Josh Jackson
Josh Jackson is the associate general manager for content at WRTI in Philadelphia.
Prior to joining WRTI, he was program director and content manager of WVTF in Virginia and special projects producer at WBGO in Newark, N.J. While at WBGO, Josh hosted Live at the Village Vanguard, a monthly concert series from the legendary New York jazz club. He was also the creator and host of Living With Music, a multimedia riff about jazz, discovery and other big ideas.
He started with a full-time gig and volunteer host position at WWOZ in New Orleans, landed a temporary production assistant job at American Routes and attended public radio boot camp at Murray Street Productions in New York. He has produced award-winning documentaries and more than 250 live concert recordings while at WBGO.
-
There are thousands of apple varieties — even a new breed called "Jazz." Much like the music that lends its name to this autumn delight, Jazz is a hybrid. The time is ripe for planning that apple-picking day trip, so get the caramel ready for five crisp, fleshy jazz tunes related to a certain favorite fall fruit.
-
Last year, the prodigious saxophonist took home the prestigious Guggenheim and MacArthur fellowships. He's used the opportunities to investigate his Puerto Rican musical roots; his new album is a methodical but natural-feeling synthesis of folkloric plena and mainland modern jazz. Hear Esta Plena in its entirety for the week preceding its Oct. 20 physical release.
-
Dafnis Prieto came to New York from Cuba more than a decade ago. He needed very little time to scare the pants off most drummers in jazz and Afro-Cuban music. In a session from WBGO, Prieto superimposes the clave over the role of each member of the Si O Si Quartet.
-
The new economy of jazz has forced many musicians to adopt a "go lean" approach; more than ever, three is a magic number. Trio recordings in jazz are not uncommon, but the trinity's proliferation this year makes the case that less is more. Sample five upcoming trio discs.
-
Parlato defies easy categorization as a vocalist. She has a gift for being just a member of the band, a role reserved for few singers. She has what it takes to live up to the expectation and level of performance of her contemporaries. In a session from WBGO, she performs songs from In a Dream.
-
Five years ago, vibraphonist and marimba player Stefon Harris started Blackout. It's a troupe of music mercenaries adept in the language of jazz, the strut of soul music and the raucous ruckus of breakbeats, go-go and new-jack rhythms. Hear Blackout bring swagger to modern jazz in a session from WBGO.
-
No matter how you're going to spend your time by the pool, you're going to need musical accompaniment -- preferably something that steers clear of the typical Jimmy Buffett and Beach Boys mix. How about some jazz? Not the heady stuff, unless you're aiming to clear the decks. Instead, get yourself some deep '70s jazz; the kind that leaves a funk aroma and washes off easily when you take the plunge.
-
Jazz being the esoteric art that it is, many of its major artists were similarly obsessed with other forms of divining — numerology, tarot readings, enneagrams and especially astrology. Here are five jazz songs that might inspire you to ask your fellow jazz fan, "What's your sign?" -
In this session, saxophonist JD Allen performs songs from Shine, his second consecutive trio recording featuring bassist Gregg August and drummer Rudy Royston. The songs all feature Allen's calling card: a forceful tenor saxophone that blows mightily.
-
Nearly every jazz musician today comes from an institutional program, but Claudia Acuna took an alternate route that started in her native Chile. In a session from WBGO, the jazz vocalist performs the music of a Chilean freedom singer and Cole Porter.
