Neon Jazz Interviews

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with LA-based Grammy Winning Jazz Guitarist Andrew Synowiec .. He opened up about being a part of the album Vanguards of Groove by the mighty SRT on their debut album three seasoned and accomplished pros who are still hungry featuring the legendary likes of drummer John “J.R.” Robinson and organist Mitch Towne .. Andrew is a multi-faceted...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Brazilian Jazz Singer Claudia Villela .. We get into her new 2023 CD Cartas ao Vento .. Her voice gets all the attention that is a five-octave instrument acting as one of the wonders of jazz .. Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, she sings mostly in Portuguese, interpreting lyrics with keen emotional insight and supple rhythmic command...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Canadian-born, NYC-based Pianist, Composer & Arranger Noah Franche-Nolan .. We talk at length about his new 2023 CD Within The Stream marking the Cellar Live Debut taking the listener on a journey with his lyrical compositions and intricately arranged renditions of carefully picked songs from the jazz/Black American Music canon. We co...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Veteran Swiss Jazz Drummer Elmar Frey .. From his base in Switzerland, he talked about his new 2023 CD Seven Colors and his life in music .. With 13 records as a bandleader, over 30 as a sideman, and performances alongside the likes of Benny Golson, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Barry Harris, Greg Osby under his belt, ‘Seven Colors’ expands on hi...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with St. Louis-based Jazz Bassist & Composer Andrew Binder .. He reached out to the program with a new album and we were quite impressed… It’s the new 2023 CD Conspiracy Deliracy .. Featuring original compositions crossed between modern jazz, pop music icons, the music, and conspiracy theories. Recipient of a 2023 Urbana Arts Grant, the mu...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Tap Dancer/Percussionist Max Pollock & Guitarist Pete Smith of the Jazz Group Grupo Los Santos .. We caught up with them about their new 2023 CD Santos 4. By their own reckoning, they are an admittedly a strange band. They’ve spent the last 20 years building a dedicated fanbase around their unmistakably unique sound, with an eclectic...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Dallas-based Jazz Drummer & Composer Bobby Falk .. We caught up with him about his new 2023 CD Coming to Fruition. This Louisville, KY native grew up in a musical family. Father Gary Falk is a saxophonist and owns local recording studio “Falk Audio”, Mother Dorissa is pianist/organist who taught music for over 30 years in public schoo...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Wisconsin-based Jazz Trumpeter, Composer & Educator Paul Dietrich .. We talked about his fourth album as a leader called 5+4 out on October 13, 2023 on Shifting Paradigm Records. This project combines the instrumentation of a “traditional” jazz quintet paired with a string quartet. Along with this album, we cover his life in music, su...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Uruguayan-born/Toronto-based Singer-Songwriter Valeria Matzner .. We dug into her latest 2023 album called Tamborilero that pays homage to the people who started this music, the Uraguayans of African descent and to the musical gift from the people of the African diaspora to Uruguayan culture. Along with this new project, we cover her...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series Brooklyn-based Jazz Trombonist & Composer Andrew Danforth .. He opened up about his new 2023 CD Homegrown. An album that is a dedication to the past, present and future of creative music in Indianapolis and a musical representation of the natural landscape, humanity and social geography of Indianapolis that he has  grown to care so deeply...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Bassist & Composer Steven Husted .. We got into his new 2023 CD Standards & Then Some. It is his third release as a band leader and is a return to his acoustic, straight ahead jazz roots. After years of electric, jazz fusion playing and composing, he is once again playing his upright bass and showing his breadth of understanding...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Veteran Boston-based Jazz Guitarist & Educator Eric Hofbauer .. We had a wide ranging talk about his new 2023 CD Wake Up! It is a reboot of the “Five Agents” ensemble from Book of Water .. He is the chair of Jazz and Contemporary Music at Longy School of Music of Bard College, where he teaches jazz theory, chamber ensembles, solo repe...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Acclaimed Pop Artist Ellen Woloshin .. She opened up about her new 2023 CD Pop Torch. This former jingle writer is excited about her 3rd solo album with a blend of classics and originals ..  