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.

LINKS

BlueSky

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

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Episodes

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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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