Neon Jazz Interviews

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz  interview series. On this episode, we talk with  Bay Area jazz keyboardist, composer, and producer Greg Rahn  about his vibrant new  2026 CD  Side Hustle  and a lifelong ride through the world of music. This dynamic project features a seasoned core of veteran musicians, including  former Steely Dan touring guitarist Drew Zingg , and explores a wide music...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz interview series  featuring  Chicago-based jazz vocalist & theater artist Tatum Langley . 🎶 In this episode, we dive into her new  2025 album  Tatum’s Swinging Session  and her dream-fueled journey as an emerging big band singer. Tatum is an amalgamation of musical influences, specializing in  jazz and musical theatre , and has captivated audiences every...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz  interview series. On this episode, we talk with  Grammy-nominated harpist, composer, innovator, educator, and coach Deborah Henson-Conant —a visionary artist who has redefined the harp for modern audiences. With decades of international acclaim, Deborah has built an extraordinary career as a live performer, composer, and musical pioneer, including the in...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz  interview series. On this episode, we talk with  Montreal-based jazz drummer, bandleader, and composer Jacob Wutzke  about his new 2025 album  Pedalling Falsehoods  and a life immersed in the world of jazz. This fourth release marks a powerful artistic statement, with Jacob explaining the meaning behind the album’s title and the ideas that inspired the m...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz  interview series. On this episode, we talk with  LOBE , a collective of musicians from the  San Francisco Bay Area , about their new and debut 2025 album  was that on purpose?  and the story behind the band’s formation, sound, and mission. The LOBE collective features  Daiki Nakajima  on flute, bass, tenor and soprano saxophones;  Sam Silverstein  on vio...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz  interview series. On this episode, we talk with  Toronto-based jazz singer, songwriter, and actor Whitney Ross-Barris  about her new 2025 album  Curtains of Light  and a life devoted to the arts. Curtains of Light  is a deeply expressive recording that blends  jazz, choral music, neo-soul, spoken word, and folk , weaving intimate human stories of disconn...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz interview series . In this episode, we sit down with  Chicago-based, award-winning Palestinian-American composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist Wanees Zarour  to discuss his powerful new  2026 album  Silwan  and a life devoted to music. Deeply rooted in the traditions of  maqam and jazz , Wanees has developed a compositional voice that  transcends b...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz interview series . In this episode, we take a deep dive with  Edmonton-based jazz bassist Aretha Tillotson  into her new  2025 CD  Kinda Out West  and a life dedicated to music. This release marks her  second album as a leader  and follows her  Western Canadian Music Award–winning 2024 album  Introducing Aretha Tillotson . Kinda Out West  is an ode to the...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz interview series . In this episode, we catch up with acclaimed  jazz vocalist Alma Micic  to discuss her  2025 album  Lilac Wine – A Tribute to Helen Merrill , which she describes as her  finest work to date . Our last conversation took place in  2018 , so this interview also dives into  COVID-era survival , the deeply meaningful experience of  meeting He...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz interview series . In this episode, we talk with  Peru-based jazz flutist, composer, sound artist, researcher, and music curator Camilo Ángeles  about the newly released album  Algol  by his electroacoustic trio of the same name. The group features  Camilo Ángeles ,  German drummer and producer Christian Lillinger , and  Austrian composer and performer El...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz interview series . In this episode, we catch up with  French-born jazz composer and pianist Laurent Ziliani  to discuss his powerful new  2025 CD  Skybound , along with composing, life in the music world, and the role of travel in shaping his sound. Skybound  is a deeply personal musical tribute to Laurent’s dear friend, the late  violinist and pilot Ben...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz interview series . In this episode, we talk with  Miami-based celebrated Brazilian percussionist and multi-instrumentalist Gilmar Gomes  about his  debut 2025 album  11:11  and a remarkable life in music that has taken him across the globe. The number 11 holds deep meaning for Gilmar, and fittingly, the album was released on  11/11/25 . 11:11  is a vibran...