Neon Jazz Interviews

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...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Jazz Drummer & Composer  Matt Slocum  on the 2024 CD Lion Dance  .. After six acclaimed recordings, he is getting well into his own on his latest release on Sunnyside Records called  Lion Dance. It’s fulla  swinging dialogues with two modern-day masters, long-time collaborators and friends, Walter Smith III on tenor saxophone, and La...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Jazz Guitarist  Eric-St. Laurent  on the 2024 Album Darn that Band  .. We caught up with him about his new 2024 CD Darn that Band .. Born in Montreal, he studied guitar and improvisation in New York City before moving to Berlin, where he spent a decade as a sideman to big and small names of the European music world. After re-locating...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Canadian-born, NYC-based Jazz Pianist & Composer Bryn Roberts .. He opened up about his new 2024 CD  Aloft and his life music. This new project  is the trio debut after a long career as a sideman in the jazz world. With five acclaimed releases as a leader with quintets, quartets, and most recently in duo format with guitarist Lage Lun...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Jazz Bassist & Vocalist  Kristin Korb  on the 2024 Album Sweet Dreams  .. We caught up with this American artist based in Copenhagen, Denmark about her tribute to  Eurythmics , It is much more than just a cover album. She weaves their  timeless hits into a vibrant tapestry of refreshing new jazz arrangements, reflecting her personal...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Veteran Jazz Composer & Pianist   Bevan Manson .. We caught up with this busy music man about his new 2024 CD Talking to Trees – With the Hollywood Symphony and his long life in music. Recently an arranger for Manhattan Transfer vocalist Cheryl Bentyne’s Sondheim album, he has also arranged music for Village Vanguard Orchestra saxoph...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Grammy® Award Winning  Jazz Woodwind Artist & Composer  Ben Kono .. We caught up with him about his new 2024 CD Voyages and a great life in music. This new album is a musical tribute to his Japanese American ancestry, along with being an exploration of cultural heritage and personal history. This Vermont native moved to New York City...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Tenor Saxophonist  Dustin Laurenzi,  Bassist/Singer  Katie Ernst &  Drummer  Andrew Green  of the Chicago-based Band Twin Talk  .. We caught up with this trio to talk about their latest 2024 release called On  Twin Talk Live . It’s a release that blurs the boundaries between near-telepathic collective improvisation and highly compose...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Celebrated Montana-based Jazz Trombonist & Composer  Naomi Moon Siegel .. We caught up with her about her new 2024 CD Shatter the Glass Sanctuary and an amazing life in music. Her latest album is a collection of adventurous original works that chronicles her adjustment to small-town living in Missoula, Montana, after residing for man...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  LA Jazz Singer & Interviewer  Cathy Segal-Garcia  on the 2024 CD Social Anthems Volume 2  .. She worked on both volumes over several years (2019 - 2023) and with two amazing bands. She is doing new jazz versions of some of my favorite pop songs from the 60s through the 90s. She is a child of the 70s and that generation had a whole lo...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Legendary Guitarist  Mike Stern .. We were honored to catch up with this veteran musician about his new 2024 CD " Echoes   and Other Songs ” that serves as a love letter to jazz, to the guitar, and to bandstand camaraderie – dedicated to the memory of my wonderful friend and musical collaborator Jim Beard. The band features a bevy of...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Jazz  Harmonica Virtuoso, Classical Guitarist, Singer, Songwriter, Arranger & Composer Enrico Granafei .. We caught up with this Italian-born, New Jersey-based former club owner about this new 2024 CD It’s Hard to Say Good-bye .. We get into his life as a musician, former business owner and well beyond .. He has a long history of mus...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with h  Jazz Saxophonist, Composer, Innovator & Educator  Kyle Brooks .. We caught up with this Illinois-based player to talk about his debut and very new 2024 CD Monarch and a life in jazz. He has been making waves around the Midwest and beyond for his introspective, informed, and collaborative approach to music. Having worked extensively...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Toronto-based Jazz Artist  Marie Goudy .. We get into her new 2024 project with her band Paloma Sky and the album  Hold on to Me.  It stands as the debut of this jazz- pop quintet full of ten tracks composed and arranged by bandleader and trumpet player Marie Goudy. The music traverses a wide range of jazz sub-genres, from Latin to s...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with  Orlando-based Veteran Jazz Saxophonist, Bandleader & Educator  Jeff Rupert  on the 2024 CD It Gets Better  .. We get into all things that are going on now and veer off the route for some good insights. His new project is a blend of six original compositions and three thoughtfully selected standards. The recording features an ensemble...