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.

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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

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Freedom and form have always found active equilibrium in the music of Dave Douglas. A trumpeter-composer-bandleader of conscientious creativity, he has a new release, Four Freedoms, that showcases his quartet with Marta Warelis on piano, Nick Dunston on bass and Joey Baron on drums.

The album also draws inspiration from a famous speech delivered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt early in 1941, outlining what he considered the four essential human freedoms. It’s a proposition worth revisiting at this moment, for a number of reasons.

Check out Dave Douglas’ podcast A Noise From The Deep here: greenleafmusic.com/podcasts

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Terell Stafford upholds a radically holistic ideal as a jazz educator. At Temple University, where he’s the 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 a community of listeners and advocates.

To hear him tell it, Stafford — a leading trumpeter and bandleader as well as an administrator — is incorporating lessons learned from some of his own mentors, like Jimmy Heath. In all respects, Stafford’s insights on jazz education are inspiring, with implications far beyond the classroom. And as you’ll hear in this episode, they feel right on time.

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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:

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‘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

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Chapters:

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

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On the cusp of our interview with Mary Halvorson (dropping this Tuesday), The Late Set is proud to share a bonus: a live recording from Solar Myth featuring Halvorson and her band Amaryllis. They played a collection of works – mostly from their most recent record About Ghosts. But she handpicked a new, as-yet-unreleased composition called “Florid Waning” to share with you as a WRTI exclusive. Enjoy! We’ll see you back here on Tuesday.

Musicians: Mary Halvorson, guitar; Adam O’Farrill, trumpet; Jacob Garchik, trombone; Patricia Brennan, vibraphone; Nick Dunston, bass; Tomas Fujiwara, drums.

Credits: Richard Rein, recording engineer; Robby Webb, mixing engineer; Mark Christman, Ars Nova Workshop; Melissa Cusick, Nonesuch Records.