Toast J. Michael Harrison's WRTI anniversary, with 30 Thursdays (original) (raw)

Published October 3, 2024 at 10:22 AM EDT

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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.

Harrison, a North Philly native, joined the team in 1994 as a volunteer production assistant, then as a host covering early morning on-air slots and subbing for weekend specialty programs. In 1996, he debuted his own program, The Bridge. That show continues to this day, every Friday from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. His broadcasts are loose, with musicians often dropping by. But no matter what, every show kicks off with a different song (each week) by Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson.

Bassist Christian McBride and his father, bassist Lee Smith, speaking with J. Michael Harrison on set for a video shoot inside WRTI's performance studio.

One trademark of Harrison’s broadcasts is his commitment to local artistry and up-and-coming icons. Look no further than this 2011 session that featured a 13-year-old Immanuel Wilkins on alto saxophone and an 11-year-old Nazir Ebo on drums; two Philadelphia artists who’ve since become world-renowned practitioners. Legends like Billy Cobham, Vijay Iyer, Melvin Van Peebles, Cindy Blackman Santana, Greg Osby and Jill Scott have visited our studio thanks to Harrison.

In 2017, WRTI began to engage with the NPR Live Sessions platform. Harrison was tasked with producing concert videos both inside WRTI’s performance studio and within the community. All in all, he’s produced 50+ sessions and counting, so, we asked Harrison to reflect back on 30 standout videos from his tenure. Each week, for the next “30 Thursdays,” WRTI will host the videos on our homepage and Harrison will share a reflection on our Instagram feed.

Whether you’re just learning of J. Michael Harrison’s contributions to WRTI or you’ve been a fan for decades, we hope you’ll enjoy our ongoing series: “30 Thursdays: Celebrating 30 Years of J. Michael Harrison at WRTI.”