The Myth We Chose, the entrancing new album by South African pianist Nduduzo Makhathini, foregrounds hope and healing, and a conviction in the redemptive power of connection. It’s a song-forward statement for Makhathini, who is also a composer, vocalist, philosopher, and ambassador for the Global South.

This summer, he brought his trio to Solar Myth ahead of an appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival. On the first of two nights, he joined Josh Jackson for an onstage conversation about ritual, responsibility, and why he prefers the term “encounter” to “discovery” when describing a person’s formative contact with improvised music.

• 00:00 — Intro: South African jazz
• 05:00 — Zulu language, myth & musicality
• 11:30 — Music education, colonialism & Indigenous knowledge
• 15:30 — Growing up during apartheid
• 21:00 — Encountering John Coltrane & the roots of jazz
• 23:30 — The identity and sound of South African jazz
• 28:45 — Collective memory & the African diaspora
• 35:15 — Myth, ancestral memory & sonic creation
• 38:15 — Ndu cosmology, time & musical continuity
• 41:00 — Artificial intelligence, knowledge & human experience
• 45:15 — Nate and Josh on music, healing & ancestral knowledge
• 49:30 — “This I Dig”
• 53:15 — South African music, cultural boycotts & current debates
• 56:15 — Closing credits

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John Coltrane’s centennial has brought a flurry of tributes and testimonials, along with archival discoveries. At WRTI, we’re gearing up for “A Love Park Supreme,” a weeklong celebration in the city that Coltrane called home. And here at The Late Set, we’re doing what we do best: digging into an enlightened conversation.

Our guest is Peabody Award-winning oral historian and producer Steve Rowland, creator of the five-hour audio documentary Tell Me How Long Trane's Been Gone, which is rebroadcasting on WRTI the week of Sept. 21, one hour at a time. Rowland, an alumnus of Temple University and WRTI, has incisive things to say about Coltrane’s spiritual quest and creative legacy, and how we can best remember him today.

• 00:00 — Intro: Coltrane 100 Philly
• 06:30 — Steve Rowland joins the show
• 10:30 — Philadelphia roots & building the documentary
• 13:00 — Early life, faith & the August Bloom tape
• 24:30 — Bebop, addiction & the road to A Love Supreme
• 27:30 — A Love Supreme: Psalm, poetry & the saxophone-as-voice
• 34:00 — Alabama, civil rights & the Black Arts Movement
• 46:00 — Material world, spirit world & art as the bridge
• 49:30 — The Coltrane houses & life with Alice
• 1:02:00 — Legacy & takeaways

The Late Set is a production of WRTI and made possible by WRTI members.

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Jazz radio has never had a better friend than Rhonda Hamilton. During a broadcasting career spanning nearly 50 years, she’s brought the music to a worldwide audience with her trademark warmth, integrity and composure.

This year she received a fitting honor: the A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship for Jazz Advocacy, which she’ll formally receive on Sept. 15 during a gala concert at Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles. She’ll be in fine company there: the 2026 class of honorees also includes drummer and percussionist Airto Moreira; keyboardist, vocalist and producer Patrice Rushen; and singer, songwriter and bandleader Carmen Lundy.

Rhonda is now on the air at KKJZ-FM in Southern California, but during her longtime tenure at Newark Public Radio, she worked with Josh Jackson, Nate Chinen and our producer, Alex Ariff. We were all delighted to reconnect with her in a conversation brimming with insights from one of our very best.

• 00:00 — Coltrane 100 Philly kickoff
• 02:00 — NEA Jazz Masters & this year's honorees
• 10:00 — Interview with Rhonda Hamilton
• 49:00 — Key records & jazz recommendations
• 55:30 — Dizzy Gillespie dinner story
• 1:02:30 — “This I Dig”

Learn more about WRTI’s John Coltrane @100 celebration: wrti.org

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When SML dropped its 2024 debut, the group’s admixture of loopy groove, staticky texture and shifting timbre came on like a transmission from the outer reaches. Behind the music was a method: rangy collective improv whittled down to size, based on a trove of live tape.

SML has released two more albums since, the latest of which, Spontaneous Music Live, consists of two unedited long performances rooted in real-time interplay. For this episode, three of SML’s five members — bassist Anna Butterss, saxophonist Josh Johnson and synthesist Jeremiah Chiu — joined Julian Booker, WRTI’s Associate Program Director for Jazz, to talk about their commitment to shared discovery. (The others are guitarist Gregory Uhlmann and percussionist Booker Stardrum.)

Listen in to learn more about one of our moment’s most beguiling bands.

• 00:00 — Intro & welcome
• 01:51 — SML at Big Ears
• 05:49 — SML’s process: turning live tape into records
• 10:55 — The band, lineup & modular synths
• 13:01 — Interview with SML
• 50:15 — Back with Nate & Julian: is this jazz?
• 55:13 — “This I Dig”

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Chapters:

• 00:00 – Intro: South Korean jazz and the gayageum
• 02:15 – Meet DoYeon Kim and her groundbreaking approach
• 05:12 – Live from Solar Myth: Welcome and birthday surprise
• 06:25 – The success of Wellspring and finding a larger purpose
• 09:10 – Discovering the gayageum and falling in love with its sound
• 13:05 – Dance, movement, and Korean concepts of rhythm
• 16:25 – Growing up in Korea and discovering cultural identity in Canada
• 20:00 – Joe Morris and finding her artistic voice
• 23:45 – Beyond "exotic": Becoming DoYeon Kim, not just a gayageum player
• 27:15 – Finding her voice—literally—through improvisation
• 31:05 – Building Wellspring with Tyshawn Sorey, Matt Maneri & Henry Fraser
• 34:05 – The symbolism and history of the gayageum
• 36:45 – Exclusive live solo improvisation
• 38:35 – Post-interview reflections on Wellspring and the Solar Myth performance
• 41:15 – This I Dig: Josh's Provence wine recommendation
• 44:05 – This I Dig: Ben Goldberg's ambitious "8 by 8" album project
• 47:15 – Closing credits

Want to support The Late Set?
Become a WRTI member:
wrti.org/donate

Follow us on Instagram:
instagram.com/wrtimusic

Subscribe on YouTube:
youtube.com/@WRTImusic

Write us an email:
editor@wrti.org