Neon Jazz Interviews

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Bay Area Veteran Jazz Guitarist Jim Witzel .. He opened up about his new 2023 CD Feelin’ It .. He grew up in the north-Bay Area town of San Rafael and began learning guitar at age twelve. He explored various styles (folk, pop, rock and blues) and began studying jazz guitar in high-school with well-known Bay Area teacher and performer...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Multi-Instrumentalist and Leader of the Jambalaya Brass Band Ric Frank on 2023 & Beyond .. We initially caught up with Ric in 2018 and so much has happened since then .. Along with the pandemic, he was diagnosed with cancer and has gone through quite a bit to get his strength back up and be ready to go in this new 2023 year. Neon...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with NYC Jazz Trumpeter, Composer, Arranger & Educator Tony Kadleck .. He opened up about his new  2023 CD .. A Tony Kadleck Big Band recording called “Sides” will be released on February 10, 2023 .. Throughout his career, Tony has been praised as a highly effective sideman, who has lent his hand to numerous musical activities. He is curre...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Multi-Awarded Vocalist Angie Wells .. She got into her new 2023 CD "Truth Be Told" Produced by legendary jazz bassist John Clayton .. Inspired by the Summer of 2020 and the events that moved us into action .. She has a smokey well rounded voice with an ability to entertain her audience in a way that is captivating by gi...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Multi Grammy Nominated Saxophonist Miguel Zenon on the upcoming 2023 tour, COVID life and so much more .. He will be at The Folly Theater in Kansas City on January 20, 2023 .. The last time he was here was back in 2018 at The Folly with the SF JAZZ Collection .. This celebrated native of San Juan, Puerto Rico gets into the modern era...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Composer, Bass Clarinetist & Bandleader Griffin Woodard .. He opened up about the new album with the Griffin Woodard Group released in 2022 called Completion .. Griffin believes in the transformative power of music. He has dedicated years of study to acquiring an in-depth understanding of the rich historical lineage of jazz clari...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Boston-based Jazz Saxophonist Nicholas Brust .. He talked about his new 2023 CD Daybreak and life in music .. Heralded as a premiere saxophonist of his generation, he has established his voice in the world of modern instrumental music. He has found his niche as a bandleader and composer, taking advantage of the numerous textures and c...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Kansas City Jazz Pianist Jackie Myers on 2023 & Beyond .. It has been since the pandemic we had talked to Jackie and in this new interview we cover how she made it through COVID, realizations, the current 2023 itinterary, dreams of a new recording and a host of other things .. We get into in during a spirited conversation I have been...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Harlem-based Jazz Saxophonist Sam Taylor .. He talked at length about his new 2022 CD Let Go .. His true jazz education began during his three years at Philadelphia’s High School for Creative and Performing Arts. He was immersed in the deep tradition of Philadelphia’s jazz community. Sam left at the age of seventeen for New York City...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series Toronto-based Jazz & Blues Vocalist Linda Carone .. She talked to the show about her new 2023 CD Lemon Twist ..This new project is supported by a stellar group of musicians and is raring to go. Established as a jazz and blues vocalist and niche song stylist, her fresh recording is loaded with cool chill vibes & spicy sounds. She is a niche...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Celebrated NYC Jazz Vocalist & Radio Host Mary Foster Conklin .. We spent some time talking about her new 2022 CD These Precious Days .. She is an old school song hound with a special talent for uncovering lesser known treasures of the Great American Songbook and performing them in nontraditional venues. She hosts a weekly live radio...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Argentine-born, NYC-based Jazz Pianist & Composer Emilio Teubal .. He celebrates the release of his 6th solo album called "Futuro" in February 2023 .. He has recorded over twenty album as a band leader and sideman and is also a prolific composer and arranger .. Emilio identifies his artistry and creative search to the music of Latin A...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Acclaimed Jazz Singer Libby York .. She talked to us about her  new 2022 CD Dreamland. It’s her fifth as a leader and producer. She is not the kind of jazz singer that needs vocal pyrotechnics to engage an audience. Whether she is singing a ballad or swinging a standard, her deep connection to the lyrics and subtle improvisations on t...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Veteran Jazz Trumpeter & San Diego’s Jazz Godfather Gilbert Castellanos .. He opened up about his new 2022 CD Espérame en el Cielo that stands as his long-awaited album following a 13-year hiatus from recording as a band leader while experiencing near career-ending health trauma .. Always known for his distinct style as a leader, he h...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Vibraphonist Chris Dingman on the 2022 CD Journeys Vol. 2 .. On this new project, he has released a deeply personal and unique musical vocabulary through his solo playing in recent years – years that have offered up profound challenges both globally and personally. The album is a vivid portrait of his connection with both his ins...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Veteran Kansas City Jazz Vibraphonist Mike Dillon on the 2022 CD Inflorescence … Mike Dillon & Punkadelick makes its recorded debut with Inflorescence, an album of heady, instrumental rock highlighting a band deep in the throes of creative freedom, road tested and wild. The trio features Mike, Brian Haas and Nikki Glaspie .. Punkadeli...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Rotterdam-based Singer & Bandleader Maaike den Dunnen  on the 2022 CD Practicing Solitude .. This is her third release and is a solo-project, inspired by the pandemic. It is a visual EP recorded in one take .. She sings her original songs, accompanying herself at the piano. We get into this album, COVID and so much more .. Enjoy .. Ho...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Veteran LA-based Jazz Tuba Player Jim Self on the 2022 CD My America 2 … Twenty years ago, Jim teamed up with the eclectic and prolific arranger Kim Scharnberg to pay post 9/11 homage to our country via My America – a spirited romp through classic tunes associated with various times in U.S. history and specific locations. America is t...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Toronto Jazz Guitarist, Composer & Educator Harry Bartlett .. He reached out to the show and sent his latest 2022 CD Wildwood ..And it’s a wonderful, edgy listen .. As a bandleader, Harry has appeared in festivals and venues across Canada and has released 2 records with the Harry Bartlett Trio (Harry Bartlett Trio-2018; Wildwood-2022)...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with LA-Based Award-Winning Jazz Vocalist Tawanda .. She opened up about her debut .. the new 2022 CD Smile .. This the first album by one of the most promising young jazz singers to emerge in years .. She was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico to a German-born mother and a father from Mozambique, Tawanda spent her school years honing her voca...

