The Late Set

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"


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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




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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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editor@wrti.org

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.




Want to support The Late Set?
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youtube.com/@WRTImusic





Write us an email:
editor@wrti.org