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 long and storied jazz existence, he has played with legends .. like Mongo Santamaria, Sonny Rollins, Chet Baker, Gato Barbieri  and Astrud Gilberto – He spoke openly about his career, what he tries to give his students these days, why he loves jazz and much more ..

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 component of the NYC experiemental  jazz music scene and play with the likes of Cecil Taylor and David S. Ware’s Quartet – He is a very introspective and brilliant poet, as well .. He is brimming with artistic ambition and has very eloquent thoughts on his life in music and the world around him ..

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 music from his crib .. So, he’s always had a music brain .. In the professional world, he got a lot of experience being in Ahmad Jamal’s band and Wynton Marsalis’ band .. He’s also gigged with the likes of Dr. John, Harry Connick, George Benson and many others .. He’s also a teacher and loves giving students his wisdom .. Herlin has a great story ..

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 Orchestra, the Duke Ellington Big Band,  The Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band featuring Louis Hayes or on his own, he is a very talented, hard working cat with a lot of thoughts on his career and the world of jazz ..

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 all wanna know about - Inside of the Outside – it involves time in Cuba and it’s a great story .. He’s learned from many great teachers over his life at institutions like the University of New Hampshire and University of North Texas – He was a longtime member of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones from 1997 – 2010 and he’s a part the Dave Matthews Band .. Along with the music and being an educator, he’s a photographer .. He’s a great cat and a creative force ..

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, what projects are coming up and much more ..

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 Smith and Anthony Braxton .. He actually composted for the Kansas City Symphony back in 1993 and learned a lot from the experiences .. Gerry has a richly interesting story and is very compassioinate in retelling it ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Talented NYC Jazz Singer Cyrille Aimée .. Her latest album “Let’s Get Lost” was released in January of 2016 and is charting very well and getting rave reviews .. Over the course of our conversation, we discussed her childhood in France where they would host the annual Django Reinhardt Festival .. from there, she fell in love with the Gypsy lifestyle and has emulated that every since .. She is travelling the globe like a gypsy giving fans all over her voice, music and charms .. We discussed her jazz journey so far ..

Welcome to a Neon Jazz interview Kansas City jazz saxophonist Matt Otto .. These days he stays busy in a thriving Kansas City jazz scene playing at the Blue Room and around town with cats like Bob Bowman and Roger Wilder .. He is also busy as an Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of Kansas .. Over the course of our interview, he talked about his roots in Los Angeles, spending time in Japan and New York before making Kansas City his home .. He was full of interesting stories and insights ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Saxophonist, Recording Artist, Performer, Teacher and a man that Harvey Pekar called one of the best tenor sax men in the world - Ernie Krivda  .. Over the course of our conversation, he talked about an upcoming gig in Kansas City at the Blue Room off 18th and Vine on April Fool’s Day 2016 .. He also talked about his latest album – Requium for a Jazz Lady, along with what is going on in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio these days and who he thinks he really is  ..