Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Award Winning Jazz Bassist & Composer Marc Johnson .. He opened up about his debut 2021 CD Overpass with a decisive and intriguing contribution to ECM’s solo bass tradition .. This Nebraska-born bassist first came to broader attention in the late 1970s as a member of Bill Evans’s last trio where the tune “Nardis” became effectively a workshop for nightly discoveries about the bass’s potential as a lead voice. He has compiled quite a career in jazz and opens up full about it .. Dig his story ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Legendary Jazz Saxophonist & Flautist Kenny Garrett .. We covered his latest 2021 CD Sounds from the Ancestors as he recalls the sounds of West African Music and its role in Jazz, Gospel, Motown, Hip-Hop and More .. We cover quite a bit more in a revealing talk .. Like his stellar career with stints around the likes of Miles Davis, Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, Donald Byrd, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw and the Duke Ellington Orchestra .. This Detroit native has had a solo career that last lasted 3 plus decades and he is consistently seen as one of modern jazz’s brightest and most influential living masters. He opens up and you should hear it .. Enjoy ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Kansas City-Based Author Carolyn Glenn Brewer on the new 2021 Book Beneath Missouri Skies: Pat Metheny in KC - 64-72 .. This book reveals important details about jazz in Kansas City during the sixties and early seventies overlooked in histories of Kansas City jazz. This book spans news accounts, archival material, interviews, and remembrances portraying a place and time from which Pat still very much so draws inspiration and strength. We cover some details and macro ideas about this book, Pat and much more .. Enjoy…

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Legend, Composer & Educator Rufus Reid .. We had a solid conversation about his new 2021 CD Always in the Moment, COVID and so much more .. He stands as one of today’s premiere bassists on the international jazz scene with a reputation firmly established in the education arena ..  He opens up about the state of jazz today, the future, live music and so much more .. Have a listen …

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Kansas City Jazz Trumpeter Trent Austin .. This elaborated trumpet artist, educator/clinician and entrepreneur is a trumpeting Renaissance Man. For decades he has been at it with brilliant performances and recordings in both the jazz and classical music worlds .. This prodigy has been at it for decades and was hugely swayed by the jazz saint Clark Terry .. He’s also a business owner and has been in Kansas City for about 3 years now .. Over the years, he’s graced the stage with the likes of Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, Joe Williams, Clark Terry, Bob Brookmeyer, Maria Schneider, Peter Erskine, Arturo Sandoval, Kenny Werner and so many others .. His groove, path and history in jazz is astounding .. Enjoy the story of a KC treasure ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with New York City-based Jazz Singer Hilary Kole .. She opened up about her newest 2021 CD Sophisticated Lady and he life in music .. She is a beloved staple on the NYC jazz scene and world-renowned as a multi-faceted concert hall and symphony performer. She emerged triumphantly from a difficult three-year legal struggle to put out a recording – and found her true musical heart in the process. Her story is great and still unfolding .. Enjoy ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with World-Renowned Jazz Vocalist, Songwriter & Pianist Patricia Barber .. We talked to her about her new CD called Clique out on Impex Records dur out on August 6th, 2021 done with Multi GRAMMY-Winner & Longtime Creative Partner Jim Anderson .. Her insistence on writing her own makes her difficult to categorize and her unwillingness to play music business promotional games resulted in having her work evaluated by critics on its own terms. She is a tireless performer who has, in addition to touring the globe and she has wonderful insights .. Enjoy ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Pianist, Composer, Arranger & Educator Keith Brown .. He talked about his new 2021 CD with your Trio called African Ripples .. He was born in Memphis and raised in Knoxville, TN and began playing piano and bass at an early age. His father Donald Brown is a world-renowned jazz pianist/composer having performed with many greats and he first learned to play songs of R&B artists like Stevie Wonder by ear and then started classical piano lessons at 8yrs old. By age 18, Keith was playing piano and bass around Knoxville in a variety of jazz, r&b, funk, and country bands. His story is a great one .. Enjoy ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Canadian Jazz Saxophonist Joel Frahm .. 2021 CD The Bright Side… We caught up with him to talk about his new trio album called The Bright Side featuring Joel on tenor and soprano saxophones, Dan Loomis on bass, and Ernesto Cervini on drums. It is their debut recording for Anzic Records, and is the culmination of a musical partnership that has developed over the course of many tours and recording sessions spanning the last decade. He opens up about this project and his life in jazz .. Enjoy ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series Veteran Composer and Arranger Mark Masters .. He opened up about his 2021 CD Masters & Baron Meet Blanton & Webster  .. He hired Duke Ellington Orchestra veteran Art Baron to reimagine the music of the iconic bandleader’s most revered era transforming Ellington classics through a contemporary lens with special guest trumpeter Tim Hagans .. Mark stands as one of the great jazz arrangers of the last few decades and formed his first ensemble in 1982. He talked about his life in jazz and his non-profit American Jazz Institute, along with much more .. Enjoy…