KXRW Vancouver Presents

In the Wilderness

8pm every Tuesday

Host Bio

Neil Molloy

Host

The radio bug first dug its mandibles into Neil a few short decades ago.

Invited by a baggy-suited philosophy major (they’d met in Existentialism class) to co-anchor a series of interviews with local writers, he found himself on magic carpet rides through soundscapes of 70s jazz; 80s British pop; 90s ambient chill; and “alternative” from every time & place.

On the heels of this, our DJ went to work for Georgia Public Radio, and then hopscotched from station to station across Austin, Ashland, and Seattle.

A short list of radio presenters who’ve moved and inspired him over the years: jazz historians Phil Schapp and Ken Wiley; Stephen Hill from “Hearts of Space”; CBC’s Shelley Soames; and Nimet Habachy.

Music less traveled by.

This eclectic hour encompasses jazz improv, ambient vibes, traces of transcendence. 

About the Show

Why “In the Wilderness”?

“The name of the show,” confesses Neil Molloy, “sums up how I’ve been feeling these past few years, on the other side of 50, having my fate decided by bots one time too many.” Heard in that light, each episode becomes a quest for humanity. And it marks Molloy’s return to the airwaves for the first time in nearly a decade.

The music’s mostly jazz, yet with an ear toward lesser-traveled spaces such as solos and duos. More introspection than bop, but not exclusively minimalist. One hour might encompass ambient, world music, and delightfully obscure classical pieces; on another night, it’s focused on a single performer, or an exploration of the ECM aesthetic(s), of songs & moods steeped in nature and memory.

Spirits of improvisation wander these woods…

Listen

First Time Listener?

Episodes

In the Wilderness ~ Haunted by the Dreams I Own
In the WildernessKXRW Shows
“Rose petals seem to fall,” as Abbey Lincoln ushers in our homage to Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington, born 127 Aprils ago. Lean into the Maestro’s magic through orchestral as well as solo recordings. Plus: piano masters Ran Blake and Marian McPartland radically deconstruct Ellington classics. From a Dutch duet for ...
Read More
In the Wilderness ~ Bley & Coltrane ~ 3-3-26
In the WildernessKXRW Shows
Carla Bley and Alice Coltrane, two American icons of improvised music, share our imaginary bandstand for Women’s History Month. We’ll plunge into the freewheeling joys of Bley’s jazz orchestra, then explore Coltrane’s reimagining of the harp as a spiritual instrument, including a classical chamber music arrangement of her Sanskrit-inspired “Prema.” ...
Read More
In the Wilderness ~ Winter Travels ~ 2/3/26
In the WildernessKXRW Shows
Your voyage begins with water spiralling through the cosmos, via Japanese music for crotales, marimba, and vibes. Appealing percussive sounds from Scotland soon follow, then it’s off to France for full-throated chanting by a harmonic choir. Singaporean bassoonist Jo Anne Sukumaran jams with tabla master Sanjay Kansa Banik, and Mingus ...
Read More
In the Wilderness ~ Soft Guitars ~ 1-6-26
In the WildernessKXRW Shows
Greek guitarist Antigoni Goni once told an interviewer, “The guitar is capable of producing many colors and voices, but these colors do not originate from the instrument. They originate inside the mind of the artist, who must cultivate the ability to tap into this universe and create these colors through ...
Read More
In the Wilderness / Yuletide Edition 12/02/25
In the WildernessKXRW Shows
Oat Nog Alert! Mostly moody (and maybe a little bit merry) it’s an all-Yuletide hour for the holiday season.From fingerstyle guitar to choral to jazz to cabaret to gospel, here’s your chill soundtrack for snowfall, visions of sugar plums, and that crackling Yule log in your virtual fireplace…Neil Molloy hosts ...
Read More
In the Wilderness – Sheila Jordan’s Sound of Blue – 11/04/25
In the WildernessKXRW Shows
American original Sheila Jordan would have turned 97 this November 18th, a milestone we’re missing by three months and one week. This hour of In the Wilderness delves into her peerless vocal performances from the 1970s and ‘80s, on vinyl she made with pianist-composer Steve Kuhn and double-bassist Harvie S ...
Read More
In the Wilderness – Strings Around Autumn – 10/07/25
In the WildernessKXRW Shows
A guitar or two; likewise bass; some sweet violins to circle Charlie “the Bird” Parker; and one mighty viola in a starring role! Plus a pair of trombones, a poem by Makoto Ōoka, the magnificent voice of Betty Carter, and a nod to Ray Bradbury on the 70th anniv of ...
Read More
In the Wilderness – Songs for Late Summer – 9/02/25
In the WildernessKXRW Shows
Conventional wisdom tells us that summer dies the instant Labor Day ends. But is that really true? (Has it ever been?) Likewise, the calendar page heralding autumn the third week of September is no guarantee that summer heat will take a hike. Hear then, “Songs for Late Summer,” an In ...
Read More
In the Wilderness – 95 Years of Abbey Lincoln – 8/05/25
In the WildernessKXRW Shows
Born on August 6, 1930, the singer-songwriter Abbey Lincoln would have turned 95 this summer. In the Wilderness honors her almost-centennial with songs ranging from her sepia supperclub days of the late 1950s to her valedictory recording in 2007. You’ll hear her compositions as well as Lincoln’s leonine flights through ...
Read More
Explore More Shows

Follow

Radio Is Yours

Help us make more.

Member support provides a large portion of what KXRW Vancouver 99.9FM needs to run and grow. Together KXRW members make up a community of people from Vancouver and Portland who love music and want a platform for important issues to be treated with integrity and humor.

Monthly Support

Become a Donor

KXRW is a non-commercial station, which means that we exist for and because of our listeners. If you value our diverse talk, our music programming, and appreciate our commitment to work toward a more just community through open and honest media, then we need your help to thrive and grow!