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 00:00 — Intro: Coltrane 100 Philly 06:30 — Steve Rowland joins the show 10:30 — Philadelphia roots & building the documentary 13:00 — Early life, faith & the August Bloom tape 24:30 — Bebop, addiction & the road to A Love Supreme 27:30 — A Love Supreme: Psalm, poetry & the saxophone-as-voice 34:00 — Alabama, civil rights & the Black Arts Movement 46:00 — Material world, spirit world & art as the bridge 49:30 — The Coltrane houses & life with Alice 1:02:00 — Legacy & takeaways The Late Set is a production of WRTI and made possible by WRTI members. wrti.org Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wrtimusic Subscribe to our YouTube: youtube.com/@WRTImusic Write us an email: editor@wrti.org
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 00:00 — Coltrane 100 Philly kickoff 02:00 — NEA Jazz Masters & this year's honorees 10:00 — Interview with Rhonda Hamilton 49:00 — Key records & jazz recommendations 55:30 — Dizzy Gillespie dinner story 1:02:30 — “This I Dig” 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
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 00:00 — Intro & welcome 01:51 — SML at Big Ears 05:49 — SML’s process: turning live tape into records 10:55 — The band, lineup & modular synths 13:01 — Interview with SML 50:15 — Back with Nate & Julian: is this jazz? 55:13 — “This I Dig” 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
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: 00:00 – Intro: South Korean jazz and the gayageum 02:15 – Meet DoYeon Kim and her groundbreaking approach 05:12 – Live from Solar Myth: Welcome and birthday surprise 06:25 – The success of Wellspring and finding a larger purpose 09:10 – Discovering the gayageum and falling in love with its sound 13:05 – Dance, movement, and Korean concepts of rhythm 16:25 – Growing up in Korea and discovering cultural identity in Canada 20:00 – Joe Morris and finding her artistic voice 23:45 – Beyond "exotic": Becoming DoYeon Kim, not just a gayageum player 27:15 – Finding her voice—literally—through improvisation 31:05 – Building Wellspring with Tyshawn Sorey, Matt Maneri & Henry Fraser 34:05 – The symbolism and history of the gayageum 36:45 – Exclusive live solo improvisation 38:35 – Post-interview reflections on Wellspring and the Solar Myth performance 41:15 – This I Dig: Josh's Provence wine recommendation 44:05 – This I Dig: Ben Goldberg's ambitious "8 by 8" album project 47:15 – Closing credits Want to support The Late Set? Become a WRTI member: wrti.org/donate Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wrtimusic Subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@WRTImusic Write us an email: editor@wrti.org
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: 00:00 – Intro: Josh & Nate catch up, remember Steven during the pandemic 03:42 – Introducing the new records: ResoNation Trio & Ultra Resonance 06:08 – Interview begins: welcoming Steven Bernstein 07:02 – Steven as "the ultimate band guy" — why it had to be Colley & Waits 08:30 – Bay Area roots: coming up around Andrew Hill, Rahsaan, the AACM 11:00 – "Spontaneous composition" and the making of ResoNation Trio 14:04 – Why now: readiness, aging, and finding his own voice 20:48 – Sequencing the album & introducing Ultra Resonance 22:33 – Dub roots: Garvey's Ghost, Scotty Hard's remix process 29:41 – Magical realism as the concept linking both albums 31:25 – Live performance: Steven plays flugelhorn ("Rotary") + the horn's history 38:55 – Learning from Levon Helm — melody, blues, and "spiritual jazz" 42:21 – Jazz education, rhythm, and drummers as the root of the music 50:20 – On legacy, influence, and Sex Mob's lasting impact 1:00:07 – Debrief + "This I Dig" 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