazz tradition can hardly be overstated. In this episode, we’re thrilled to talk with Turner about his new ECM quartet album, Patternmaster, along with some of the speculative fiction — and actual music — that inspired it. We also touch on his creative habits, the shifting parameters of the jazz tradition, and the way he and his peers have left their mark (no pun intended) on the creative landscape. Chapters
Want to support The Late Set? Become a WRTI member: wrti.org/donate Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wrtimusic Subscribe to our YouTube: youtube.com/@WRTImusic Write us an email: editor@wrti.org | |||
| Radio Repost: New Pinnacle, with Brandee Younger | 22 Feb 2026 | 00:42:45 | |
Tonight at 8 p.m., WRTI will air the latest episode of The Late Set Radio Hour featuring harpist, composer and bandleader Brandee Younger. To get you ready for the broadcast, we’re (re)sharing our original May 2025 podcast interview with Brandee, taped live before a sold-out Solar Myth show presented by Ars Nova Workshop. The broadcast features music spanning her 2025 release Gadabout Season and her re-imagining of Dorothy Ashby’s work on Brand New Life. Younger reflects on using the studio as a creative tool and embracing the harp’s full expressive range — from glissandos to groove. Host Nicole Sweeney guides us through Brandee’s profound connection to Alice Coltrane, including performing on Coltrane’s harp and collaborating with Ravi Coltrane. The episode also spotlights fellow harpist Ashley Jackson, who speaks about the spiritual resonance of Younger’s music and how these works are entering the modern harp canon. Listen Sunday at 8 p.m. on WRTI or stream the full episode online: wrti.org Want to support The Late Set? Become a WRTI member: wrti.org/donate
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| Travel the Spaceways, with Marcus J. Moore | 17 Feb 2026 | 00:42:50 | |
Search high and low, in this world and beyond, and you won’t ever find another Sun Ra. So we’re excited about the broadcast premiere of Sun Ra: Do the Impossible, a PBS American Masters documentary that sheds new light on the inexhaustibly inventive composer-bandleader, poet-philosopher, and adopted Philadelphian. Our own Nate Chinen is a commentator in the film — and so is our guest this episode, the author and critic Marcus J. Moore, who brings a multilayered appreciation of Sun Ra’s artistry to our conversation. Space is the Place! Chapters: More on Sun Ra: Do the Impossible: pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/sun-ra-do-the-impossible-documentary/37455/ Want to support The Late Set? Become a WRTI member: wrti.org/donate Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wrtimusic Subscribe to our YouTube: youtube.com/@WRTImusic Write us an email: editor@wrti.org | |||
| Grammys Recap / Dezron Douglas | 03 Feb 2026 | 01:12:24 | |
How do we feel about this year’s Grammy Awards? That’s our starting point for this episode, assessing the ins and outs of “Music’s Biggest Night.” Then it’s on to the main event: a deep-in-the-groove conversation with Dezron Douglas. Josh sat down with the tireless bassist and bandleader onstage before a recent quartet show at Solar Myth, where they premiered a batch of exciting new music. We’ll even hear a taste of that music, as we consider Douglas as a scene stalwart and community builder — and (let’s just put it out there) a shoo-in for future Grammy glory. Chapters: Want to support The Late Set? Become a WRTI member: wrti.org/donate Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wrtimusic Subscribe to our YouTube: youtube.com/@WRTImusic Write us an email: editor@wrti.org | |||
| Radio Repost: Michael Mayo's jazz vocals take flight | 26 Jan 2026 | 00:36:56 | |
