Neon Jazz Interviews

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with GRAMMY®-Recognized Producer, Music industry Veteran, Educator & Jazz Musician Nick Phillips .. Over his career, he has worked on several hundred commercially-released projects. Newly-recorded projects produced by Nick include albums by jazz luminaries like Kenny Barron, Randy Brecker, Fred Hersch and so many others.. We cover new proj...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Kansas City-born, NYC-based Jazz Singer Lucy Wijnands on New 2023 Music .. She is releasing her first single as a solo artist called "Always and Forever" on April 7, 2023. It was written by her father, the KC Piano Icon Bram Wijnands, and recorded by her gang here in Brooklyn. This will be leading up to two more single releases with a...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Legend Wadada Leo Smith  on the 2023 Album Fire Illuminations .. Throughout 2022, he celebrated his 80th birthday with one of the most prolific and creative year’s worth of releases. Now at 81 in 2023, he returns with his first of several planned releases in this new year. The brilliant Fire Illuminations is due out March 31, 202...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Berlin-based Jazz Multi-Instrumentalist, Composer, Arranger & Conductor Ed Partyka on the 2023 album Hold Your Fire .. During our interview, we get into depth about this elegant new album, modern living in the post-COVID world, live shows, students in jazz these days and so much more .. Dig this interview ..  For More Interviews: The...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Canadian Songstress Emilie-Claire Barlow  on 2023 Album Spark Bird .. This brand new album is her 13th as a Leader and it's due out on March 31, 2023. This is a stark contrast to the first interview we did with her back in June 2020 as the world of jazz and beyond was grinding to a halt. Over her career, she has established herself as...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Canadian Jazz Singer & Arranger Emilie-Claire Barlow .. This award winning and critically acclaimed two time Juno Award winner and six-time nominee has released 11 self-produced albums on her own label called Empress Music Group. On June 1 2020, we caught up with her to talk about the strange new COVID-19 world, new projects, her life...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Saxophonist Martin Stender & Percussionist Victor Dybbroe of the Copenhagen-based Jazz Band Girls in Airports .. They open up about their new 2023 Album How It Is Now and a life well lived as a band in music .. Based in Copenhagen, they are one of the few young, Danish indie jazz bands that have established themselves internationally....

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with New York-based Jazz Singer Lizzie Thomas .. We get into her career-defining fifth album called Duo Encounters on a project that digs deep into the lyrics, and uplifts each song with her individualistic approach. Turning away from the conventional, these interpretations of carefully curated tunes are fun and adventurous. She was born i...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Iceland-based Bassist & Composer  Freysteinn Gislason .. His new album is essentially called In all directions but still the same .. It was a bold step for for him to explore more experimental music that he had written and face his fears in doing so. Each song is a short story about his struggles and the beauty of life. Essentially, i...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Kansas City-based Guitarist, Composer & Educator Alan Voss .. Originally from Independence, Missouri, he moved to the East Coast for some time before coming back to Kansas City to raise a family .. These days, he lead bands of his own and freelances with various other groups. He’s promoting his debut and new 2023 album called Baobab ....

