The Late Set

Latest Episodes:

Catch Fire with Isaiah Collier Sep 24, 2024

Show notes

Urgency is a currency for Isaiah Collier, an ambitious young saxophonist from the South Side of Chicago. We recently caught up with him at Solar Myth in Philly, where he played music from two new albums — The Almighty and The World is On Fire — that showcase his powerful working band, the Chosen Few. As much a dynamo in conversation as he is with his horn, Collier talked about stirring emotions, honoring elders, channeling energies, and his problem with the term “spiritual jazz.”

Also see:

NYT: Isaiah Collier Funnels a ‘Very Radical Time’ into a Vivid New Album

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Catch Fire, with Isaiah Collier Sep 24, 2024

Show notes

Urgency is a currency for Isaiah Collier, an ambitious young saxophonist from the South Side of Chicago. During a recent visit to Philly, he sat down with us to talk about stirring emotions, channeling energies, and his problem with the term “spiritual jazz.”

Fall Preview, with Nubya Garcia Aug 27, 2024

Show notes

Feel that rumble underfoot? It might be the stampeding onrush of new music this fall. This episode, we’re throwing a spotlight on the most anticipated albums among them — including 'Odyssey,' by tenor saxophonist Nubya Garcia.

Fall Preview with Nubya Garcia Aug 27, 2024

Show notes

Feel that rumble underfoot? It might be the stampeding onrush of new music this fall. This episode, we’re throwing a spotlight on the most anticipated albums among them, by alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, vibraphonists Patricia Brennan and Simon Moullier, pianist Kris Davis and Joe Alterman, and violinist Jenny Scheinman. We’re also talking shop with tenor saxophonist Nubya Garcia, whose aptly named Odyssey is simply undeniable. Joining us from her home in London, she reflects on transatlantic contrasts, unhurried creative intentions, and the welcome challenge of enlarging her musical canvas to epic scale.

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Creative Dancer: esperanza spalding Jul 16, 2024

Show notes

For esperanza spalding, the iconic Brazilian troubadour Milton Nascimento exerts a magical influence. So it makes sense that she describes their luminous new album, Milton + esperanza, as the realization of a dream.

Creative Dancer: esperanza spalding Jul 16, 2024

Show notes

Sixteen years ago, when esperanza spalding made her breakout second album — before she’d performed at the White House, won Best New Artist at the Grammys, or served on the music faculty at Harvard — she made a point of opening with a song by Milton Nascimento. For spalding (who stylizes her name in lowercase), the iconic Brazilian troubadour exerts an influence as deep, intense and magical as that of the late Wayne Shorter, their mutual friend. So it makes sense that spalding describes their luminous new album, Milton + esperanza, as the realization of a dream. In this episode, she explains why it was also “surreal, challenging, scary, terrifying,” and how all the elements were made to harmonize. And we’ll hear Greg and Nate’s differing opinions on Native Dancer, the Shorter-Nascimento collaboration that celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and looms as a clear precursor here.

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Rise and Shine: Julius Rodriguez Jun 18, 2024

Show notes

What should the omnivorous young jazz mainstream sound like today? One beguiling answer can be found in the music of Julius Rodriguez, a brilliant multi-instrumentalist who just released Evergreen, his second album for Verve, which synthesizes elements of jazz, R&B, gospel, funk, even electro-pop. “I see it all as different extensions of me,” Rodriguez tells us in a lively conversation that touches on his divergent aims for a studio album and a live show; the essential qualities he shares with his creative cohort; and the way that his New York upbringing now converges with his Los Angeles lifestyle, musically. We’ll also hear excerpts of an exclusive performance captured by WRTI at Notsolatin in South Philadelphia, on Rodriguez’s first tour.

More to Explore:

WRTI: Live at from Notsolatin (YouTube Premiere on Thursday, June 27 at 11 am EDT)
NY Times: A Prodigy of Jazz Clubs Explores Other Stages
NPR: Julius Rodriguez, a young pianist fusing (all) the music from inside-out

Support WRTI: https://bit.ly/2yAkaJs

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rise and Shine: Julius Rodriguez Jun 18, 2024

Show notes

What should the omnivorous young jazz mainstream sound like today? One beguiling answer can be found in the music of Julius Rodriguez, a brilliant multi-instrumentalist who just released Evergreen, his second album for Verve, which synthesizes elements of jazz, R&B, gospel, funk, even electro-pop.

Remembering Ron Miles: Bill Frisell and Rudy Royston May 21, 2024

Show notes

Ron Miles reached beyond style and into human feeling. A cornetist who nestled all kinds of complexities into his warm and welcoming music, he left us too soon — but also left a lot to remember him by. Old Main Chapel, a gorgeous trio album recorded a decade ago, is now a part of that legacy. So too are our guests this episode, guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Rudy Royston, who both knew Miles for more than 30 years. During a recent tour stop in Philly, they remembered their friend for his generosity, his soulfulness, and his fierce commitment to beauty. Like his music, their reminiscence glows with wonder, still inhabiting the present tense.

Support WRTI: https://bit.ly/2yAkaJs

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remembering Ron Miles, with Bill Frisell and Rudy Royston May 21, 2024

Show notes

Cornetist Ron Miles left us too soon — but also left a lot to remember him by. Two of his closest friends, guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Rudy Royston, do just that in this episode, which follows the release of a gorgeous archival album, Old Main Chapel.

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