The Late Set

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

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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

00:00 — Intro

07:00 — Interview with Chris Speed and Jim Black

42:30 — “This I Dig”

Special thanks to Beau Gordon, Mark Christman and the folks at Ars Nova Workshop and Solar Myth.

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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.

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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

00:00 — Intro

03:05 — Interview with Carlos Henriquez

40:36 — Carlos Henriquez performs “I Mean You” (solo bass) and discusses his bass inspirations

1:00:28 — “This I Dig”

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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

00:00 — Intro

04:30 — Interview with Kresten Osgood

43:22 — “This I Dig”

Want to support The Late Set?

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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

00:00 — Intro

04:30 — Interview with Irreversible Entanglements

46:47 — “This I Dig”

Want to support The Late Set?

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[email protected]

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,

the impact of AACM mentors like Anthony Braxton, and her work as an educator and advocate.

Chapters

00:00 — Intro

02:35 — Interview with Tomeka Reid

40:15 — “This I Dig”

Want to support The Late Set?

Become a WRTI member:

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[email protected]

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

00:00 — Intro

02:35 — Interview with Tomeka Reid

40:15 — “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:

[email protected]

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

00:00 — Intro

06:45 — Interview with Béla Fleck

59:00 — Outro + credits

Want to support The Late Set?

Become a WRTI member:

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Follow us on Instagram:

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[email protected]

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

00:00 — Intro

06:57 — Interview with Mark Turner

40:05 — “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:

[email protected]