Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Kansas City Veteran Jazz Vocalist Millie Edwards .. She is introduced to audiences as "the little woman with a big voice," and over her years in Kansas City she as proved skilled at performing cabaret, pop, blues and jazz tunes .. She performs regularly as a solo act at The Phoenix downtown and is always glad to be a part of the jazz mix in KC .. We spoke about her career, what’s on the horizon and so much more ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Saxophonist & Composer Patrick Ziimmerli – He talked about his newest 2018 CD Clockworks and so much more .. This New York- and Paris-based musician writes a sophisticated and approachable hybrid of contemporary classical and jazz music. He has written numerous orchestral, chamber and choral works and in 2015 was awarded the Chamber Music America New Jazz Works Grant, supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation .. His journey in music has been a long and rich one .. His music has been featured in MoMA’s Summergarden series, at the Guggenheim Museum, on NPR and at the Jazz Composers’ Collective ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Legendary Jazz Trombonist & Sea Shellist Steve Turre .. He talked with us about his newest 2018 CD – The Very Thought of You – And he elaborates on harmony .. Steve was born to Mexican-American parents and grew up in the San Francisco Bay and in 1972 he got the break of a lifetime when Ray Charles hired him to go on tour. A year later Turre’s mentor Woody Shaw brought him into Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers – from there he would go on to work with the legends .. like Dizzy Gillespie, McCoy Tyner, J.J. Johnson, Herbie Hancock, Lester Bowie, Tito Puente, Van Morrison, Pharoah Sanders, Horace Silver, Max Roach, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk – And Kirk introduced him to the seashell and added another piece to his music mastery .. Get to know this fascinating cat and dig this interview my friends ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Drummer McClenty Hunter Jr... He spoke about his latest 2018 CD The Groove Hunter .. This cat is a Grammy-nominated drummer who began his musical journey as a young artist in the church and went on to get his Bachelor’s Degree in music education from Howard University and completed his Master’s Degree at The Juilliard School of Music – He’s already performed with jazz icons like Lou Donaldson, Cedar Walton, Jimmy Heath, Buster Williams and Curtis Fuller – and there is so much more to do .. So, get to know him and dig this interview my friends .. 

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Modern Day Star Jazz Pianist Monika Herzig – She talked about her newest project “SHEroes” that features the world’s leading female jazz instrumentalists like Leni Stern, Jamie Baum and Ingrid Jensen .. She also talked about her life .. Together with her husband - she arrived in the States on a one-way ticket, with one suitcase of belongings and one guitar in August 1988. Since then she has completed her Doctorate in Music Education with minor fields in Jazz Studies at Indiana University – and now she is a faculty member in Arts Administration there .. She talked about quite a bit .. so get to know her and dig this interview my friends ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Saxophonist, Composer and Bandleader Steve Coleman .. This prolific music force talked about the release of his 2018 CD Live at the Village Vanguard, Vol. 1 (The Embedded Sets) – It’s a series of recordings and it’s yet another part of a creative period in Steve’s existence .. He grew up in the South Side of Chicago and knew cats like Von Freeman that urged him forward .. He has always had a love of Charlie Parker and making music that has pushed jazz forward .. He talked about a great life in music and so much more .. So, get to know him and dig this interview my friends ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Composer, Arranger and Conductor David Berger – This prolific jazz ambassador is recognized internationally as a leading authority on the music of Duke Ellington and the Swing Era. Along with being an author, involved with dance companies, TV, Film, Commercials and so much more .. He was the conductor and arranger for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra from its inception in 1988 through 1994 and has transcribed more than 750 full scores of classic recordings, including more than 500 works by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. He’s a deeply cool, truthful and compassionate person ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Trumpeter, Tap Dancer & All-Around Entertainer Lonnie McFadden  .. He was born and raised in Kansas City and has spent decades traveling the world performing and representing Kansas City Jazz at major jazz festivals and shows .. These days, he’s just as busy as he always has been .. He’s promoting his newest CD Live at the Green Lady and coming up in August 2018, he will be quite busy around KC venues for the Charlie Parker KC Festivities – He’s a KC favorite and The McFadden Brothers received Life Time Achievement Awards from the Jazz Museum in May 2016, and Living Legends Awards from Tapology October 2017 – We talked about all of this and so much more ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Legendary Jazz Saxophonist Azar Lawrence – So, his first professional gigs abroad were at 17 with Clarke Terry and Muddy Waters. From there, he would become a sideman to McCoy Tyner, Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, and Woody Shaw .. and ultimately grew up in a prolific era of transcendence in Jazz that to this day has stood the test of time – and so has he .. his latest 2018 CD Elementals ties together all the incredible music milestones of his career and there is so much more to do and he had plenty to say about all of it ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Kansas City Based Jazz Saxophonist Stephen Martin .. On July 27, 2018 he is set to release his debut 2018 CD called Vision his independent artist label SubtleStreet Records – He was born in Champaign, IL and raised in St. Louis, MO, Martin & started playing saxophone at age 10 – He would come to KC via the University of Missouri – KC to learn under jazz legend Bobby Watson, and world-renowned classical saxophonist Tim Timmons – that led him to his home of Kansas City these days where he has a regular performance schedule, contributing to a thriving, exceptional local music scene and America at large ..