The Late Set

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.


Chapters:

00:00 … Intro / Grammy recap

24:10 … Interview with Dezron Douglas

1:07:08 … “This I Dig”



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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:


https://youtu.be/gByTUXyJJk0




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]