Jazz Night In America introduces their first ever Youngblood class

Jazz Night in America is introducing its first-ever class of Youngbloods, a sub-series featuring five up-and-coming jazz geniuses who are revolutionizing the genre. The series premieres on September 1st.

Jazz Night in America’s Youngbloods, will follow Immanuel Wilkins, Samara Joy, Isaiah J. Thompson, Sean Mason, and Sarah Hanahan through a series of interviews and concerts celebrating these jazz musicians, all of whom are under 30 years of age.

Created by Alex Ariff, producer of Jazz Night in America, this sub-series is part of the mission to introduce new, young and diverse audiences to the radio show.

“It’s a way for us to introduce and honor the current tenor and buzz around emerging talent,” Ariff says about the “Youngbloods” series. “We’re proud to debut the series with these five artists, some of the finest on the scene today!”

This season introduces the first-ever class: vocal prodigy Samara Joy, alto saxophonists Immanuel Wilkins and Sarah Hanahan, as well as pianists Isaiah J. Thompson and Sean Mason. The radio show will dedicate the month of September to showcasing this group of talent on the rise. The weekly episodes will reflect on how the young and vibrant class is changing the genre while still honoring the legacy of their predecessors, particularly examining how that change comes across in their talent.

Jazz Night In America, hosted by Christian McBride, serves as a multi-platform radio, video documentary, and concert presentation series produced in partnership with NPR Music, WBGO Studios, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. McBride is an eight-time Grammy-winning bassist. The program airs in half of the top 10 and 25 markets, airing on approximately 200 stations nationwide with the most diverse listenership out of any NPR-distributed program.

About WBGO:

WBGO 88.3 FM / Newark Public Radio is a non-profit, publicly funded arts and cultural institution, dedicated to the curation, presentation, and preservation of music created out of the African American experience. We are committed to providing our community with independently produced music programming and journalism for the purpose of public enrichment, entertainment, and insight.

About NPR Music:

For more than a decade, NPR Music’s robust music journalism and award-winning original video programming has delighted millions of music fans from all genres. NPR Music collaborates with NPR’s news magazines, public radio Member stations and the passionate listener community to celebrate exceptional music and discover emerging artists. Visit NPRMusic.org to find the complete Tiny Desk concert series, music feature stories, podcasts, extensive archives of performances, interviews and music reviews. Connect with NPR Music on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.