Neon Jazz Interviews

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with acclaimed jazz vocalist Jennifer Madsen, talking about her powerful 2026 album Girl Talk.

This female producer-led big band jazz project reimagines the American Songbook through inventive arrangements, seasoned interpretation, big band storytelling and collaborative musical leadership. Jennifer sits at the center of a richly orchestrated ensemble, bringing classic material to life with contemporary energy and dynamic interplay between voice and band.

A mentor, educator and headliner performing regularly at clubs, concert halls and festivals, Jennifer brings a wealth of experience and perspective to this project.

We caught up with Jennifer initially in 2025, so it's great to reconnect with her in 2026 and dig deeper into Girl Talk, her performances, musical journey, leadership, education and the evolving world of jazz.

🎧 Listen to Girl Talk: Apple Music 

For More Neon Jazz:
Shows via MixCloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/neonjazzkc/
Subscribe via Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/neonjazzkc
Subscribe via iTunes/Apple - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-interviews-joe-dimino/id546432639?mt=2

The Home of Neon Jazz:
http://theneonjazz.blogspot.com/

Contribute to Neon Jazz via PayPal:                   
https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=ER 

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Acclaimed Blues Songwriter & Guitar Veteran Fernando Noronha.

Originally from Brazil and now living in America, Fernando celebrates an extraordinary 30 years in the blues with his powerful 2026 album Ain't No Hiding From the Blues.

Fernando's story is one of international discovery, dedication, and a lifelong love for a uniquely American musical tradition. He discovered the blues far from its birthplace, embraced its language and spirit, and went on to become one of the most respected blues guitarists and ambassadors for the music on the international stage.

Since forming Black Soul in 1995, Fernando has performed at major blues festivals and venues throughout North America, South America, and Europe, developing a reputation for his passionate guitar playing, songwriting, and authentic connection to the blues.

On this new album, he reflects on three decades of musical exploration while honoring the musicians, traditions, and experiences that shaped his journey. Ain't No Hiding From the Blues is both a celebration and a statement — proof that the blues can travel across borders, cultures, and generations while retaining its emotional power.

In this conversation, we get into Fernando's Brazilian roots, discovering the blues, Black Soul, 30 years of performing, blues guitar, songwriting, international festivals, moving to America, his 2026 album, and the enduring power of the blues.

It's a fascinating story of following a musical calling across continents and building a life around the music you love.

We cover the whole story. Enjoy this interview.

All Things Fernando Noronha
Fernando Noronha — Linktree 

For More Neon Jazz:
Shows via MixCloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/neonjazzkc/
Subscribe via Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/neonjazzkc
Subscribe via iTunes/Apple - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-interviews-joe-dimino/id546432639?mt=2

The Home of Neon Jazz:
http://theneonjazz.blogspot.com/

Contribute to Neon Jazz via PayPal:                   
https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=ER 

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Kansas City-based Jazz Organist Ken Lovern as we explore the remarkable 2026 Blind Boone Project.

This ambitious project brings together music, history, a comic book, and a live on-stage production to tell the extraordinary story of John William “Blind” Boone, one of the first African American concert performers to achieve international recognition.

Born in a Union Army camp near the end of the Civil War, Boone faced enormous barriers in a country defined by segregation, discrimination, and racism. Yet his extraordinary musical gifts — and the determination of the people who believed in him — helped him build a remarkable career as a concert pianist.

A former Confederate general and town elder in Warrensburg, Missouri, helped arrange for Boone to receive an education at a school for the blind. Later, with the assistance of his loyal and savvy African American business manager John Lange Jr., Boone pursued an elite concert career that lasted from 1880 through 1927.

His story is one of music, perseverance, entrepreneurship, racial barriers, friendship, education, and triumph, making Blind Boone an important — and sometimes overlooked — figure in American music history.

Ken Lovern has brought together an impressive group of musicians and Kansas City-connected artists to help bring this history to life, including vocalist Madisen Ward, known as part of the acclaimed folk duo Madisen Ward and the Momma Bear.