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz interview series . On this episode, we talk with  LA-based jazz vocalist and bandleader Nutty Sonny Moon , the creative force behind  Nutty Jazz —a wildly entertaining project that reimagines  classic rock and pop songs through a jazz lens . With a unique approach, Nutty rearranges familiar hits by blending them with  straight-ahead jazz, big band, Latin,...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz interview series . On this episode, we talk with  acclaimed jazz pianist and vocalist Rich Siegel  about his new 2025 album  It’s Always Been You  and a full, wide-ranging life in music. On this release, Rich is joined by  bassist Cameron Brown  and  drummer Tony Jefferson , delivering a program that highlights his expressive  singing, piano playing, and...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz interview series . On this episode, we talk with  Italian-born, London-based jazz pianist Bruno D’Ambra  about his new 2025 single  Ain’t Nobody  and an unconventional, deeply personal journey through jazz. Bruno’s recent work breaks from traditional jazz production methods, created instead through his innovative project  My Session Band —a remote recordi...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz interview series . On this episode, we talk with  Michigan-based jazz trumpeter and educator Anthony Stanco  about his new 2025 album  In the Groove  and a jazz life that began in  Detroit . A deeply swinging and soulful release,  In the Groove  is packed with  deep-pocket grooves  and the buoyant spirit of  hard bop , reflecting both tradition and modern...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz interview series . On this episode, we talk with  Miami-based jazz pianist Martin Bejerano  about  The Purple Project  and more, taking a deep dive into his 2025 release  The Purple Project: A Reimagining of the Work of Prince  and his vibrant life in live music. Martin has seen  Prince  many times in concert and was deeply influenced by the way Prince of...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz interview series . On this episode, we talk with  NYC-based jazz bassist and composer Jakob Dreyer  about his 2025 album  Roots and Things , a vibrant and forward-looking statement from one of modern jazz’s most versatile voices. German-born and deeply rooted in the New York jazz scene, Jakob assembled a formidable ensemble for this project, featuring  vi...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz interview series . On this episode, we sit down with  internationally renowned jazz drummer, percussionist, clinician, author, and educator Steve Houghton , joining him from his base in  Indiana  to talk about his new 2025 album  And Then Some  and a remarkable life dedicated to jazz. This new recording was a pure joy for Steve, bringing together longtime...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz interview series . On this episode, we sit down with  trumpeter Paul Litteral ,  label owner Angela O’Neill , and  producer Greg Curtis  to discuss the powerful 2025 album  The Literal Truth —a release shaped by resilience after their studio was destroyed during the  California wildfires . The Literal Truth  is a vibrant fusion of  jazz, funk, and rock ,...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz interview series . In this episode, we catch up with  Montreal-based jazz singer and composer Marie-Soleil Lambert  to talk about her 2025 release  Anastasia  and a life deeply devoted to music, growth, and creative exploration. Always evolving as both a  musician and composer , Marie-Soleil leads her sextet  Sun Fantasia , formed in 2022, as she continue...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz interview series . In this episode, we catch up with  European jazz saxophonist and composer Nikola Bankov , one of the  brightest new voices in contemporary European jazz , just before a live gig to talk about his 2025 release  Everwanted —his  third album as a leader  and a bold step forward in sound and vision. On  Everwanted , Bankov fuses  high-energ...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz interview series . In this episode, we sit down with  esteemed Bronx-based drummer, composer, and arranger Greg Burrows  to explore his powerful 2025 release,  Let’s Not Wait: The Music of Ed Bonoff , along with an eclectic and deeply personal journey through the jazz world. This album stands as  only the second recording ever dedicated exclusively  to th...

It’s a little over a week away before this year known as 2025 comes to a close. And as I collect a cachet of memories and thoughts from the year that is gone by .. I think about all of the good in the highlights and the magic that took place this year. There are three things that rise to the top of this year that is gone by & it includes a near improbable run that I started to get my childhood...

Welcome to a new edition of the  Neon Jazz interview series . In this episode, we sit down with  jazz trombonist and composer JC Sanford  to explore his 2025 release  Denki , recorded with his band  EQ (Electric Quartet) . This  eighth album as a leader  is a creative tour de force—electric, exploratory, and deeply personal. The title  Denki —Japanese for  “electricity” —pays tribute to Sanford’s...