Neon Jazz Interviews

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz Interview Series with NYC-based jazz bassist, composer, and educator Hannah Marks.

We originally caught up with Hannah back in 2019, before she made the trip to Kansas City to promote her debut album. Now, years later, she returns to Neon Jazz with a major new chapter in her musical journey—her 2026 album Feed the Fire.

On her second release, Hannah makes a monumental creative leap, leading a fierce, adventurous acoustic jazz quartet featuring Nathan Reising on alto saxophone, Lex Korten on piano, and Steven Crammer on drums.

The music brings together modern jazz, straight-ahead jazz, and avant-garde influences, creating a sound that is both rooted in tradition and fearless in its exploration.

Produced by acclaimed jazz pianist and bandleader Jason Moran, Feed the Fire captures Hannah's passion for jazz in its many forms. The album is a statement of artistic independence, musical curiosity, and the freedom to explore, experiment, take risks, and grow alongside trusted bandmates.

For Hannah, the project represents another important step in staking her claim as a New York City bassist and composer while embracing the unpredictable and rewarding musical journey ahead

Feed the Fire is ultimately about passion, freedom, experimentation, and refusing to put limits on where jazz can go.

It's wonderful to reconnect with Hannah and hear how much her artistry has evolved since that first conversation in 2019.

Hannah Marks Official Website:
https://www.hannahmarksbass.com/hannah-marks-quartet-1

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz Interview Series with acclaimed jazz vocalist and composer NicoleYvette.

On this episode, we dive into her powerful 2026 debut recording, Say Yes, and the remarkable life in music that led her to this moment.

Say Yes is a deeply personal and fully realized jazz statement—one that explores identity, faith, resilience, transformation, self-discovery, and the journey from the dark night of the soul to the dawn of the self.

NicoleYvette's debut features an extraordinary collection of artists, including Kurt Elling, Terri Lyne Carrington, Joel Ross, J. Ivy, Keyon Harrold, and Paul Cornish. The album was produced by three-time GRAMMY® Award winner Sara Gazarek, bringing together an exceptional group of musicians around NicoleYvette's distinctive artistic vision.

But Say Yes isn't simply about the impressive names surrounding the recording. At its heart is NicoleYvette's story—her gospel roots, her relationship with music, her love of Prince, and the experiences that shaped her voice as both a vocalist and composer.

The album feels like a lifetime of departures and arrivals, capturing the emotional process of leaving one version of yourself behind and stepping fully into another.

This is a conversation about jazz, soul, gospel, faith, Prince, personal transformation, and the courage it takes to finally say yes to yourself.

NicoleYvette's debut is more than an introduction—it is a declaration.

NicoleYvette Official Website:
https://nicoleyvettemusic.com/ 

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz Interview Series with award-winning Brooklyn-based singer and songwriter Luiza Girardello.

In this deeply personal conversation, we catch up with a young and rising artist whose music is shaped by a life lived between worlds. Born in Brazil, educated at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and now based in New York City, Luiza has spent much of her life navigating questions of identity, belonging, culture, and artistic expression.

Those experiences have become central to her music.

Luiza's sound draws from Brazilian rhythms, jazz, alternative rock, and contemporary songwriting, creating a musical identity that refuses to fit neatly into a single genre.

Her journey has also included an extraordinary personal challenge. Before earning international recognition by winning the Jazz/Blues category at the New England Songwriting Competition, Luiza survived an aggressive form of ovarian cancer that temporarily affected her coordination and voice and forced her to relearn how to sing.

Now in remission, she has transformed those experiences into music that reflects the perspective of a Brazilian immigrant, cancer survivor, educator, songwriter, and artist.

This is a conversation about music, identity, immigration, resilience, survival, creativity, and finding your voice after life forces you to begin again.

Luiza Girardello is an artist with a fascinating story—and her music reflects the complexity of a life lived across cultures, genres, and experiences.

Official Website:
https://www.luizagirardello.com/

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz Interview Series with acclaimed jazz vocalist Jonathan Karrant.

In this special conversation, we dive into Jonathan's powerful 2026 album, Full Circle, a deeply personal collaboration with Grammy-winning jazz vocalist and pianist Diane Schuur.

The album represents far more than a collection of songs. It is a celebration of friendship, mentorship, musical legacy, and the passing of the torch from one generation of jazz artists to the next.

Jonathan and Diane have shared a close friendship and deep musical connection for many years. Diane's influence and mentorship have played an important role in Jonathan's artistic journey, and following her retirement from touring and live performance, Jonathan was inspired to honor their relationship and her extraordinary contribution to jazz through this project.

Full Circle becomes an especially meaningful recording because it represents a symbolic moment in both artists' careers. It celebrates Diane's legacy while highlighting her belief in Jonathan as one of the next generation of jazz vocalists.

The project also carries profound historical significance as Diane Schuur's final studio recording, making this collaboration an especially poignant chapter in her remarkable career.

