Join WRTI Jazz for the sweet swing of yuletide carols to lift your spirits, keep you company, and enhance your holiday! Merry Christmas and Happy 2024 from all of your friends at WRTI.
Sunday, December 24
6 to 9 a.m. - Spirit Soul Music
Remember the reason for the season through sounds that warm the heart and soul. Celebrate Christmas and Kwanzaa with host Bobbi Booker.
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Sunday Jazz Brunch
9 p.m. to midnight - The Standard
Join host Maurice Browne as he sets the table for special holiday editions of Sunday Jazz Brunch and The Standard. Feast on classics from Vince Guaraldi, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat "King" Cole and Charlie Parker to ease you right into the holiday mood.
Monday, December 25
6 to 9 p.m. - Evening Jazz
If you're on the way to meet family and friends, or if you need some extra company on Christmas, join host Greg Bryant, who will share classic holiday sides from Dexter Gordon, Nancy Wilson and Ramsey Lewis, while sprinkling in some new holiday offerings from George Burton, Norah Jones and Christian Sands.
9 to 10 p.m. - A Jazz Piano Christmas
Hear your favorite holiday classics as you’ve never heard them! Hosted by Felix Contreras, and presented by The Kennedy Center and NPR, this special features jazz-infused renditions of the season’s most-loved music. In the spotlight this year is pianist, vocalist, and actress Melvis Santa — in addition to internationally acclaimed Cuban composer and jazz pianist Alfredo Rodriguez.
10 to 11 p.m. - Jazz Night In America: A Holiday Celebration
You'll definitely want to be with us for this holiday special with drummer Matt Wilson's Christmas Tree-O. The band, captured in concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center, is full of fire, humor, and spirit. As Wilson and his cohorts are full of surprises, you're sure to hear holiday melodies a little differently than when you first turned on the radio. Bassist and broadcaster Christian McBride is your host.
11 p.m. to midnight - Holiday Jazz with Dee Alexander!
Holiday Jazz with Dee Alexander presents the acclaimed vocalist alongside emcee and Chicago radio luminary Richard Steele plus longtime collaborators pianist Miguel de la Cerna, bassist Junius Paul, and drummer Yussef Ernie Adams for soul-warming sounds of the season.
Sunday, December 31
9 p.m. to midnight - Toast of the Nation, Part One
Join us for the perfect audio companion for ringing in 2024! As a well-established radio tradition since the 1970s, count on Toast of the Nation for festive jazz to complement your party or to give you the right dose of the New Year's feeling for celebrating at home.
Monday, January 1
9 p.m. to midnight - Toast of the Nation, Part Two
Hosted by Christian McBride, this special is the most festive way to celebrate the new year with the music you love.