Neon Jazz Interviews

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Philadelphia-based Jazz Pianist Jessica Magoch .. She reached out to the show and we had to know more about her and a new 2023 CD called Trivial Pursuit .. It is a glam cocktail of Retro Swing and Pop as a genre-bending masterpiece with influences from Caro Emerald and Norah Jones .. As a self-proclaimed “Bad girl stuck in a good girl...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Veteran Jazz Pianist Joe Alterman on the 2023 CD Joe Alterman Plays Les McCann: Big Mo & Little Joe .. This Atlanta native always expresses a certain upbeat naivete, with a broad smile and bright eyes that make all feel welcome. On his latest album, he pays homage to a master he believes needs more credit for his prowess .. We get int...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Violinist & Composer Aline Homzy .. She talked about her debut album in the 2023 CD Éclipse. It's a dazzling musical world with a power line up of vibraphonist Michael Davidson, guitarist Thom Gill, Dan Fortin on bass and Marito Marques  on drum. She grew up in Montréal before moving to Toronto to study jazz. Since then, she has...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jerusalem-based Jazz Bassist Yosef Gutman Levitt & Pianist/Composer Omri Mor .. They spoke at length about their musical relationship and their new 2023 CD Melodies of Light and also Upside Down Mountains .. Omir is of Iraqi and Argentine heritage born in Israel, while Yosef has deep roots in Hasidic and Southern African music. The pr...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with North Carolina-based Jazz Guitarist Daniel DeLorenzo on the 2023 Album Hey .. For this new project, in the words of Daniel, he is "Unleashing the essence of raw creativity and a rebellious 'garage jazz' spirit, 'Hey' strips down the complexities of jazz, delivering a profound musical experience. Embracing grit and authenticity, this c...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with New York City Jazz Drummer Brandon Sanders .. We got into his first album as a leader in the new 2023 CD Compton's Finest .. Originally from Kansas City, Kansas, he moved to Los Angeles when he was two. He spent his formative years in Compton, growing up in a musical household. His mom played the violin and his stepfather played the t...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with NYC Jazz Vocalist & Recording Artist Audrey Silver .. We caught up with her about her new 2023 CD Oklahoma .. With a growing catalog of outstanding recordings and a warm, swinging performing style, she stands as one of the most elegantly creative singers in jazz today. Known for what Hot House Jazz has called “extraordinary artistry”...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Toronto Jazz Guitarist & Composer Dan Pitt on the 2023 Album Stages .. We cover this new album, surviving a pandemic and his future .. This is his fourth release and the second album of his main trio project. Building on a strong jazz foundation, the music on this album combines influences of ambient, rock and chambered music. He cont...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Pianist/Vibes Richard X Bennett and Saxophonist Matt Parker on the 2023 CD Parker Plays X .. These friends and collaborators heighten their creative relationship with their BYNK Records release. These two are co-leading a session for the first time as they, along with bassist Adam Armstrong and drummer Julian Edmond, explore a do...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with New Orleans-based Jazz Singer Carmela Rappazzo on the 2023 CD Whisperings .. On her new album, she offers a ripple of acoustic guitar, and a cello goes through a darkened nightclub. Then the rest of the small band—sax, accordion and bass—join in with a breezy rhythm as a single spotlight fades up, illuminating a singer on a stool. We...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Toronto-based Jazz Saxophonist Andrew Rathbun on the 2023 CD The Speed of Time ..We get into his latest Steeplechase as a compelling addition to an already impressive body of work. Over his 20 years of work, he has achieved a rare depth of lyricism and compositional intelligence .. We get into this album, COVID life, the future and mu...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Trombonist & Composer Audrey Ochoa on the 2023 Album The Head of a Mouse .. She opened up about her fourth album as a bandleader, surviving COVID, the future and much more .. This project was conceived of during one of the most challenging periods in recent history-the COVID-19 pandemic. As she couldn’t freely perform the music f...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz/Pop Saxophonist & Educator Nick Stefanacci .. We got into his new 2023 CD Secrets, his life in music, the future and much more .. He has toured the world for over two decades sharing the stage with legends across Europe and North America as he brings a new vision and swagger to the music industry.  