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 Vanguardand 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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Think all vocal jazz is passe lounge music? Think again. This London-based expat covers John Coltrane and works with L.A. producer Flying Lotus, among others. Listen to Jose James' stirring studio session on WBGO's The Checkout.
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Baritone saxophonist Josh Sinton has a healthy obsession with the music of Steve Lacy, who remains an enduring figure in jazz. With the recent release of Transit, his second volume of Lacy originals, Sinton selects five key Lacy performances and explains why they're important.
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Best known for his lively work with pianist Vijay Iyer, Crump leads his drummer-less trio through a set of poignant originals on WBGO's The Checkout with Josh Jackson.
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The mid-40s are typically a transitional period for many jazz musicians. On Push, pianist Jacky Terrasson enlisted a young rhythm section, and the result has recharged his music. In a session from WBGO, Terrasson's trio opens with a tribute to Michael Jackson.
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The New York-based saxophonist leads a New Orleans-style parade band with a circus tendency. Hear three originals from Puppet Mischief in this session from WBGO.
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Jazz is strange enough for some listeners. Dig a little deeper and it gets ever so bizarre. Some musicians take instruments from other traditions and make it their own. Some go for the big and bold. Others just invent. Hear the strange worlds of Cloud Chamber Bowls, the daxophone, mollusks and more.
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When "Buckshot La Funke" appeared on a Louis Smith record, you may not have known it was actually Cannonball Adderley. Record contracts of yesteryear (and some today) buried exclusivity clauses in the fine print. But musicians have to eat, so they would record under other names, like the five included here.
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Studio recordings from 1959 make a strong case for that year as one of the best ever for jazz. Now, a large set of 50-year-old live recordings from the Newport Jazz Festival have been released online. WBGO's Josh Jackson and The New York Times' Ben Ratliff select some choice highlights.
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With many hundreds of new recordings each year, jazz maintains a lot of biodiversity in its tiny ecosystem. Chances are, it's got something for everyone, but finding the right fit is like searching for an ant in the jungle; it's never an easy quest, but when it happens, you'll likely find an entire colony. Here are the 10 finest jazz records of 2009, as chosen by WBGO's Josh Jackson.
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Serpa was a student at the New England Conservatory in Boston when she was pulled into the jazz world in a big way by saxophonist Greg Osby. In a session from WBGO, the Lisbon-born vocalist sings two originals and gives her own unique twist on the fado.