When the stars align for the 68th Grammy Awards on Feb. 1, the world's attention will mostly fall on the likes of Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, and KATSEYE. But there's a sporting chance that good fortune will fall on Michael Mayo, who's in the running for two awards: Best Jazz Performance, for his suavely assured take on “Four,” and Best Jazz Vocal Album, for his second solo release, Fly. Both nominations confirm what some of us have known for a while now: Mayo is major talent, one of the most creative and commanding singers now working in the realm of improvised music. This interview was originally featured in a 2024 episode of The Late Set podcast, co-hosted by Greg Bryant and Nate Chinen. Listen back to our episode of The Late Set Radio Hour featuring excerpts from this interview, and music by Michael Mayo and his collaborators: wrti.org/jazz-archive-sunday-rotation Want to support The Late Set? Become a WRTI member: wrti.org/donate Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wrtimusic Subscribe to our YouTube: youtube.com/@WRTImusic Write us an email: editor@wrti.org | |||
| Four Freedoms, with Dave Douglas | 20 Jan 2026 | 00:55:27 | |
Freedom and form have always found active equilibrium in the music of Dave Douglas. A trumpeter, composer and bandleader of conscientious creativity, he returns with a new release, Four Freedoms, showcasing his quartet: Marta Warelis on piano, Nick Dunston on bass and Joey Baron on drums. The album draws inspiration from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 address outlining what he described as four essential human freedoms. It’s a proposition worth revisiting at this moment — for a number of reasons. Chapters
Check out Dave Douglas’ podcast, A Noise From The Deep: greenleafmusic.com/podcasts Want to support The Late Set? Become a WRTI member: wrti.org/donate Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wrtimusic Subscribe to our YouTube: youtube.com/@WRTImusic Write us an email: editor@wrti.org | |||
| Pass It Down, with Terell Stafford | 06 Jan 2026 | 01:10:06 | |
Terell Stafford upholds a radically holistic ideal as a jazz educator. At Temple University, where he serves as Director of Jazz Studies and Chair of Instrumental Studies in the Boyer College of Music, he focuses not only on producing first-rate musicians but also on cultivating a community of listeners and advocates. To hear him tell it, Stafford — a leading trumpeter, bandleader and administrator — is incorporating lessons learned from some of his own mentors, including Jimmy Heath. In all respects, his insights on jazz education are inspiring, with implications far beyond the classroom. As you’ll hear in this episode, they feel right on time. Chapters
Want to support The Late Set? Become a WRTI member: wrti.org/donate Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wrtimusic Subscribe to our YouTube: youtube.com/@WRTImusic Write us an email: editor@wrti.org | |||
| Radio Repost: Comfort and Joy with Samara Joy and Gregory Porter | 23 Dec 2025 | 00:38:14 | |
Happy Holidays from The Late Set! We’re re-running our episode featuring jazz vocalists Gregory Porter and Samara Joy. The interview comes from a The Late Set podcast called Comfort and Joy, from 2023. At the time, Christmas Wish and A Joyful Holiday had both just dropped. Former Evening Jazz host and Late Set co-host Greg Bryant and Nate Chinen connected virtually with the two artists, and were struck by their warm camaraderie — rooted in a shared foundation and a common commitment to singing their truth. You can also watch our video interview with Samara Joy, her father Antonio McLendon, and their late grandfather Elder Goldwire McLendon here: Want to support The Late Set? Become a WRTI member: wrti.org/donate
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| Holiday Gift Guide! | 09 Dec 2025 | 00:42:12 | |