Jonathan Karrant has become a regular and much-loved voice around these Neon Jazz parts, and this conversation offers a fascinating look at the personal relationships, musical traditions, and artistic connections that keep jazz moving forward.

Full Circle is ultimately a story about where jazz has been, where it is going, and what happens when an iconic artist passes her wisdom and musical spirit to someone she believes in deeply.

Jonathan Karrant Official Website:
https://www.jonathankarrant.com/ 

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Venezuelan-born jazz saxophonist, composer, singer, producer, and arranger Rafael Greco. In this episode, we take a deep dive into his compelling new 2026 album, Verses Under My Shadow, his love of jazz, his Venezuelan roots, and an extraordinary career in music.

Released by Blue Canoe Records in April 2026, Verses Under My Shadow is Rafael's sophomore release for the label and features a remarkable cast of musicians, including Dave Weckl, Vinnie Colaiuta, Jimmy Haslip, Anton Fig, Scott Kinsey, Charles Altura, Luisito Quintero, Mark Ferber, and others.

The album moves through a fascinating blend of contemporary jazz, Afro-Latin rhythms, groove, experimental textures, vocals, electronics, percussion, and deeply personal storytelling. Across its 12 tracks, Rafael draws inspiration from literature, family, memory, friendship, loss, humor, history, and the world around him.

Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Rafael graduated from the prestigious José Luis Paz Conservatory and was an integral member of the National Youth Orchestra of his home state of Zulia. After moving to Caracas in 1988, he continued his advanced musical studies with masters including Gerry Weil, Álvaro Cordero, and Olegario Díaz.

Rafael went on to enjoy a distinguished career with Guaco, Venezuela's influential, multi-Latin Grammy-winning group. For decades, he toured internationally with the band, bringing the unique rhythmic spirit and musical perspective of Venezuela to audiences around the world.

In this wide-ranging conversation, we explore Venezuelan jazz, Latin jazz, Afro-Latin rhythms, composition, saxophone, vocals, production, arranging, Guaco, world music, touring, creativity, storytelling, and the inspiration behind Verses Under My Shadow.

It's a fascinating journey through Venezuelan music, jazz, literature, memory, and a lifetime spent creating across borders.

Get the Album
Rafael Greco — Verses Under My Shadow | Blue Canoe Records

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Nigerian-born, New York-based artist Lawrence Udeigwe, a fascinating musician, composer, vocalist, pianist, mathematician, educator, and interdisciplinary thinker.

In this episode, we dive into his remarkable new 2026 album, Four Lemmas, and the extraordinary intersection of jazz, mathematics, neuroscience, music, teaching, perception, identity, and human expression.

Four Lemmas is an eight-track concept project built around mathematical ideas including orthogonality, sparse matrices, local maxima, and stable equilibrium. Rather than simply translating mathematics into music, Udeigwe uses these structures as lenses through which to explore emotion, identity, perception, clarity, independence, growth, and meaning.

Udeigwe's artistic and academic worlds are deeply connected. He works as a Professor of Mathematics at Manhattan University, while his creative life encompasses music, composition, vocals, piano, keyboards, writing, performance, and interdisciplinary exploration. His work is guided by the idea that structure shapes perception—and perception becomes expression.

On Four Lemmas, Lawrence performs alongside Steph Clement and Wayne Tucker on trumpet, Josh Green on drums, and Rade Bema on bass, with mixing and mastering by Dave Darlington. The album brings together modern jazz, soul, African influences, groove, poetry, and mathematical concepts into a singular musical vision.

In this wide-ranging conversation, we explore jazz and mathematics, music and neuroscience, Nigerian musical influences, composition, creativity, teaching, cognition, philosophy, identity, improvisation, perception, and the creative thinking behind Four Lemmas.

It's a fascinating journey through the mind of an artist who refuses to put music and intellectual inquiry into separate boxes.

Get the Album & Learn More
Lawrence Udeigwe — Official Music & Website 

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with acclaimed Bay Area jazz guitarist and composer George Cotsirilos. In this episode, we take a deep dive into his remarkable career and his beautiful new 2026 album, In The Wee Hours.

On his seventh recording, George returns to the intimate sound of solo nylon-string jazz guitar, bringing beloved jazz standards and two original compositions to life with patience, warmth, subtlety, and extraordinary depth.

Recorded largely in unedited first takes over several years, In The Wee Hours captures the spontaneous character and emotional honesty of George's playing. Rather than relying on elaborate production, the album allows the guitar, the compositions, and the spaces between the notes to tell the story.

Originally from Chicago, George has been an important part of the San Francisco Bay Area jazz community for many years. His extensive career has placed him alongside an extraordinary range of musicians, from Bay Area jazz fixtures such as Mark Levine to internationally celebrated artists including blues legend Etta James and jazz icon Pharoah Sanders.