As I ponder over this year of jazz that has gone by .. I’m perpetually satisfied at how evolved and wise the jazz community is .. and this here 2022 year, I think again about a mighty quote from one of the best drummers in the business .. the funny and effortlessly talented Matt Wilson .. During my first interview with him back in 2016, he opened up during a raw conversation about losing his wife...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Veteran Kansas City Guitarist Rod Fleeman on the 2022 Saturday Afternoon (Live at Green Lady Lounge) CD .. This album serves as his first solo album and he is at the young age of 70 years old. He’s been a staple and legendary player and accompanist to the likes of Deborah Brown and Marilyn Maye. We get into the beautiful struggle of o...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Veteran Kansas City Jazz Saxophonist Christopher Burnett on the 2022 CD The Standards, Vol. 2 Live at the Drum Room in Kansas City .. The Christopher Burnett “Drum Room” Quartet was a featured performer on the First Saturdays of the month beginning shortly after the newly renovated hotel and jazz venue opened at 14th and Baltimore in...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Veteran Kansas City Saxophonist Adam Larson on the 2022 CD  With Love, From Kansas City .. It is a high energy Outside in Music follow-up to With Love, From Chicago .. Again with a chordless trio and with the help of fellow Kansas City cohorts, bassist Ben Leifer and drummer John Kizilarmut .. this is another sonic sizzler full of bri...

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Legendary Jazz Saxophonist Bobby Watson  on the 2022 CD Back Home In Kansas City & Upcoming Live Shows .. His retirement in 2020 coincided with the pandemic where he found himself with plenty of time to reflect on Kansas City’s importance to his distinctive sound .. This new project comes from the rich jazz heritage of his Kansas City...