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Ozarks-born, NYC Jazz Pianist & Host Dalton Ridenhour .. The New York City jazz label Turtle Bay Records is kicking off of their new video series, On the Back Porch .. The series showcases the impressive talent of eight exceptional jazz musicians hailing from across the United States with in-depth featuring Dalton .. We get into his l...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Harlem-honed Jazz Vocalist, Songwriter & Lyricist Emily Braden .. We had a good talk about her sophomore 2023 Album Cannon & Sparrow .. This Boise, Idaho-born, Harlem-honed performer has a sound that is an effortless blend of jazz and soul. Winner of New York City’s ‘Best of the Best’ Jazzmobile Vocal Competition, she has been a celeb...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Veteran Jazz Pianist Chris Keefe .. We discussed his new 2023 CD called Opening ..On this project, he invited two superb musicians to join him in bassist Harvie S. and drummer Adam Nussbaum .. We cover this album, his career, post-COVID life and much more .. Over a long and good career, he has performed across North America in clubs,...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with New Orleans-based Jazz Bassist Ben Fox .. We talked about his new 2023 Album Ben’s Bop. On this project, he wanted to create an album rooted in the bebop tradition, made by young players thriving in present New Orleans .. As a kid, he grew up listening to classic 50s bop albums from Blue Note. Originally from Palo Alto, California, he...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Acclaimed NYC Trumpeter & Director of Jazz Studies and Chair of Instrumental Studies at Temple University Terell Stafford.. We discussed his upcoming One-Night Only Classical-Jazz Concert April 16 at Jazz at Lincoln Center with Orchestral Premieres by Billy Childs and Bill Cunliffe .. Hailed as one of today’s leading jazz student ense...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with LA-based Jazz Drummer, Bandleader & Educator Dean Mucetti .. We talked at length about his new .. and debut 2023 CD called with his Rhythm Real called Isolation-Integration. Like most young musicians setting out to learn their craft, Dean had plans to earn a living playing music. Little did he know he would become a full-time music ed...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Psychedelic Jazz Guitarist & Composer Ari Joshua .. He talked about his new 2023 release of 10 songs from his vault .. For years, he  has been one of those “musician’s musicians” who those “in the know” rave about but remains under the radar to the public. His music is compelling - and he counts some of the biggest names in contempora...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Twin Cities-based Jazz Trumpeter Jake Baldwin on the 2023 CD Misc. Items .. On this new project, he embraces simplicity and chaos on his second album as leader, Misc. Items, out March 17th on Shifting Paradigm. It is second record as a leader out on Shifting Paradigm featuring the talents of notable Twin Cities musicians Adam Harder N...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Multi-Grammy Nominated Bandleader & Drummer Bobby Sanabria .. We had a good talk about his new 2023 Album Vox Humana .. On the heels of their Grammy nominated and 2019 Jazz Journalists Association Album of the Year Award winning critically acclaimed masterwork, West Side Story Reimagined, and in celebration of their 25th anniversary,...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Nashville-based Jazz Saxophonist Jake Botts .. On December 2, 2022, he released his first full-length studio LP, Global Works showcasing dozens of Nashville's most in-demand instrumentalists .. On this debut LP as a solo artist, it is a cerebral, introspective, dark, and thought-provoking with dozens of textures .. He’s a 30-year-old...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz & Blues Singer Janice Harrington .. Described by the international press as warm-hearted and unique and these days at 80 years old she is still active. Born in 1942 in Cleveland, Ohio, with a stopover in Norway, she now lives in Germany with her husband, trombonist and piano builder ..  Known as a versatile artist, she masters bl...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Pianist Danny Fox on the 2023 Trio Album Time Took Care of It .. The Trio Celebrates Fourth Album .. Danny is joined by Bassist Chris van Voorst van Beest, and Drummer Max Goldman .. The Album Release Concert is slated for April 7th at Brooklyn’s The Owl .. It’s been since 2018 when we initially caught up with Danny about their a...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Canadian-born, NYC-based Jazz Guitarist Avi Granite on the 2023 CD Operator .. The band recorded Operator fresh off of a tour in Nov. 2019. Stunted by the pandemic, the album is finally seeing the light of day .. This album is about perseverance in the face of disruption. It’s about connectivity, communication, otherness, and what bri...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with General Manager Josie Herrick of The Hey! Hey! Club Jazz Club at J. Reiger & Co in Electric Park. The new reincarnation of a the classic club is now open and bringing in the finest Kansas City jazz musicians out to play in this new post-pandemic world. Josie opens up about the club’s beginnings, their place in the KC jazz timeline, th...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with UK-based Jazz Guitarist and Composer Dan Waldman .. He spent some time with us talking about this new 2023 album Greenpoint .. This musician has paid dues both in Europe and the USA, performing as a sideman with many artists .. His 2020 debut release as leader  'Sources & Angles', featuring Will Vinson on sax, Kassa Overall on drums a...