In this fascinating conversation, George and Joe Dimino explore solo jazz guitar, nylon-string guitar, jazz standards, original compositions, improvisation, recording techniques, first-take performances, the San Francisco jazz scene, Chicago roots, Etta James, Pharoah Sanders, Mark Levine, and the evolution of a lifelong musical voice.

In The Wee Hours is an intimate portrait of an artist who understands that sometimes the most powerful musical statement comes from simplicity, space, and letting the music breathe.

It's a story you need to hear. Dig this interview with George Cotsirilos!

More George Cotsirilos:
George Cotsirilos Official Website

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with acclaimed jazz pianist, accordionist, composer, and bandleader Ben Rosenblum. In this episode, we take a deep dive into his exciting new 2026 album, The Longest Way Round, his Nebula Project, touring, composition, and the many global musical influences that shape his sound.

The Longest Way Round marks an important milestone for Ben Rosenblum: it is his first album consisting entirely of original compositions. The album features a three-part suite and showcases the chemistry of his regular band, including Wayne Tucker on trumpet, Jasper Dutz on saxophone, clarinet and flute, Rafael Rosa on guitar, Marty Jaffe on bass, Ben Zweig on drums, and Ben Rosenblum on piano and accordion.

The music reflects Ben's fascination with sounds and traditions from around the world. Drawing on influences including Dominican merengue, Japanese J-Pop, Irish reels and jigs, salsa, West African rhythmic traditions, Jamaican reggae, and jazz, the album creates a distinctive musical world that moves freely between genres and cultures.

The recording followed a nine-concert U.S. tour in 2024, giving the musicians an opportunity to develop the music on the road and deepen the chemistry that ultimately became The Longest Way Round.

In this conversation, Ben and Joe Dimino explore jazz piano, accordion, composition, world music, jazz fusion, touring, improvisation, cultural influences, the Nebula Project, original music, and the creative process behind one of Ben's most ambitious recordings yet.

Ben has also become a good friend of the Neon Jazz family, making this a particularly enjoyable return to the show.

Get the album:
Ben Rosenblum – The Longest Way Round

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with jazz singer and voice-over artist Marsha Bartenetti. In this episode, we explore her remarkable career in music, voice-over, recording, and broadcasting, along with her new 2026 single, "New York Minute," and her upcoming album arriving later this year.

Marsha is a smooth, rich, and expressive vocalist whose heartfelt delivery brings authenticity to every lyric. Her ability to connect emotionally with a song allows her vocals to transport the listener directly into the story.

Her musical journey began in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960s, during a vibrant era filled with extraordinary musicians and opportunities. Performing with her band alongside her then-husband, Marsha opened for notable acts including The Youngbloods and performed at legendary venues such as the Troubadour in Los Angeles.

Although she eventually stepped away from the stage for a period of time, Marsha never left music behind. She continued working extensively in the recording studio, lending her voice to national advertising jingles for major companies including Bank of America and Chevron.

One of the most fascinating chapters of her career came through Octel Communications, a pioneering voice-messaging company serving businesses around the world. Marsha became the American English voice of Octel, meaning her voice was heard by millions of people across the globe.

Now, Marsha is returning to her passion for recording and performing with new music that showcases the depth, warmth, and authenticity developed throughout her extraordinary career.

In this conversation, we explore jazz singing, vocal performance, voice-over work, recording studios, advertising jingles, San Francisco's music scene, the Troubadour, Octel Communications, songwriting, her new single "New York Minute," her upcoming 2026 album, and the stories behind a lifetime in music.

It's a fascinating story of an artist who has experienced multiple eras of the music and voice-over industries—and continues to create.

Marsha Bartenetti:
https://www.marshabartenetti.com/

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with award-winning Bulgaria-based jazz vocalist, poet, composer, and educator Gergana Velinova. In this episode, we dive into her remarkable musical journey and her powerful new 2026 album, Free.

Now her seventh album, Free is a deeply personal project shaped by motherhood, resilience, transformation, and the search for freedom through music. Gergana blends contemporary jazz with bossa nova, blues, Brazilian music, and lyrical ballads, creating an intimate and soulful listening experience that invites the listener into her world.

Gergana believes that a song truly begins its life when it quietly finds its way into someone's world and becomes part of their own story. That philosophy is at the heart of her music and helps explain the emotional depth and warmth found throughout Free.

A Bulgarian-Canadian creative force, Gergana is recognized for her luminous voice and soulful fusion of contemporary jazz, pop, and Brazilian influences. Beyond her work as a performer and composer, she is also an accomplished music educator and founder of an award-winning Bulgarian children's school, extending her passion for music to the next generation.

In this wide-ranging conversation, we explore jazz, motherhood, creativity, resilience, transformation, songwriting, poetry, Brazilian music, bossa nova, music education, and the journey behind Free.

This is a beautiful story about an artist embracing change, finding strength through life's experiences, and allowing music to become a vehicle for connection and freedom.

Get the Album & Learn More
https://www.gerganavelinova.com/

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