Josh Jackson
Associate General Manager, Jazz and Classical HostJosh Jackson is the associate general manager for programming and content at WRTI.
He began his radio career at WWOZ in New Orleans, worked as a production assistant at American Routes, and moved to New York City to become the associate producer of Jazz From Lincoln Center with Ed Bradley.
Josh was formerly the vice president of content at WBGO and the program director of Virginia's statewide network of NPR news and music stations.
He was the founding producer of the multi-platform concert series Live at the Village Vanguard and The Checkout: Live, a concert experience for the hourly music magazine he created, The Checkout. His efforts in multimedia production led to the creation of NPR's Jazz Night in America.
At WRTI, he was the producing partner with JazzDanmark for the 2021Dangerous Sounds podcast.
Josh is a two-time recipient of the Willis Conover-Marian McPartland Award for Broadcasting. He came to WRTI from the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia and now lives in the less elevated region of Mt. Airy in Philadelphia, where he listens to vinyl records and makes radio shows in his basement.
Hear Josh as host of Friday Mixtape, Fridays from 6 to 10 p.m.
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Few events embody the act of listening and receiving quite like the Big Ears Festival. In this episode, Nate reports back from the fest, and shares an interview with two artists who performed there: trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and pianist Vijay Iyer, who have a new duo album called Defiant Life. -
As a kickoff to Jazz Appreciation Month, we're looking ahead to Record Store Day. There's another great haul of archival releases dropping on April 12. Two of our favorites were recorded in the same room in 1967 by two amazing trumpeters, Kenny Dorham and Freddie Hubbard.
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Pianist Renee Rosnes has loved Brazilian music for ages, but hadn't devoted an album to it until 'Crossing Paths.' It landed in the same season as a new effort from Artemis, which she founded almost a decade ago. In this episode, Rosnes talks about both projects, and her own path from rural Canada to the heart of modern jazz.
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Bassist Endea Owens specializes in the kind of buoyant uplift that just won’t quit. You can see her putting it into practice on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, or with her band The Cookout. At the 2025 Winter Jazzfest, we talked about her TV gig, her sense of mission, and her resilient journey.
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Aja Monet has lately breathed new life into the rich exchange between spoken word poetry and jazz. We sat down with her at the 2025 Winter Jazzfest performance, to talk about poetic practice, political necessity, and musical imperatives. Don’t miss some deep truths from one of our most committed truth-tellers.
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Bassist and bandleader John Clayton was in New York to receive an award when he learned that the Eaton wildfire had destroyed his home of 40 years, along with his daughter’s home and many others. He lost everything, including irreplaceable heirloom instruments. But as he tells The Late Set, speaking from temporary living quarters in L.A., he is focused on what lies ahead, and the overwhelming love and support that has flowed in from all corners.
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For our first episode of 2025, Nate and Josh talk through a few New Year’s resolutions. And we’re sharing one of our favorite interviews in recent memory: a sit-down with Samara Joy, her father and her grandfather at Mother Bethel AME Church.
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Greg Bryant is leaving WRTI at the end of December. We'll miss him! -
WRTI’s Josh Jackson subs in for Greg, talking with Nate about their rich experience at the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival. Their guests are saxophonist Chris Coles and trumpeter Sean Jones, who had just performed a powerful suite titled Nine Lives. Coles composed the suite in response to a 2015 church shooting in Charleston. This conversation touches on the power of grace, the call to forgiveness — and a quietly thriving jazz scene in Akron, Ohio.Submit your questions and voice memos for our Mailbag episode here: editor@wrti.org -
Presented by Partners for Sacred Places, the Philadelphia Organ Festival will showcase eight historic organs on consecutive evenings, in a range of spaces.
