As told to Ray Roa for a Creative Loafing story
“In an area with a pretty vibrant jazz and artistic scene, it hurts to see a piece of it taken away,” he wrote in an email. “And a podcast or some on-line clips are not going to replace a well-curated rotation of jazz, that keeps you in the loop of what’s going on locally, what’s hot nationally, the trends in the music, all those things a nightly radio presence can bring to help build the arts community — and a station that has gained recognition nationally for its commitment to the music.”
In his 35 years on the air, Seymour intimately got to know how deeply jazz on USF became a part of listeners’ lives.
The programming became a lifeline for older folks living alone who wanted real music. He made lifelong friends with callers. Two generations of local jazz players came of age—and were played on the radio for the first—because of WUSF’s jazz programming.
Nate Najar, a local guitarist who now records at Capitol Records studios and tours the world backing up his partner, songwriter-singer Daniela Soledade, said he used to record the shows overnight so he could listen to it during the daytime. In 2019, Pinellas trumpeter Jason Charos brought his ensemble to record a live set at the station. Within a year, Charos, a Frost School of Music graduate, was collecting accolades for playing on a Grammy-winning big band recording from Brian Lynch.
Nate Najar, a local guitarist who now records at Capitol Records studios and tours the world backing up his partner, songwriter-singer Daniela Soledade, said he used to record the shows overnight so he could listen to it during the daytime. In 2019, Pinellas trumpeter Jason Charos brought his ensemble to record a live set at the station. Within a year, Charos, a Frost School of Music graduate, was collecting accolades for playing on a Grammy-winning big band recording from Brian Lynch.
“Young players from here all the way down to Naples tell us how vital it’s been to their development, having a home for jazz on the radio every night,” Seymour added. “It felt like a focal point of the arts community to me, and I hate to see it go.”
Seymour also brought up a moment in the late-’80s when WUSF leadership made him the last person to know about plans to remove jazz, which at the time did air six. times a week from midnight to 2 p.m. Every Tuesday night featured jazz from 8:30 p.m.-2 a.m.
Pre-internet, and without a word on the air, the WUSF jazz DJs spread the word to stakeholders in jazz societies, leading to management and USF officials getting nearly a hundred letters not just from listeners, but academics and NPR figures like Marian McPartland and Dr. Billy Taylor.
“It was a tense time,” Seymour said of the quiet, weekslong, pressure campaign. But jazz on WUSF survived, and eventually grew to 60 hours a week.
With the last “All Night Jazz” set to air on Oct. 30, time’s running out on the latest push to save the community staple.
Today, Seymour told CL it’s been heartwarming and moving to see the response to the petition to save WUSF’s “All Night Jazz,” but stopped short of saying he was optimistic about station brass hearing the community.
“If I was gonna put a dollar on it I wouldn’t count on hearing Miles Davis on the radio after next week,” Seymour said. “But I hope I’m wrong.”
Save All Night Jazz on WUSF 
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