John Szwed wrote the definitive biography of Sun Ra almost 30 years ago. As a new documentary revives interest in the visionary artist and interplanetary being, Szwed revisits his subject, considering what he means today.
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Listen to The Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert on Demand
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Join us on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 1 p.m. on WRTI 90.1 and Monday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. on WRTI HD-2 for the final concert of the 2024-25 season, as Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads works by Mozart, St-Georges and Prokofiev — along with Shostakovich's first Cello Concerto, featuring Sheku Kanneh-Mason.
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Join us on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. on WRTI 90.1, and Monday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. on WRTI HD-2, as The Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert brings you a program pairing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with Florence Price's Piano Concerto, featuring Lara Downes.
The Late Set Podcast
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Search high and low, in this world and beyond, and you won't ever find another Sun Ra. So we're excited about the broadcast premiere of Sun Ra: Do the Impossible on PBS. Our own Nate Chinen is a commentator in the film — and so is our guest this episode, the author and critic Marcus J. Moore, who brings a multilayered appreciation of Sun Ra's artistry to our conversation. Space is the Place!
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How do we feel about this year’s Grammy Awards? We'll attempt to answer that question before diving deep into a conversation with bassist Dezron Douglas, conducted onstage before a recent quartet show at Solar Myth.
WRTI News Stories
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In a set that spans Immanuel Wilkins' exceptional catalog, the jazz saxophonist brings the heat to the Tiny Desk.
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In a new album, the Ukranian-born, New York-based pianist and composer Vadim Neselovskyi channels the horror and hope he's felt since Russia's incursion.
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Kurt Elling has lately been earning ovations on Broadway, but he hits Philly with pianist Christian Sands, as on their duo album 'Wildflowers, Vol. 3.'
Enjoy WRTI in whole new way.