Neon Jazz Interviews

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Montreal & New York-based Cellist  Sahara von Hattenberger .. We caught up with her about her new 2024 CD 1Q84 and her life in music. Fans of Japanese literature may recognize the title of the new album as having been borrowed from acclaimed author Haruki Murakami’s most famous fantasy novel,  1Q84 . The story begins in 1984 and foll...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Italy-born, Ottawa University-based Jazz Guitarist  Gennaro Caggiano .. We caught him performing at the Voo Lounge in downtown Kansas City as a part of a jazz futures show sponsored by the Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors. Subsequently, we caught up with him and found out his fascinating story. From his beginnings on the piano in the old...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Jazz Vocalist & Educator  Melinda Rose & Pianist Frenchy Romero .. We caught up with this duo about their new 2024 CD I’m on My Way. They met when there were teenagers and Miami was their fertile stomping ground. WE get into their friendship, music union, the new album and the future ahead. It’s a great story. More on Melinda & Frenc...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Jazz Percussionist of Sandbox Percussion   Victor Caccese .. We talked about the GRAMMY®-nominated ensemble  Sandbox Percussion  and their union with the Tyshawn Sorey Trio collaborating on a special Max Roach tribute, performed live. Together, the two groups will explore the extraordinary legacy of jazz pioneer Max Roach, who was bo...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Veteran Jazz Singer/Songwriter Eugenie Jones As She Unveils a New 2025 Release .. It has been 9 years since we first interviewed at Neon Jazz and much has happened since then. We get into her new 2025 Upcoming CD “Eugenie”. It is a groove-infused journey into passion, betrayal and revenge out on January 20, 2025. We cover her life the...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Veteran Brooklyn Jazz Trio Works with  Michel Gentile, Daniel Kelly and Rob Garcia .. Full of unique instrumentation, innovative compositions and 17 years of group chemistry, we get into their new 2024 album  Scouring For The Elements . Each band member contributed original compositions, reflecting their profound commitment to the co...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Jazz Composer, Pianist, Bandleader & Accompanist  Anne Sajdera .. We talked about her new 2024 CD It’s Here and a very esteemed existence in the jazz world. She stands as a creative force whose music encompasses an unusually far-flung array of traditions. With musical roots spanning the globe, she melds American and Brazilian jazz to...

 Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  LA-based Jazz Vocalist & Composer   Maria Schafer .. We talked to her about her new 2024 CD Here For You and an interesting story about how jazz became her career. This new project marks a pivotal moment in her career featuring six original compositions on an album firmly rooted in straight-ahead jazz, while showcasing her modern to...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  NYC-based Jazz Bassist & Composer  Carlos Mena .. We caught up with him to talk about his new 2024 CD Con Personas/With the People and a life in music. Originally from Ecuador, he comes from a family of musicians and continues to honor his family tradition to this day. He began playing music professionally as a percussionist when he...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Netherlands-based Jazz Co-Leader, Composer & Drummer  Jonas Linnemann .. We caught up with him to talk about his new 2024 CD StarkLinnemann Quintet - “Eroica” Transcending Beethoven Vol.3 and his life in music. HIs life brought him to America in Salina, KS at 16 where he flourished in his jazz studies. These days, he continues to hon...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  NYC-based Jazz Drummer  Zach Adleman .. We caught up with him about his new 2024 CD WE MAKE Stories for a New Day, his life in music so far and much more. He has been playing drums since he was 6 years. While growing up in Montclair, New Jersey, he discovered his inspiration for music from his musical parents and neighbors. When he w...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Polish-based  Music Artist  Latarnik  on new 2024 music  .. We caught up with him from his studio via Zoom in Poland to talk about his projects, a life in music and so much more.  Błoto’s bold 2020 debut brought forth three albums in just twelve months. This prolific creative burst, followed by an ongoing tour and involvement in other...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Jazz Saxophonist, Flautist & Educator  Dann Zinn  on the 2024 album Two Roads  .. On this sixth album as a leader, it was inspired by the Robert Frost poem "A Road Not Taken," which took on greater significance for Zinn after a jogging accident in which he severely injured his right hand. The album was recorded before the accident, w...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Nashville-based Jazz Drummer  John Alvey .. We caught up with him to talk about his new 2024 CD Loft Glow, live shows and his life in music. He has been a regular of the Nashville jazz scene and roots music scene for a decade. He can be found playing in different musical incarnations in Nashville or on the road. Over the years, he ha...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Brooklyn-based Jazz Saxophonist & Composer  Omer Leshem .. We caught up with him to talk about his new 2024 CD Play Space. Originally from Israel, his unique compositional style is influenced by a wide range of genres and concepts, including classical European harmonies, Mediterranean grooves and lyricism, and contemporary free jazz....

