Alex Ariff

Isabel Hagen stopped by WRTI in April while on a stand-up tour to chat with Alex Ariff about her bohemian upbringing, specific moments from her web series Is a Violist, and how she folds her viola playing into her live act as a stand-up, and more.

A classic McCoy Tyner composition provides the spark for a spirited performance by the Temple Jazz Faculty Sextet, featuring trumpeter Terell Stafford, alto saxophonist Dick Oatts, and pianist and arranger Bruce Barth. A WRTI video premiere.

While on tour in Philadelphia in 2023, Theo Croker stopped by with his laptop to dissect two tracks: “Theo Says,” from the 2003 EP By the Way, and “Hero Stomp || A Future Past,” from the 2021 album BLK2LIFE || A FUTURE PAST.

On his first U.S. tour as a leader, Julius Rodriguez passed through Philadelphia to play the intimate, artist-run house concert series Notsolatin. WRTI was there to document the magic.

Singer-songwriter Alita Moses grew up in New England but cut her teeth in Philadelphia, while studying at UArts. She talked about her path with WRTI while in town on a recent stop with Jacob Collier's Djesse World Tour.

Adonis Rose leads the Crescent City All-Stars and Orrin Evans assembles The Philly Jawn, in a pair of concert films from the 2023 Exit Zero Jazz Festival.

The Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert features two starry works: Mary Lou Williams' 'Zodiac Suite,' featuring Aaron Diehl on piano, and Richard Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra, with Cristian Măcelaru at the podium.

Adolphus Hailstork is one of the most prolific American composers today. In this interview, he discusses his stature of "historical curiosity," and his wariness about being identified as a Black composer.

Trombonist Ernest Stuart founded the Center City Jazz Festival in 2012. As it returns from a pandemic hiatus, he reflects on what he's learned, and what's ahead, with WRTI's Alex Ariff.