Neon Jazz Interviews

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Veteran Award Winning Pianist & Composer Joel Martin .. We had a very spirited talk about his life in music, the creation of Jazzical and his latest 2022 CD Komitas - A Passion of Fire Celebrates Armenian Music in the 21st Century .. Over his storied music existence, Joel has travelled throughout the world performing over 400 chamber...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Veteran New York Jazz Clarinetist Harry Skoler ..  We had a great talk about his new 2022 CD Living Sound: The Music Of Charles Mingus .. Harry discovered Mingus and his music early in life. This discovery would change his entire trajectory as a person and musician .. That is what he enthusiastically celebrates on his new recording .....

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Chicago-based Jazz/Blues Singer Solitaire Miles .. She spoke at length about her life in music and the new 2022 CD Susie Blue & the Lonesome Fellas - "Blue Train" featuring Grammy winning Harmonica Maestro Howard Levy and Chicago Sax King Eric Schneider.  Over the years, she has performed and recorded with great bandleaders like Doc C...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Phoenix-based Veteran Latin Jazz Percussionist Miguel ‘El Mambo’ DeLeon .. He moved to Kansas City in 1987 and enjoyed a long music history in town .. He will be returning in early May 2022 for a host of engagements to savor his old stomping grounds .. He will always be known in the Midwest Salsa and Latin Jazz scene as “The Pioneer”...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Reno, Nevada-based Jazz Vocalist CeCe Gable .. We had a long, wonderful conversation about her well lived life in music, her new 2022 CD Next Year's Song, COVID life and so much more .. “Next Year’s Song” was written during the pandemic when everything was interrupted and as the world re-opened, she traveled to New York to record with...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Swiss Drummer & Percussionist Florian Arbenz on 2022 CD Conversation #4 – Vulcanized – This was the fourth in a series of albums that was prompted by the pandemic – He has ultimately set out to document 12 Conversations with musicians invited into his Basel, Switzerland recording studio .. It’s a great musical story of conversations ....

