Longtime Nashville jazz radio listeners remember Greg Bryant, aka “The Watchman,” from his days at WFSK-FM — the time our paths first crossed. A master at blending historical anecdote and musical knowledge, Bryant has a flair for conversational yet scholarly repartee that was later featured on shows at WMOT-FM (MTSU) and WNUR-FM (Northwestern University). During his time at WBGO-FM in Newark, N.J., Bryant distinguished himself in two ways. He hosted the late-night Jazz After Hours show, and teamed with critic Nate Chinen to do the wonderful podcast Jazz United, on which they exchanged opinions and assessments on various recordings, concerts and personalities. Unfortunately, despite winning the 2022 Jazz Journalists Association Award for Podcast of the Year, both Bryant’s show and podcast were victims of questionable cost-cutting moves. Fortunately, the satellite radio company Sirius XM had the good sense to hire him to host their early-evening show on the Real Jazz channel, Mondays through Thursdays beginning at 4 p.m., and Saturdays starting at 3 p.m. In addition, he’s continued his musical career when possible, backing his wife, the gifted jazz vocalist Dara Tucker, and through periodic reunions of Concurrence, his duo with keyboardist Paul Horton.