‘Tis the season for giving — and receiving! As a tie-in to the WRTI Holiday Gift Guide, Josh and Nate are rummaging through their stockings to talk about some of the boxed sets and other goodies that they’re most excited about this year. Among the highlights are a pair of reissued landmarks from John Coltrane’s Impulse! discography, a boxed set focusing on the Riverside studio output of the classic Bill Evans Trio, and a 5-LP collection of oft-overlooked mid-‘60s hard bop by trumpeter Chet Baker. This episode is for the heads, or anybody who’s shopping for one. Happy Holidaze! Check out our full Holiday Gift Guide: wrti.org/wrti-spotlight/2025-11-28/2025-gift-guide-vinyl-apparel-and-more-for-jazz-and-classical-tastes Want to support The Late Set? Become a WRTI member: wrti.org/donate Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wrtimusic Write us an email: editor@wrti.org | |||
| Speak Up and Speak Out, with Johnathan Blake | 25 Nov 2025 | 00:49:57 | |
Johnathan Blake makes music as an extension of life. It’s one reason his alert and expressive drumming has lifted so many leading bands, from the Kenny Barron Quartet to the Maria Schneider Orchestra to the Kris Davis Trio. And it’s the animating principle behind his output as a solo artist, whether he’s honoring his late father on Passage or speaking out about injustice on My Life Matters, his latest release. Johnathan, born and raised in Philly, recently stopped by WRTI for a conversation with Josh Jackson about family legacy, musical priorities, and an artist’s obligation in trying times. Chapters: Want to support The Late Set? Become a WRTI member: wrti.org/donate
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| Radio Repost: Deep River with Gary Bartz | 24 Nov 2025 | 00:30:58 | |
To coincide with this Sunday’s Late Set Radio Hour (airing Sunday at 8 p.m. ET) we’re reposting our interview with Gary Bartz. More on The Late Set Radio Hour here: wrti.org/the-late-set-radio-hour Gary Bartz turned 85 this fall, and has shown no signs of slowing down. In fact, he released his first studio album in more than a decade: Damage Control, a riff on classic soul from Curtis Mayfield, Earth Wind & Fire and others, played by his band Ntu. Our interview was taped in Brooklyn during the 2024 Winter Jazzfest featuring the original Late Set hosts Nate Chinen and Greg Bryant. The conversation spans Bartz’s apprenticeship years (with everyone from Max to Mingus to Miles), his journeyman period (notably at the helm of Ntu Troop), and his master eminence as a 2024 NEA Jazz Master. The man who gave us “Music is My Sanctuary” is still out along the front line with insights to share. More to explore: More on the 2026 Winter Jazz Fest: winterjazzfest.com Want to support The Late Set? Become a WRTI member: wrti.org/donate Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wrtimusic Write us an email: editor@wrti.org | |||
| Expand and Adapt, with Mary Halvorson | 11 Nov 2025 | 00:48:08 | |
About Ghosts is the latest album from Mary Halvorson's Amaryllis, and on our short list for Album of the Year. Before a recent show at Solar Myth, Halvorson sat down with Josh Jackson to talk about her approach to composing for the group, her inspirations, and her fondness for mixology. | |||
| [EXCLUSIVE] Mary Halvorson’s Amaryllis live at Solar Myth | 07 Nov 2025 | 00:08:42 | |
Before our chat with Mary Halvorson drops Tuesday, here’s a treat — a live recording from Solar Myth with her band Amaryllis, including a brand-new WRTI exclusive: “Florid Waning.” | |||
| Charm City, with Brandon Woody | 28 Oct 2025 | 00:44:07 | |
Growing up in the Ramblewood area of northeast Baltimore, Brandon Woody could hardly have envisioned a future as one of the most heralded young trumpeter-bandleaders in jazz. But he dared to dream beyond what he could see — even after dropping out of college in New York. His 2025 Blue Note debut, For the Love of It All, introduces a powerfully emotive artist and a committed working band, Upendo, primed to represent their hometown. Woody sat down with The Late Set just after a set at the Exit Zero Jazz Festival, ready to open up and dig in. | |||
| Radio Repost: esperanza spalding on the magic of Milton Nascimento | 24 Oct 2025 | 00:42:47 | |
We're reposting Nate Chinen’s illuminating conversation with esperanza spalding, which will be featured in the inaugural episode of The Late Set Radio Hour. Tune in on Oct. 26 — Milton Nascimento's 83rd birthday. | |||
