Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Journeyman Trumpeter and Arranger David Weiss .. These days, he is consumed with performing in the Jazz supergroup The Cookers .. with legendary cats like Billy Harper, Cecil McBee, George Cables, Eddie Henderson, and Billy Hart .. Over the course of our conversation, he delved into his life in New York City, how he started out at art school for photography and made his way to the horn and the land of jazz .. He contemplated why he loves jazz, what his legacy might be and much, much more ..

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Legendary composer, arranger, and bassist Chuck Israels .. He’s well know for doing work with Bill Evans, along with John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins, Stan Getz and many more .. He recounts tales of being in the middle of that jazz flux, having dinner at 12 with Louis Armstrong, growing up in a music rich family, what he is up to these days and what he would like his enduring epitaph in the world of jazz to be .. along with much, much more ..

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Legendary composer, arranger, and trumpeter Charles Tolliver .. Over the course of our conversation, he was very candid about his beginnings in 1963 with the great Jackie McClean .. and how that break led to bigger gigs with cats like Sonny Rollins  .. He told me who his jazz heroes are, why he loves jazz and much more ..

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with acclaimed bassist, bandleader, performer, music educator, and composer – along with being an actor .. Ben Williams .. Over the course of our conversation, he delved into a very busy schedule that is establishing him as one of the finest young artists in the world of jazz these days .. .. He discussed a role he had in his film film debut with Don Cheadle in “Miles Ahead” , his latest 2015 sophomore release Coming of Age, performing the song  “Happy” with Pharrell Williams and Herbie Hancock at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, along with a host of heavy jazz cats he’s performed with .. like Wynton Marsalis, George Benson, Pat Metheny  Benny Golson, and others ..

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with talented jazz trumpeter and educator Clay Jenkins .. From Lubbock, Texas, Clay has gone on to see the world and jam with some of the biggest names in jazz every .. He got his first real break with the Stan Kenton Orchestra, then moved onto LA and got involved with the big bands of Harry James, Buddy Rich, and finally, the Count Basie Orchestra. In August of 2015, he came out to Kansas City to get involved with the Charlie Parker Birthday celebrations city-wide going down and had some impressive words for the KC scene ..

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with pianist and educator Dr. Michael Pagan .. These days, he is a very busy musician playing the piano nightly around KC, along with being at professor at Ottawa University in Ottawa, KS directing Bravo, the Ottawa University Jazz Singers and teaching jazz piano. He just released a new CD in August of 2015 called the Ottawa Sessions .. From the streets of Ohio, his path made it’s way to KC and he digs it quite a bit ..

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Canadian tenor saxophonist and jazz veteran Cory Weeds .. Over the course of our conversation, he spoke passionately about a life he has dedicated to jazz .. For 14 years he ran the very successful Cellar jazz club in Vancouver and that filled the world with many tasty memories and gigs .. These days, he is busy as ever as a recording artist and orchestrating a whole host of jazz magic .. On the verge of his 10th studio album with the Jeff Hamilton Trio called Happy Madness .. that is exactly what we delved into .. in all it’s parts and pieces  ..

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Chicago jazz saxophonist John “Wojo” Wojciechowski .. From the streets of Detroit and in Chicago these days he is busy promoting his new album Focus .. a direct inspiration from his greatest teacher .. his father. Over the course of our conversation, he talked about a great variety of things from his jazz heroes, to his plans, teaching full time and much more  ..

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Kansas City based Jazz Broadcaster Dr. Mike Pettengell .. For the the last 25 years, Dr. Mike has been a professor of English, Humanities and Fine Arts at Kansas City, KS Community College and for the last 19 years he has been on the radio spinning the ‘pure’ music in all its forms, - jazz, old-timey, world, country, or classical. These days he is at KKFI in KC via 90.1 FM, but in the 90’s he piloted the  "Take Five" jazz radio show  KCUR (89.3) and it was a hugely memorable program at the top of the jazz radio food chain .. Most recently, he was awarded the “Living Legend Award” from the African American Museum of Philadelphia .. KC is lucky to have Dr. Mike and he had plenty of stories to impart to Neon Jazz ..

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with the talented composer and clarinetist Ben Goldberg  .. He was born and raised in Denver, and has been in Brooklyn lately .. And in between both of those geographies, he has woven a very cool biography.. Over the course of our conversation,  he discussed his dreams, early gigs, awards he has received and many more surprises ..

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