The Late Set: Daily Summaries Delivered

Coltrane 100, with Steve Rowland

In honor of John Coltrane's centennial, we're digging in with Peabody Award-winning oral historian and producer Steve Rowland, who has incisive things to say about Coltrane’s spiritual quest and creative legacy, and how we can best remember him today.

A Voice for Jazz, with Rhonda Hamilton

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

Sabotage the Plan, with SML

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

Wellspring, with DoYeon Kim

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

ResoNation, with Steven Bernstein

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

The Power of Presence, with Kalia Vandever

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 00:00 — Intro: Entering the World of Mana 05:11 — Interview Begins: Hawaiian Ancestry, Spirituality & Inspiration 13:20 — Touring with Harry Styles and Finding a Performance Voice 20:21 — Singing, Songwriting & Emotional Honesty on Mana 29:07 — International Anthem, Genre and the Evolution of Kalia's Music 35:43 — Interview Wrap-Up 37:09 — “This I Dig”: Micah Thomas's Lucid & Emily Wilson's The Odyssey 42:20 — Producer's Picks: Henry Solomon, Louis Armstrong & Laurent Benedict 49:06 — Credits 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

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 00:00 — Intro 02:05 — Miles & Coltrane at 100 05:12 — The Rise of Emmet's Place 12:10 — Building a Worldwide Jazz Community 16:25 — Reaching New Audiences 22:08 — Emmet Cohen on AI 24:22 — Why Young People Are Finding Jazz 29:50 — The Meaning of Universal Truth 33:00 — Live Piano Performance: “Eternal Glimpse” 34:10 — Writing Music Inspired by Miles & Coltrane 37:40 — Legacy, Mentorship and What Lasts 40:35 — Becoming the “Vibe Provider” 42:42 — Josh & Nate React 44:44 — “This I Dig” 50:47 — Credits 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

Yeah No, with Chris Speed and Jim Black