In this conversation, we explore the Blind Boone musical, the history behind the project, Kansas City connections, Blind Boone's incredible career, John Lange Jr., race and American music history, the comic book, live theatre, and the power of storytelling through music.

This is much more than a jazz project. It's an effort to bring an extraordinary American story back into the spotlight.

We get into the whole project. Enjoy this interview.

All Things Blind Boone
Blind Boone: The Musical — Official Website 

For More Neon Jazz:
Shows via MixCloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/neonjazzkc/
Subscribe via Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/neonjazzkc
Subscribe via iTunes/Apple - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-interviews-joe-dimino/id546432639?mt=2

The Home of Neon Jazz:
http://theneonjazz.blogspot.com/

Contribute to Neon Jazz via PayPal:                   
https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=ER 

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with International Pianist, Composer & Arranger Roy Mor on Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project's new album, New Day.

We get into a deeply evocative musical journey where jazz becomes both vessel and invocation, bringing together Ethiopian Jewish liturgical traditions, pan-African rhythms, and modern improvisational language.

New Day creates a fascinating meeting point between ancient memory and contemporary jazz, weaving cultural history, spirituality, rhythm, melody, and improvisation into music that feels both deeply rooted and timeless.

Roy Mor's playing has been described as both melodic and energetic, reflecting an artistic journey that has taken some remarkable turns. Before dedicating his life to music, Roy studied acting, served as a military paratrooper, earned a university degree in Philosophy with honors, and worked as a software engineer at Microsoft.

Eventually, he left that career behind, moved to New York City, and followed his true passion: music.

In this conversation, we explore New Day, Ethiopian Jewish music, Ethiopian jazz, African rhythms, Jewish musical traditions, improvisation, spirituality, cultural memory, piano, composition, arranging, and Roy's extraordinary journey from technology and philosophy to a life in music.

It's a story about following your calling, connecting ancient traditions with modern expression, and discovering how music can carry history across generations.

We cover the whole story. Enjoy this interview.

Get the Album & More
Origin Arts — Roy Mor / *New Day* 

For More Neon Jazz:
Shows via MixCloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/neonjazzkc/
Subscribe via Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/neonjazzkc
Subscribe via iTunes/Apple - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-interviews-joe-dimino/id546432639?mt=2

The Home of Neon Jazz:
http://theneonjazz.blogspot.com/

Contribute to Neon Jazz via PayPal:                   
https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=ER 

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Munich, Germany-based Vocalist & Composer Kilian Sladek.

We get into his upcoming 2026 album Colorblind, set for release on October 9, 2026, along with his career and evolution as a creative force in contemporary jazz.

With Colorblind, Kilian marks a clear shift toward a more song-driven approach. While his music remains rooted in jazz harmony, this new project moves into a vibrant space influenced by neo-soul, R&B, contemporary songwriting, and modern jazz, placing voice, melody, and lyrics firmly at the center.

Kilian's music is distinguished by the emotional intensity of his artistic expression and his willingness to explore unconventional musical techniques. Extended vocal techniques, scatting, improvisation, and jazz-based vocal experimentation become tools for creating music that is both sophisticated and accessible.

The result is a sound that bridges jazz tradition and contemporary popular music, opening the door to a wider audience while maintaining a strong improvisational identity.

In this conversation, we explore Colorblind, Kilian's musical journey, contemporary jazz vocals, neo-soul, R&B, songwriting, improvisation, scatting, vocal experimentation, emotional expression, and the changing landscape of jazz in 2026.

We get into the whole story. Enjoy this interview.

More Kilian Sladek
Kilian Sladek — Official Website

For More Neon Jazz:
Shows via MixCloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/neonjazzkc/
Subscribe via Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/neonjazzkc
Subscribe via iTunes/Apple - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-interviews-joe-dimino/id546432639?mt=2

The Home of Neon Jazz:
http://theneonjazz.blogspot.com/

Contribute to Neon Jazz via PayPal:                   
https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=ER 

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Vocalist, Seasoned Actress & 25-year Stanford Lecturer in Business and Theatre Kay Kostopoulos.

