Greg Bryant
Jazz HostGreg Bryant has been a longtime curator of improvisational music as a broadcaster, writer, host and musician. As a young child, he began absorbing the artistry of Miles Davis, Les McCann, Jimmy Smith, James Brown, Ornette Coleman, Weather Report, and Jimi Hendrix via his parent's record collection. He was so moved by what he was experiencing that he took pride in relaying all of his discoveries with anyone who would listen.
Greg's zeal for sharing music blossomed into broadcasting in 1993 when he entered high school at age 14. His budding music collection and quick adaptation to the microphone landed him a volunteer gig as a weekly jazz radio show host in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee on WFSK-FM, the radio station for Fisk University. He took pride and pleasure in spreading the news about the music of established legends and new talents, while championing masters of the music who deserved more recognition.
As a college student, Greg moved on to host jazz on Middle Tennessee State University's WMOT-FM and Northwestern University's WNUR; his respective undergraduate and graduate alma maters. Time on weekends was allocated to visiting area record stores furiously digging in crates for rare finds and out-of-print gems. He also prioritized being in the clubs for live music to ensure that he kept his ears fresh. Greg's dual regimen aided his musical knowledge immeasurably and established his earliest roots among working and touring musicians.
As a working electric bassist, Greg performed locally in his home state and toured abroad before moving to New York in January 2020, just before the global pandemic. Prior to his arrival at WRTI, he served as host of Jazz After Hours at Newark , New Jersey's WBGO where he also co-hosted the Jazz United podcast with critic, author, and editor Nate Chinen. The latter show earned "Podcast of the Year" honors for 2021 and 2022 from the Jazz Journalists Association.
Greg is an avid LP collector, continues to play bass, and enjoys seeing as much live music as possible. As a long-time admirer of the Philadelphia music scene, Greg is excited to share music with WRTI's current audience while assisting the station to capture and retain new listeners.
Hear Greg on Evening Jazz with Greg Bryant, Monday through Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m., and The Get Down, Saturday, 6 to 9 p.m.
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A multi-instrumentalist in high demand, Morgan Guerin enlisted singer Debo Ray and emcee Kokayi for the first single from his forthcoming album, 'Tales of the Facade.'
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Ahead of his induction as an NEA Jazz Master, alto saxophonist Gary Bartz joins us on The Late Set to share some profound musical insights.
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Marcus Roberts was recently in town to perform Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' with The Philadelphia Orchestra, and he stopped by our studio to talk about it. In this bonus episode of The Late Set, we feature that interview along with our own thoughts about the 'Rhapsody,' which can still inspire heated debate.
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For a Max Roach centenary, there's no better guest than Nasheet Waits.
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The inimitable drummer, bandleader and liberator Max Roach was born on January 10, 1924. WRTI's Greg Bryant shares five tracks that capture his innovative spirit.
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For our final episode of 2023, we’re talking about the albums we can’t let go. One of them was Rivers in Our Veins, by drummer and composer Allison Miller, who joins us in conversation.
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We asked our jazz hosts to give us their five favorite tracks of 2023, for WRTI's Hot Fives. Here are picks for Greg Bryant, host of Evening Jazz.
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The holidays are upon us, and so are the holiday tunes. Who better to join us than a pair of sublime vocalists with soulful new Christmas albums, Gregory Porter and Samara Joy?
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What does it mean to pick a winner in jazz? We're considering that question in this episode of The Late Set — with an assist from Joshua Redman, whose career got off to a big start when he won the Thelonious Monk Jazz Saxophone Competition precisely 30 years ago.