Dig his story ..  For More Inte...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Author & Writer of The Book Dangerous Rhythms T.J. English .. His spectacular book tells the symbiotic story of jazz and the underworld: a relationship fostered in some of 20th century America’s most notorious vice districts. For the first half of the century mobsters and musicians enjoyed a mutually beneficial partnership. The timeli...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Drummer, Composer & Producer Patrick Soluri of The Hot Toddies .. He opened up about their debut full-length album as New York City's leading hot jazz and swing band. The album celebrates the array of swinging vocal and big band numbers inspired by the legendary singers and composers of the era like Duke Ellington, Billy Holiday...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Pianist & Musical Director Joel Pierson  of the Group Queen’s Cartoonists .. We talked about their new 2023 CD Mozart’s Jazz Requiem .. Using Mozart’s renowned sense of humor as a guide, Joel re-composed this “tribute to one of the greatest pieces ever written” in the style of Raymond Scott and John Kirby, “with a hint of modern...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Barcelona-born, Boston-based Jazz Pianist & Composer Olivia Perez-Collellmir .. We get into her debut full-length album called Olivia. The album spans many of Olivia’s own musical interests like the marriage of flamenco music and Latin jazz with Spanish folk traditions and classical music, creating a universal sound with no musical bo...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Persian-Jewish Jazz Singer, Composer & Anthropologist Galeet Dardashti .. Traversing space and time, she collaborates with the haunting voice of her renowned Iranian grandfather, the late Younes. Sampling from an intense audio artifact he recorded in Iran, she brings some of the Persian legend's music to life for new audiences on her...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Saxophonist Sharel Cassity & Pianist Johannes Wallmann on the 2023 CD Precarious Towers – 10 Stories .. The Midwestern all-star quintet Precarious Towers featuring Sharel Cassity, Johannes Wallmann, Mitchell Shiner, John Christensen and Devin Drobka .. The group that began as a brainchild of Johannes with each member contributing...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Saxophonist, Composer & Educator Sharel Cassity ..She talked about her 2020 album Fearless released during the pandemic and upcoming projects .. She stands as a main player on the New York and Chicago jazz scenes. Listed as "Rising Star Alto Saxophone" in Downbeat Magazine for the past 12 years, she has appeared on the Today Show...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Veteran Jazz Saxophonist Greg Abate on the Live 2023 Recording at WICN FM .. This album is a reunion of friends 40 years in the making on an extremely tasty performance to an intimate studio audience. Their longtime friendship started back in 1977, when they played alongside each other in the jazz fusion group, Channel One. By the mid...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Veteran Kansas City Jazz Saxophonist Matt Otto on the 2023 CD Kansas City Trio .. This is the first in a series of albums coming out and was spurned by motivations over the COVID hiatus to record more work .. Over his career, he has recorded on well over fifty albums each one a snapshot of his continuing and deepening relationship wit...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Southern California-based Drummer & Percussionist David Whitman .. He released a wonderful new album .. The new 2023 CD Ode to Joe that stands as his fourth release and harkens back to the golden era of Blue Note, Riverside, and Verve, when spontaneity, passion, and magic ruled the studio. Recorded at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles ov...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Performer, Saxophonist, Vocalist, Pianist, Arranger & Composer Matt Catingub .. He opened up about his new project that is the new 2023 CD Samoa to Sinatra .. His mother Mavis Rivers was nominated as Best New Artist at the very first Grammy Awards. After the nomination, her label mate Frank Sinatra decided to create Reprise Recor...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Pianist & Composer Dave Meder .. He opened up about his new 2023 CD New American Hymnal .. It’s his third album as a leader & first full album with this new quartet configuration. It’s a collection of worship songs, not in a religious sense, but rather for the American civic and cultural experiment. He stands as one of the promin...