As the creative force behind Black Olive Jazz, Kay brings together a remarkable mix of music, theatre, storytelling, and emotional expression. We get into her new 2026 album All This Is Possible and a decorated career dedicated to the arts.

Kay's musical style is impossible to put into just one box. She blends swing, jazz standards, blues, bebop, Latin rhythms, and original compositions, bringing a distinctive Mediterranean influence and theatrical sensibility to everything she performs.

Her background as both a professional actress and jazz vocalist gives her music a uniquely dramatic and emotional quality. Every song becomes an opportunity for storytelling, character, atmosphere, and connection.

Performing bicoastally in San Francisco and New York City, Kay has built a respected presence in the jazz world. She and legendary saxophonist Noel Jewkes have appeared at premier venues and jazz festivals throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

In this conversation, we explore All This Is Possible, Black Olive Jazz, Kay's journey through jazz and theatre, her years teaching at Stanford, the art of interpreting standards, Mediterranean influences, improvisation, songwriting, acting, storytelling, and the creative life.

It's a fascinating look at an artist who refuses to separate music from theatre, emotion, culture, and human experience.

We get into her career, this new album and so much more. Dig this interview.

Get the Album & More
Black Olive Jazz — Official Website 

For More Neon Jazz:
Shows via MixCloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/neonjazzkc/
Subscribe via Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/neonjazzkc
Subscribe via iTunes/Apple - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-interviews-joe-dimino/id546432639?mt=2

The Home of Neon Jazz:
http://theneonjazz.blogspot.com/

Contribute to Neon Jazz via PayPal:                   
https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=ER 

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Grammy-affiliated Percussionist, Composer, Educator & Bandleader Kahlil Kwame Bell.

For more than 30 years, Kahlil has built an extraordinary career as one of today's most dynamic percussionists, performing at legendary venues including Blue Note, Birdland, and Smalls Jazz Club, along with stages throughout the United States.

His musical journey has placed him alongside some of the most influential artists in jazz, soul, R&B, and popular music, including Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Abbey Lincoln, Roy Hargrove, Roberta Flack, and Erykah Badu.

But Kahlil's story goes far beyond performing.

He is the founder of the Kahlil Kwame Bell Foundation and its Where Rhythm Meets Purpose initiative, bringing live jazz and rhythm-based wellness programs into hospitals, libraries, museums, schools, senior communities, and cultural spaces.

He is also the author of Jazz Legends A–Z and is recognized for his innovative work with the Slapaphone, an inventive percussion instrument that reflects his lifelong passion for rhythm, education, and creative exploration.

In this conversation, we get into Kahlil's remarkable musical journey, his experiences performing with jazz legends, the evolution of percussion, the Slapaphone, jazz education, rhythm-based wellness, community engagement, and the powerful connection between music, rhythm, and human wellbeing.

From more than three decades in the music world to creating new ways for rhythm to serve communities, Kahlil Kwame Bell has built a career rooted in music, purpose, education, innovation, and connection.

We dig into this incredible story. Enjoy this interview.

More Kahlil Kwame Bell
Kahlil Kwame Bell — Official Website

For More Neon Jazz:
Shows via MixCloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/neonjazzkc/
Subscribe via Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/neonjazzkc
Subscribe via iTunes/Apple - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-interviews-joe-dimino/id546432639?mt=2

The Home of Neon Jazz:
http://theneonjazz.blogspot.com/

Contribute to Neon Jazz via PayPal:                   
https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=ER 

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with NYC-based, Dutch-born Artist, Vocalist, Composer & Producer Vivienne Aerts.

We get into her latest 2026 album Current and the remarkable creative journey behind this innovative project.

In the summer of 2025, Vivienne set sail across the Dutch waterways aboard a 1951 mahogany sailboat, transforming the tiny vessel into a floating recording studio over the course of two weeks. Along the way, she recorded new songs and soundscapes that blur the boundaries between jazz, improvisation, electronic music, environmental art, and experimental sound.