Her connection with music goes back to childhood. She grew up studying classical piano and started singing at the age of 16. When deciding to for...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series Toronto-based Pianist Teri Parker on the 2023 Album Shaping the Invisible .. On this sophomore album as a bandleader it stands as the culmination of years of playing, composing, and artistic growth. It's a fusion of musical heritage and innovation that places Parker squarely in the lineage of ground-breaking musicians... We cover this rele...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Veteran Brooklyn-based Jazz Bassist & Club Owner Arthur Kell .. We talked about his new 2023 CD Speculation Quartet: Live at LunĂtico, out on Origin Records .. This project is a homecoming for Arthur as it merges the his disparate pursuits & bringing his music full circle. As the co-owner and through Bar LunĂtico, he has contributed g...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with NYC Musician & Artist Molly Skuse .. She opened up about the new 2023 CD called Everybody by the Sixth Street All Stars .. We also covered her life in music .. She graduated from The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music where she studied Vocal Jazz Performance and was recognized for her vocal prowess by Down Beat magazine's stud...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Italy-based Pianist Roberto Magris and Owner of JMood Records Paul Collins on the 2023 CD High Quote .. We spent some quality time talking about this project that has been in the can for some time. Originally recorded on November 3rd , 2012 at Chapman Recording Studios, Lenexa, Kansas, this is now seeing the light of day. Roberto agai...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Composer on the 2023 CD Open Spaces Daniel Hersog .. We caught up with him about his new 2023 CD Open Spaces .. It taps into the universal qualities of folk music for the second release by his Daniel Hersog Jazz Orchestra featuring his  arrangements of traditional tunes like “Shenandoah” & Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” .. Out...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Award-Winning Video Game Composer & Electric Bassist Lennie Moore .. He opened up abou this new 2023 CD Mentors. It had been decades he wanted to do a big band album and it’s here. Several years ago, he was thinking back on all the mentors he had in his life who helped to shape or influence who he was as a composer and artist. This al...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series Philadelphia-based Jazz Vocalist Maci Miller .. We caught up with her about her life in music and the brand new 2023 CD Nine. It is her first CD in quite some time .. In the field of numerology, the number nine is connected to wisdom and experience .. As she notes, “The number nine is significant because it's closely associated with the sp...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Conga & Percussionist Alberto Nacif .. He opened up about Aguankó's new 2023 project .. Their 5th album called Unidad .. It is an all original Latin Jazz recording, comprised of 11 creatively fresh Cuban Jazz inspired pieces from the incredibly rich Detroit area jazz scene. Alberto was born in Mexico City and lived the isthmus st...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Sweden-based Multi-Award Winning Jazz Saxophonist Klas Lindquist .. He reached out to the show and talked at length about his new 2023 CD Alternative Source of Energy done with his nonet .. The album will be released during the Stockholm Jazz Festival in October. He has studied at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and at the Man...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Veteran Philadelphia-based Jazz Pianist, Organist & Educator  Bobby Zankel .. He opened up about his new 2023 CD A Change of Destiny recorded with his Wonderful Sound 8—an offshoot of his Warriors of the Wonderful Sound big band. The work is a response to the discovery of slave quarters in George Washington’s President’s House—the fir...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Singer/Songwriter Candice Hoyes of the Band Nite Bjuti .. This new album taps into the transcendent communicative powers shared among the trio to delve into the spiritual intimacies of Black life .. Candice opens up about the band and her life in music .. Nite Bjuti [pronounced Night Beauty] is a trio of Black women artists who w...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Korean-born, NYC-based Pianist, Composer & Educator Eunmi Lee .. She talked to us about her debut album.. The 2023 CD Introspection .. She is fearless in experimenting with blending her cultural background with contemporary Jazz. At a young age, she discovered her love for music. She did her associate degree at the Seoul Institute of...