Jazz through the night

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Emerging jazz artists

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Living jazz greats

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The freshest new jazz

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Programmed by human intelligence

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Listen to the future of jazz

Jazz After Hours has a rich and storied 40 year history on public radio, but we are not about the past. Our program celebrates the new, while honoring and recognizing the roots of this music. We nurture the constant evolution of jazz and look to its future. You can hear that future in our broadcasts and now our new streaming channel. Browse to our Stations listing to find the program on your local public radio station. Or stream the show, weekend nights from 6P to 6A Pacific. During the week, enjoy a special selection of Jazz After Hours music, including classic material from our legendary library. Just click the play button. The future of jazz is being created right now by today’s living musicians.

"Those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

Philadelphia is one great jazz town. The center of that vibrant scene is Chris' Jazz Cafe

Chris’ Jazz Café is an institution in a city known for revered jazz music and musicians. It’s the longest continuously operating jazz club in the history of Philadelphia and was named one of the “100 Great Venues Around the World to Hear Jazz” by DownBeat magazine. With live performances five nights a week, the venue hosts more than 400 shows a year. As they say at the club, “every night, something tight.” Jazz After Hours highly recommends Chris’ Jazz Café in Philadelphia.

“You blows who you is.” — Louis Armstrong

With all due respect...

Vibraphonist, producer, composer Roy Ayers ~ September 10, 1940 – March 4, 2025

Listen to this month's Jazz After Hours

Want to go deeper? Looking for a past show you really liked? Maybe you want to binge listen to Jazz After Hours or take us with you on your mobile device during the week. Check out our archive. Every show from 2022 through 2024 is now available to stream and we are currently filling in the archive with shows from prior years! Check back soon.

“A painter paints pictures on canvas. Musicians paint their pictures on silence.” — Leopold Stokowski

Your music on Jazz After Hours

Are you a jazz musician with a new record you want the world to hear? Jazz After Hours accepts submissions of new jazz for airplay. No record promoter is required to have your music considered. The only requirements: quality, musicianship and originality. Our mission is to support and encourage the creation of fresh new jazz. Your new music could be broadcast and/or streamed worldwide.

We do not accept physical copies. Only digital submissions are accepted. Submit studio quality recordings, in .wav, .mp3, .mp4, or .aiff file formats, delivered by download. Files must be properly named and accompanied by a one-sheet of information about you and your music.

Questions? Please contact us through the contact form at the bottom of this page. We look forward to hearing your new music.

Jazz After Hours Featured Video

In Your Eyes from Stryker With Strings Goes To The Movies

Dave Stryker – Guitar
Xavier Davis – Fender Rhodes
Jeremy Allen – Electric Bass
McClenty Hunter – Drums
Sara Caswell – Violin

ORCHESTRA:
Brent Wallarab – Arranger and Conductor
Trombone – Jim Pugh (lead), Tim Coffman, Jeff Parker, Andrew Danforth, Richard Dole
Alto saxophone – Greg Ward
Trumpet – Mark Buselli
17 piece string section – (Sara Caswell – Concertmaster)

Video by – Matt Stryker
Camera Team – Matt Stryker, Aaron Berecka, Max DiBella
Color by – Marshall Copous

 

Programming philosophy

Jazz is yours to discover

With great affection and all due respect to its storied history and rich tradition, we think jazz music was never meant to be bronzed and put on a shelf. Captured, remembered, studied, even lionized, but not frozen in time. Jazz didn’t stop being great in 1947 or 1955 or 1968 or 1976. It’s pretty great in 2024.



Name a name, anyone in the pantheon of jazz greats. To a person, they once were young, feisty, likely impertinent. They sought to break the mold; dared to make mistakes; challenged the elders and the music that came before. That’s what jazz musicians do.



Each of those jazz musicians once had their first gig. Their first recording session. Their first breakthrough moment and their first bad review. And believe it or not, there was a joyful moment when someone played their music on the radio for the first time. For some hard-working musician, that happens almost every week on Jazz After Hours.

The point being … jazz ain’t over. Not even close.

Record stores come and record stores go. Most of them are long gone. Radio stations do the same. Technology changes, and while it closes some doors it opens many others. The critics and whiners are going to beat their chests and find every possible way to make a buck with a tired story about the death of jazz. People who haven’t bought a jazz record in 40 years are going to try to convince you that was the last great jazz. It wasn’t.

 Jazz is alive and very entertaining in 2023. We invite you to listen to what we play on Jazz After Hours and judge for yourself. 

These are the musicians you’ll be talking about for the next 20 or 30 years. They’re playing music today that is the future of jazz. It’s new, it’s fresh and it’s damn good. Don’t take our word for it. Listen each week on public radio. This is your discovery process.

Comment? Question? Programming suggestion?
We'd love to hear from you.

    Jazz After Hours is heard weekly on public radio across America and streaming directly from our website.
    Thank you to the countless musicians around the world playing jazz who make it possible.

    What we just played...  (artist - song title - album)


    13:14:51  Lester Young - Just Cooling - Lester Young Story 4: Ding Dong
    13:14:35  Jazz After Hours stream - Station ID -
    13:06:48  Dayna Stephens - Zingaro - Peace
    13:03:46  Danny Jonokuchi Big Band - This Can't Be Love - A Decade
    12:58:10  Verve Jazz Ensemble - On The Run - Connect The Dots
    12:53:24  Magnus Lindgren and John Beasley - Celestial -
    12:53:22  Jazz After Hours stream - Station ID -
    12:49:31  John Dokes & George Gee - Ornithology - John Dokes Sings, George Gee Swings
    12:42:08  Dmitry Baevsky and Jeb Patton - Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin' - We Two
    12:34:28  New York Standards Quartet - Lover Man - Sleight Of Hand

    *** All times Pacific