| Bebop to Cubop, with the Curtis Brothers | 14 Oct 2025 | 00:42:12 | |
Now both in their 40s, brothers Zaccai and Luques Curtis have amassed a wealth of experience, and the mentorship of elders ranging from Jackie McLean to Eddie Palmieri to Ralph Peterson, Jr..In this lively conversation at the Exit Zero Jazz Festival, the two open up about their upbringing in Hartford, Conn.; the hidden circuitries of so-called Latin Jazz; and the industrious spark that led to Zaccai’s Grammy Award-winning album Cubop Lives! | |||
| Turnkey, with Terence Blanchard | 30 Sep 2025 | 00:46:09 | |
Terence Blanchard's career has brought him to many posts, including the executive artistic director of SFJAZZ and the first Black composer at The Metropolitan opera. To each of these and beyond, he's carried his perspectives on culture and how it operates. Just before his performance at the Exit Zero Jazz Fest, Blanchard sat down with The Late Set to discuss how culture flows, and what it means to lead from a place of service. | |||
| Cool Like Dat, with Kassa Overall | 16 Sep 2025 | 00:51:19 | |
Kassa Overall's smart new album, CREAM, is a celebration of 1990s hip-hop and its classic source material within the framework of small-group acoustic jazz. He joined Nate and WRTI Evening Jazz host Nicole Sweeney to talk about it before a front-to-back performance at Solar Myth. | |||
| Newk's Time: Sonny Rollins at 95 | 02 Sep 2025 | 00:57:32 | |
Sonny Rollins is turning 95: a great excuse to toast one of our finest living jazz artists. So in this special episode of The Late Set, Josh Jackson and Nate Chinen are joined by a handful of WRTI’s on-air hosts | |||
| Listening at the Vanguard | 19 Aug 2025 | 01:01:11 | |
"Live at the Village Vanguard" is one of the most familiar phrases in the jazz discography, a marker of place and a point of pride. But why? Together we’ve logged hundreds of hours in the club, so let's talk about it. Tumble down those stairs with us and listen up! | |||
| Eyes on the Prize, with Joshua Redman | 05 Aug 2025 | 00:32:52 | |
On his fine new Blue Note album, Words Fall Short, saxophonist Joshua Redman introduces a band full of up-and-comers, including Philly’s own Nazir Ebo. This young cohort reminded us of a conversation The Late Set had with Redman in the fall of 2023. We're sharing it again with you now. | |||
| Sound Painter, with Jaleel Shaw | 22 Jul 2025 | 00:53:25 | |
Painter of the Invisible is Jaleel Shaw's first full-band album in more than a dozen years. But it's not as if Shaw, an alto and soprano saxophonist from Philadelphia, has been slacking; as he explains in this revealing episode of The Late Set, the pause had more to do with high standards and pure convictions. | |||
| Jaleel Shaw Recorded Live at Solar Myth | 18 Jul 2025 | 00:22:27 | |
Jaleel Shaw's elegy "Tamir" is vividly rendered in this exclusive live performance at Solar Myth, available exclusively on The Late Set. | |||
| Satchmo at Home, with Ricky Riccardi | 08 Jul 2025 | 01:17:09 | |
Louis Armstrong belonged to the world. But for more than half of his illustrious career, he made his home in Corona, Queens — where we recently paid a visit to the Louis Armstrong House Museum. There we sat down with Ricky Riccardi — the museum's Director of Research Collections, and a celebrated Armstrong biographer — to discuss Satchmo's life and career. | |||
| Best Jazz of 2025 (So Far) | 24 Jun 2025 | 00:37:05 | |
We’ve reached the midpoint of 2025, and listened our way through well over a hundred albums. In this episode, we’re sharing half a dozen of our favorites. | |||
| Into the Amazon, with Amaro Freitas | 10 Jun 2025 | 00:44:13 | |
Pianist-composer Amaro Freitas creates music with a vivid sense of place. His native Brazil pulses through his most recent album, Y'Y, which mixes jazz with Afro-Brazilian and indigenous music, and the sounds of the Amazon. Freitas discusses this and more with Josh Jackson, in a deeply searching conversation recorded backstage at New York's Winter Jazzfest earlier this year. | |||