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Nashville-based Jazz Singer Gary Brumburgh .. We caught up with him about his third solo album .. the 2022 CD Full Circle that pays tribute to New York theatre with its bold, innovative reworking of songs from the Broadway/off-Broadway musical stage. Gary was born in Buffalo and raised in a small suburb of North Tonawanda, New York, G...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Award-Winning Songwriter, Guitarist & Composer David Nichtern .. We had a wide ranging, spirited talk about his new 2022 The Dharma Moon Orchestra with special guests – Guitar Phenom Julian Lage & Trumpet Extraordinaire Randy Brecker .. This project was an outgrowth of being holed up for the past 2 years in his house in East Hampton,...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Bronx-based Jazz Pianist, Composer, Arranger & Author Sharp Radway .. We talked at length about his career in music, the arts, COVID and his new 2022 CD Black Woman - A Conversation .. The album is a tribute to the beauty, strength and diversity of Black Women. It's a soulful combination of the elements of Jazz & spoken word .. He is...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with NYC-Based Jazz Saxophonist, Arranger, Composer and Producer Ben Wendel .. Born in Vancouver, Canada, Raised in Los Angeles and now calling New York his home, he has also globe trotted with acts like Gerald Clayton, Eric Harland, Snoop Dogg and the artist formerly known as Prince .. He has a large amount of irons in the fire as a very...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Drummer Matt Slocum  .. This promsing young jazz force was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and raised in Western Wisconsin – He just released 2016’s Trio Pacific, Vol. 1 and it’s another evolutionary step in his jazz walk that started with him digging the recordings of Max Roach and Philly Joe Jones – From there, he went on to the Un...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Hammond B-3 Player Adrienne Fenemor .. Originally from New Zealand Native and now in New York City, she just released a very nice 2016 album called Blue's Jam – and Mo Puddin’ was done a year prior .. Trombone was her native instrunment growing up, but she taught herself to play the Hammond B-3 copying recordings by Jimmy Smith,...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Saxophonist Kris Allen  .. He grew up in Connecticut and went on to learn quite a bit with with legendary alto saxophonist Jackie Mclean at Hartford’s Artists Collective – These days he is promoting his 2nd album as a leader  – 2016’s Beloved  - and continues to be a sought-after sideman – over the years he’s worked with the best...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Kansas City Veteran Trumpeter Marcus Hampton  .. He’s gearing up for a new show at KC’s Blue Room off 18th and Vine on August 12, 2016 which will featured material from his latest 2014 Album -  Hampton House of Jazz – He talked about growing up in  Indianapolis as the the nephew of Slide Hampton and cousin of Lionel Hampton, his 21 ye...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Bassist and Member of the Collective called Myriad3 – Dan Fortin .. They just released a great sonic soundscape of an album in 2016’s Moons. – and this Canadian act came together in 2010 primarily by accident .. To date, they have 4 albums, they have been nominated for a Juno Award, had multiple tours of Canada, the US and Europe...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Alto Saxophonist, Composer and Arranger Logan Richardson  .. Talking to Logan in his current home of Paris, France, he opened up about his latest, critically acclaimed album Shift released in 2016 .. He also elaborated on growing up in Kansas City, playing with Harold O’Neal at Paseo High, Saturday Classes at the American Jazz Mu...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Pianist Mike Jones ..  Right outta Buffalo, New York, he’s living in Las Vegas these days .. and he’s been at this jazz gigging for a long time .. These days he’s promoting his very nice 2016 CD Roaring and it’s already charting well .. Author Neil Gaiman has said that he has magic jazz fingers and that could have led to his long...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Drummer, Composer & Teacher Allison Miller  .. She grew up in the Washington DC area and her dad had a professional studio in their house where she grew up listening to pros recording amazing jazz music .. and she started out on the drums at 10 and loves them .. cannot live without them .. She is currently promoting her 2016...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Pianist, Composer and Arranger Bill O’Connell  .. Hew grew up in New York and started playing the piano when he was younger .. a calling that he knew would lead to a career in music .. With his Latin All Star’s –- He just released a 2016 called Heart Beat and stays very active on the jazz faculty of Rutgers University – Over his...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz free jazz double bassist, multi-instrumentalist, poet and composer William Parker .. He grew up in the Bronx and was always around music .. listening to from crib that his father and friends would make and used to turn toy guns into instruments for playtime .. He went on to study with cats like Jimmy Garrison and become a key com...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Drummer Herlin Riley  .. Right out of the music rich New Orleans area, he’s a cat with plenty of stories and reflections on a long life lived in the jazz world .. He just released his 2016 CD called New Direction and it’s getting received well by the public and on the charts .. In the beginnings, he used to hear his family play m...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz trumpeter, producer and educator Jeremy Pelt .. On the heels of releasing his latest 2016 album #JIVECULTUTURE, he is going stronger than ever .. and on this album he collaborated with the legendary Ron Carter and it’s been getting great reviews .. Whether being part of a big band like those of Roy Hargrove - The Village Vanguard...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz saxophonist, bandleader, composer and educator Jeff Coffin .. Over the course of our conversation,  Jeff spoke with me in his home of Nashville, Tennessee about a journey in music that has taken him all over the world delighting fans with his sax playing .. He is on the heels of a new 2015 CD that has a great name .. something we...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Kansas City Jazz Drummer Danny Rojas .. He grew up in rural Kansas, went to school at the University of Kansas to study under the great Dan Gailey .. and made his way on over to Kansas City and it’s busy jazz scene .. Over the course of our conversation,  we discussed his gigs with Everette DeVann, Chris Hazelton and the Boogaloo 7, w...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Composer, Percussionist, Visual Artist , and Educator Gerry Hemingway .. He is an immensely talented and interesting cat living in Switzerland these days and for the past 6 years .. His life began in New Haven,  Connecticut and took some very cool turns after meeting and learning from and you hooked up with Anthony Davis, Leo Smi...