The Late Set

Best Jazz of 2025 (So Far)

Don’t look now, but we’ve reached the midpoint of 2025 — and listened our way through well over a hundred albums, in search of elevated sounds. It feels like the right time for a progress report, so we’re sharing half a dozen of our leading contenders. Nate gives the nod to albums by pianist Myra Melford, alto saxophonist Steve Lehman, and pianist Sullivan Fortner. Josh brings his endorsement to releases by bassist John Clayton, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, and tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger. Along the way, they talk about a handful of other noteworthy recordings — and allude to some other highlights that await us in the latter half of the year.Support WRTI: https://bit.ly/2yAkaJsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Into the Amazon, with Amaro Freitas

Amaro Freitas was born in Recife, on the northeastern coast of Brazil. He began playing the piano in church, discovering jazz after his first exposure to the music of Chick Corea. What Freitas has done since is a small miracle of syncretism: his style as a pianist and composer nods to the modern jazz tradition but also the sounds of Afro-Brazilian and indigenous music — and the music of nature, some of which he gathered in field recordings from the Amazon. Earlier this year, Freitas sat down with Josh Jackson during the Winter Jazzfest in New York, for a wide-open conversation about his album Y’Y and so much more. We know you’ll enjoy it.Support WRTI: https://bit.ly/2yAkaJsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Pinnacle, with Brandee Younger

The spiritual and the sensual find common cause in the music of Brandee Younger. As the world’s leading improvising harpist, she carries a torch for Alice Coltrane, whose astral meditations continue to light a path. But there’s also a place in Younger’s art for playfulness, even mischief — as she reminds us with Gadabout Season, her third album for Impulse! Records. Before a recent show at Solar Myth, part of Ars Nova Workshop’s 25th anniversary season, Younger sat down with The Late Set for this fun and far-ranging conversation. Weeks later, she’d be named a Doris Duke Artist and play Coltrane’s harp in a tribute at Carnegie Hall — making “New Pinnacle,” the title of a song on the new album, feel like a statement of fact.Support WRTI: https://bit.ly/2yAkaJsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Run the Song, with Ben Ratliff

“Out quickly and on the move” — so begins a bracing new book by Ben Ratliff, the brilliant music critic and scholar. It’s titled Run the Song: Writing About Running About Listening, and it follows Ratliff’s thoughtful line of inquiry as he brings music into his daily running practice. His guiding concern is the way that movement sharpens his perceptions: “Running and listening can illuminate each other,” he writes. In this episode, recorded in front of an audience at Solar Myth, Ratliff talks about this and other ideas in conversation with Nate Chinen, a friend and former colleague at the New York Times. Follow WRTI: https://www.instagram.com/wrtimusichttps://www.facebook.com/WRTImusic https://www.youtube.com/WRTImusicSupport WRTI: https://bit.ly/2yAkaJsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lost Coast, with Jenny Scheinman

Some artists can always be counted on to channel a sense of place. For violinist and composer Jenny Scheinman, it’s the homeward pull of Northern California’s so-called Lost Coast, between the redwood sprawl of Humboldt County and the rugged terrain that meets the Pacific. Scheinman grew up there, and she carries its rustic charm and mystique in her music — even when it assumes a form as elegant as the songs on All Species Parade, her recent double album. In this live episode, she converses with Josh Jackson before a recent performance with her band at Solar Myth, part of Ars Nova Workshop’s 25th anniversary season. Don’t forget to brush the sand out of your hair. Follow WRTI: https://www.instagram.com/wrtimusichttps://www.facebook.com/WRTImusic https://www.youtube.com/WRTImusicSupport WRTI: https://bit.ly/2yAkaJsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.