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Veteran Jazz Multifaceted Violinist, Composer & Educator  Arun Ramamurthy .. We caught up with him to discuss his new 2024 CD New Moon done with his trio of Sameer Gupta on drums and Damon Banks on bass out on Greenleaf Music. It explores that question and many others related to diasporic peoples through a true blend of Indian Carnat...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Legendary Jazz Pianist  Kenny Barron .. We caught up with this brilliant artist about his new 2024 CD Beyond this Place, an upcoming Fall 2024 Tour and a life dedicated to jazz. He was honored by The National Endowment for the Arts as a 2010 Jazz Master and we asked him about what has meant the most in his career. The Los Angeles Tim...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Chicago Jazz Pianist   Pat Leary .. We talked at length about his new 2024 CD Live at Midnight Tea. Bridging the impressionistic side of classical music with the jazz greats like Bill Evans or Keith Jarrett, Pat creates refreshing and intentional solo piano music that blurs the lines between classical and jazz while also avoiding bei...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Jazz Vocalist & Trombonist  Aubrey Logan ..  We caught up with her from her base in Austin, Texas to talk about  her latest album ''Aubrey & Her Bigger Than Average Band'' on November 1, 2024 via MWO Records. This highly anticipated project highlights her dynamic range, blending jazz, pop, and soul with a contemporary edge. Produced...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Kansas City-based Jazz Organist & Leader of OJT  Ken Lovern  on the 2024 Album Ground Level  .. The Organ Jazz Trio is the union of Ken and Guitarist Brian Baggett who have been making their unique style of music together in this trio for over 20 years. Mix in Drummer Kenny Watson Jr., who joined the group a couple of years ago and h...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Veteran Brooklyn-based Jazz Multi-Instrumentalist  Richard X Bennett  on the 2024 Album Scavenger  .. This albums is a story about chemo treatments becoming an art installation. Art from the abyss, as it were. A textual/musical/visual presentation from the mind that was originally conceived as a musical project where the majority of...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with J Brooklyn-based  Jazz Saxophonist, Composer & Educator  Alex LoRe .. We caught up with him to discuss his new 2024 CD Motivity and quite a life he has lived in the music. This album serves as a tribute to his late mentor Lee Konitz and one of his albums that had a tremendous impact on him in  Motion . The trio features bassist Thomas...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Canadian Jazz Singer & Pianist  Laila Biali  on the 2024 Album Wintersongs  .. 18 months after the release of her critically acclaimed and JUNO-nominated jazz standards album,  Your Requests,  she is back with an entirely fresh and original offering, marking her 10th recording as a bandleader. Composed from a cabin surrounded by snow...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Australian-based Veteran Jazz Guitarist  Jamie Clark .. We caught up with him about his new 2024 CD with the Jamie Clark Trio Live at JMI. This musician has been performing locally and nationally since the mid '80s. He’s established himself as a versatile guitarist on electric and acoustic and has recorded a host of quality musicians...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Toronto-based Jazz Pianist & Composer  Teri Parker  on the 2024 album Peaks and Valleys  .. Known as Teri Parker's Free Spirits, this project was originally conceived as a tribute to the talents of legendary jazz pianists Mary Lou Williams and Geri Allen. It also features a brand- new five-song suite written by Parker. Captured at To...