| New Pinnacle, with Brandee Younger | 27 May 2025 | 01:01:38 | |
The spiritual and the sensual find common cause in the music of harpist Brandee Younger. Before a recent show at Solar Myth, she sat down with The Late Set to talk about her instrument, her cohort, and her third Impulse! release, Gadabout Season, which finds her in exceptional form. | |||
| Run the Song, with Ben Ratliff | 12 May 2025 | 01:00:16 | |
"Running and listening can illuminate each other,” argues critic Ben Ratliff in a new book, Run the Song: Writing About Running About Listening. He recently sat down to talk about the book, its back story and his listening practice with friend and colleague Nate Chinen at Solar Myth. | |||
| Lost Coast, with Jenny Scheinman | 29 Apr 2025 | 00:46:10 | |
Violinist Jenny Scheinman grew up along Northern California’s so-called Lost Coast, and she carries its rustic charm and mystique in her music — even when it assumes a form as elegant as the songs on All Species Parade, her recent double album. She talks with Josh Jackson about the album and other matters before a recent performance with her band at Solar Myth. | |||
| Pilgrimage, with Wadada Leo Smith and Vijay Iyer | 15 Apr 2025 | 01:01:31 | |
Few events embody the act of listening and receiving quite like the Big Ears Festival. In this episode, Nate reports back from the fest, and shares an interview with two artists who performed there: trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and pianist Vijay Iyer, who have a new duo album called Defiant Life. | |||
| Record Store Day Preview | 01 Apr 2025 | 00:57:12 | |
As a kickoff to Jazz Appreciation Month, we're looking ahead to Record Store Day. There's another great haul of archival releases dropping on April 12. Two of our favorites were recorded in the same room in 1967 by two amazing trumpeters, Kenny Dorham and Freddie Hubbard. | |||
| Branches and Paths, with Renee Rosnes | 18 Mar 2025 | 00:53:10 | |
Pianist Renee Rosnes has loved Brazilian music for ages, but hadn't devoted an album to it until 'Crossing Paths.' It landed in the same season as a new effort from Artemis, which she founded almost a decade ago. In this episode, Rosnes talks about both projects, and her own path from rural Canada to the heart of modern jazz. | |||
| Let Her Cook, with Endea Owens | 04 Mar 2025 | 01:02:14 | |
Bassist Endea Owens specializes in the kind of buoyant uplift that just won’t quit. You can see her putting it into practice on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, or with her band The Cookout. At the 2025 Winter Jazzfest, we talked about her TV gig, her sense of mission, and her resilient journey. | |||
| Poetry is the Process, with Aja Monet | 18 Feb 2025 | 01:14:06 | |
Aja Monet has lately breathed new life into the rich exchange between spoken word poetry and jazz. We sat down with her at the 2025 Winter Jazzfest performance, to talk about poetic practice, political necessity, and musical imperatives. Don’t miss some deep truths from one of our most committed truth-tellers. | |||
| Grammy Recap, with Natalie Weiner | 04 Feb 2025 | 00:55:59 | |
What was up with the jazz field at this year’s Grammy Awards? A big win by a legend who died three years ago? Two major awards for a Christmas release? Here to talk it all down with Nate is the esteemed critic Natalie Weiner. You won’t find a more swinging recap of Music’s Biggest Night. | |||
| Recovery, with John Clayton | 21 Jan 2025 | 00:51:34 | |
Bassist and bandleader John Clayton was in New York to receive an award when he learned that the Eaton wildfire had destroyed his home of 40 years, along with his daughter’s home and many others. He lost everything, including irreplaceable heirloom instruments. But as he tells The Late Set, speaking from temporary living quarters in L.A., he is focused on what lies ahead, and the overwhelming love and support that has flowed in from all corners. | |||