It's an artistic process that perfectly reflects Vivienne's creative spirit—curious, adventurous, immersive, and deeply connected to place and experience.

Her work reaches far beyond traditional jazz. She explores electronics, multi-sensory experience design, chocolate, sound, improvisation, and creative technology, while also bringing her background as a clinical psychologist and her work as faculty at Berklee College of Music into her creative life.

In this conversation, we explore Current, the floating studio experience, Dutch waterways, jazz improvisation, electronic music, environmental sound, sensory experiences, psychology, creativity, and the many worlds Vivienne Aerts brings together through her art.

This is a fascinating story about breaking creative boundaries and finding music in unexpected places.

It's quite a story. Enjoy this interview.

More Vivienne Aerts & Current
Vivienne Aerts — *Current*

For More Neon Jazz:
Shows via MixCloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/neonjazzkc/
Subscribe via Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/neonjazzkc
Subscribe via iTunes/Apple - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-interviews-joe-dimino/id546432639?mt=2

The Home of Neon Jazz:
http://theneonjazz.blogspot.com/

Contribute to Neon Jazz via PayPal:                   
https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=ER 

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Netherlands-based pop duo Pomelo, featuring Luke Elliott and Wynnm Murphy.

We caught up with this exciting duo to explore their debut album Loreless, new music, their collective creative energy, and the unique sonic world they are building together.

Pomelo creates seductive, engaging art-pop that draws from its musical influences while remaining firmly forward-facing. Their sound blends avant-garde electronic techniques, watery resonant textures, atmospheric production, intimate songwriting, and sexy storytelling into something that feels both otherworldly and deeply human.

Loreless is vulnerable, personal, experimental, and emotionally direct. Across the project, Luke Elliott and Wynnm Murphy create a sonic landscape where electronic experimentation meets organic feeling and storytelling.

In this conversation, we get into the making of Loreless, the creative partnership behind Pomelo, electronic music, experimental pop, art-pop, songwriting, sonic textures, vulnerability, collaboration, and the inspiration behind their distinctive musical identity.

It's a fascinating look at two artists creating music that feels connected to the present while pointing toward the sound of tomorrow.

Dig their story.

More Pomelo & Loreless
Pomelo — *Loreless* on Bandcamp

For More Neon Jazz:
Shows via MixCloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/neonjazzkc/
Subscribe via Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/neonjazzkc
Subscribe via iTunes/Apple - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-interviews-joe-dimino/id546432639?mt=2

The Home of Neon Jazz:
http://theneonjazz.blogspot.com/

Contribute to Neon Jazz via PayPal:                   
https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=ER 

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with acclaimed Jazz Vocalist, Guitarist & Songwriter Allan Harris on his remarkable 2026 release Swingin’ Love Songs.

More than two decades after it was originally recorded, Allan Harris brings this extraordinary collection of previously unreleased music into the world. What began with sessions in Miami eventually returned to New York, where Allan completely reimagined the material with a stellar cast of world-class jazz musicians.

The result is a fascinating bridge between the past and present, preserving a remarkable chapter of Allan's musical journey that nearly disappeared into the vaults of jazz history.

In this conversation, Allan takes us behind the making of Swingin’ Love Songs, the story of rediscovering and reshaping these recordings, his evolution as a vocalist, guitarist and songwriter, getting through the COVID era, and the long musical road that brought this project back to life.

We get into jazz, songwriting, recording, perseverance, reinvention, New York, Miami, and the power of finally letting music that has been waiting for its moment be heard.

Dig this interview.

Get the Album
Allan Harris — Swingin’ Love Songs

For More Neon Jazz:
Shows via MixCloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/neonjazzkc/
Subscribe via Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/neonjazzkc
Subscribe via iTunes/Apple - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-interviews-joe-dimino/id546432639?mt=2

The Home of Neon Jazz:
http://theneonjazz.blogspot.com/

Contribute to Neon Jazz via PayPal:                   
https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=ER