Alex Ariff

1 week ago | wrti.org | Alex Ariff

Last week, Isabel Hagen’s semi-autobiographical indie feature film On A String took home a “Best Screenplay award in the U.S. Narrative Competition” at the Tribeca Film Festival. As a violist, Hagen has performed in classical string quartets, with post-minimalist auteurs like Max Richter, and even with indie darlings Vampire Weekend. About a decade ago, Hagen suffered an injury that halted her professional music career which resulted in a pivot to stand-up comedy.

1 month ago | npr.org | Alex Ariff |Nate Chinen

Andy Bey: A Love Letter To A Jazz Legend Download Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5383130/nx-s1-5444537-1" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Andy Bey at the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in 2015.

1 month ago | kios.org | Alex Ariff |Nate Chinen

This interview with vocalist and pianist Andy Bey originally aired on Oct. 25, 2019, on the occasion of Bey's 80th birthday. The episode has been updated following Bey's death. Updated in 2025 by Sarah Geledi. Here are a few indisputable truths about Andy Bey. First things first: Bey, who died on April 26, 2025, at the age of 85, occupied the top rank of jazz singers. He led a circuitous career, starting out as a prodigy, slipping into obscurity and experiencing a late renaissance.

2 months ago | wrti.org | Alex Ariff

When the faculty members of the Jazz Studies program at Temple University walk out onto a stage, they’re not just representing Owl Nation. They’re carrying on a lineage. Collectively, their shared experience extends as far back as the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, through the “Queen of Organ,” Shirley Scott, and on to Terence Blanchard and Branford Marsalis.

Oct 3, 2024 | wrti.org | Alex Ariff

We love to celebrate our own here at WRTI. Just last year Bob Craig celebrated 60 years in broadcasting, and the year prior we honored Kevin Gordon’s 50 years in radio. But, J. Michael Harrison presents an unique and more intimate case: 30 years at WRTI. And since 1994, he’s kept his finger on the pulse of jazz in Philly and beyond.