Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview Jazz Pianist, Vocalist & Composer Rachel Eckroth .. She talked about her first release on Rainy Day Records .. The 2021 CD The Garden full of fresh sounds from her evolving artistry. The Garden emerged conceptually while she was writing new music during the pandemic. She was born in North Dakota and raised in Phoenix .. Later, she would move to New York City to study under jazz pianist Stanley Cowell at Rutgers University .. We caught her on tour with St. Vincent and she has a great story .. Enjoy ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Indian Sitar Maestro Purbayan Chatterjee .. He opened up about a great deal of topics .. Namely his new 2021 CD Unbounded full of spirit, with musicians from India, Afghanistan, the US and UK, merging local flavors of Latin, jazz, folk, country, Sufi tradition, Western and Hindustani classical music .. He is heir to a Hindustani classical lineage passed down from his father and his music has been appreciated by jazz greats, such as Chick Corea, Bella Fleck, and Pat Metheny ..  By the age of 15, he was a recipient of the President of India Award for being the Best Instrumentalist of the country .. He’s full of wisdom and insight .. Enjoy the story ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Veteran Jazz Percussionist, Composer & Writer Barrett Martin .. He opened up about his new 2021 CD Barrett Martin's latest album Stillpoint recorded between 2019-2020 when lived in a remote cliff house on a wildlife refuge. He is well known for his work with the Seattle rock bands Skin Yard, Screaming Trees, Mad Season, along with playing on albums by R.E.M., Stone Temple Pilots and Queens of the Stone Age. He studied jazz and classical music and has completed his bachelor's and master's degrees in anthropology, linguistics, and ethnomusicology .. His story is fascinating .. Enjoy…

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Legendary Jazz Hammond B-3 Organist, Trumpeter & Vocalist Joey DeFrancesco .. We caught up with him about his tasty new 2021 CD More Music .. On this new offering he supplements his organ virtuosity with trumpet, piano, keyboard, vocals and, for the first time he uses the tenor sax. After a year of pandemic lockdown – with stages dark and nightclubs shuttered, friends and families kept at a social distance, and political and social tensions raging – the one thing we could all use right now is More Music. That’s what Joey gives .. He was born into a musical family that included three generations of jazz musicians in Philadelphia and emerged in the 1980s starting his onset of a musical renaissance. Dig his story ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with LA-born, NYC-based Jazz Pianist & Composer Victor Gould .. He spent some time with the show talking about his new 2021 CD In Our Time .. It’s his four album as a leader in a trio set with bassist Tamir Shmerling and drummer Anwar Marshall .. This celebrated and talented cat was born in Los Angeles and now based in the New York area .. He began playing piano at age 4 and joined the great alto saxophonist Donald Harrison’s band at age 17 .. Since then, he has toured the world working with the finest in jazz .. Since his first critically acclaimed CD Clockwork in 2016, he has not slowed down .. Enjoy…

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Veteran LA-Based Jazz Pianist & Film Composer Todd Cochran .. We caught up with him to talk about a great many things .. Namely his new 2021 CD Then and Again, Here and Now done with bassist John Leftwich and drummer Michael Carvin .. In his first album since his two underground classics for Prestige Records in ’72 and ’73, he melds his earlier explorations into a fresh musical ..  Originally from San Francisco, he has experienced music as a way of life and being in a myriad of settings. The piano is something he has always known as a way into other worlds .. He began fingering melodies on the piano at age 3 and he’s never stopped .. Dig this exquisite story of a jazz giant ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Celebrated Jazz Drummer and Bandleader Gerry Gibbs .. He opened up about his new 2021 CD Songs from My Father .. A Celebration of the Music of Bebop Luminary Terry Gibbs, Prominently Featuring Musical Titan Chick Corea on his Final Recording ever .. This is his thirteenth release on an impressive double-disc masterwork featuring four iterations of his acclaimed Thrasher Dream Trio .. After 10 months and 15,000 miles of car travel to assemble the recordings for this masterpiece .. He  grew up in Southern California and started playing the drums at the age of 4. By the time he was 7 years old, had already appeared on a few Television shows. His story is captivating .. Enjoy ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with New Orleans-based Jazz Singer Carmela Rappazzo .. She opened up about her seventh recording “Love and Other Difficulties” where she explores the many aspects of love. Born and raised in upstate New York, she heard classic music from an early age. She moved to New York City singing in clubs and performing in off-off Broadway Theater and a few independent films before moving to Los Angeles. Her story is fascinating .. Enjoy ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Kansas City-based Jazz Pianist, Composer & Educator Andrew Ouellette .. He’s originally from Hannibal, MO and is a fixture on the KC jazz scene ..  He learned under the watchful eye of the world-renowned saxophonist Bobby Watson at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory from 2008 – 2012 and these days he has quite a busy schedule. Most notably, he gigs each weekend with the legendary KC musician and entertainer Lonnie McFadden at the Reno Club. He’s got quite a story .. Enjoy ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series Kansas City-born, California-based Jazz Drummer John Armato .. We had a wide ranging talk about a great many things like his 2021 CD Debut The Drummer Loves Ballads done with a veteran all-star collection of KC jazz musicians .. It all started in KC and he was an early member of Kerry Strayer's groups and the Kansas City Boulevard Big Band, and an occasional sideman for the jazz and tap dance duo the McFadden Brothers. He moved to New York City in 2004 and eventually made his way to Sacramento, California .. He’s got great adventures, stories and wisdom .. Enjoy ..