Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Award-Winning Jazz Radio Host, Producer & Writer Mark Ruffin .. We had the honor of speaking at length with him about writing and jazz in early January 2021 .. Namely, he opened up about his latest 2020 Book - Bebop Fairy Tales: An Historical Fiction Trilogy on Jazz, Intolerance, and Baseball – A book full of engrossing tales and true-to-life stories immersed in the jazz ethic, dressed in the peculiar garments of racial nuances in America and reflections on that most uniquely American pastime baseball .. Originally from Chicago, music has always been his world .. His talents have been all over the mediums of TV, radio and beyond .. His stories and insights are deep and needed in this world of ours .. Enjoy ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Chicago-based Jazz & Blues Vocalist Audrey Foxx .. She talked to us in late December 2020 about her newest EP Stone Cold Woman ..This artist is unconventional, inspired and uniquely delightful .. Her story is one you should hear .. Enjoy…

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Celebrated Jazz Saxophonist Eric Person .. We talked to him from his home base during another variant COVID rage in America on January 12, 2022 about this new world, his upcoming 2022 CD Blue Vision and much more .. In 1982, he moved to New York City from St. Louis Missouri and quickly hooked up with legendary drummer Chico Hamilton.. That lasted for 15 years as he went all over the United States, Europe, Japan, and South America .. He also spent a lot of time with Dave Holland and so many others .. Dig this story ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Veteran Jazz Pianist & Composer Michael Weiss .. We talked on January 12, 2022 about his upcoming CD release called Persistence .. He elaborated on that, his life in music and COVID .. Born in Dallas, he started piano studies at age six and at 15 he discovered the world of jazz at the Interlochen academy in Michigan .. Over the past 40 years, he has worked with the best in jazz .. and been all over the world .. with the likes of Johnny Griffin, George Coleman, Charles McPherson, Benny Golson, Lou Donaldson, Jimmy Heath, Art Farmer and more .. Dig the interview ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Grammy Winning Violinist & Composer Mark O'Connor .. We talked to him on January 10, 2022 about this newly re-emerging COVID world, his life as a prodigy in music, his latest 2021 CD Meanings Of and so much in between .. He’s set to re-release a host of new albums and has had time lately to start on his biography in earnest .. Over his storied musical existence, he has won three Grammys, seven CMA awards along with several national fiddle, guitar and mandolin champion titles. He’s been all over the globe and even went to the White House to perform in front of President Ronald Reagan as a teen. He’s got a fascinating story .. Enjoy ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Grammy Winning Jazz Drummer, Producer, Educator & NEA Jazz Master Terri Lyne Carrington .. We talked to her on January 11, 2022 about how she has been doing in COVID world, her prosperous life in jazz and what went into her latest and much celebrated CD Waiting Game .. She has over 40 illustrious years in music, she is an NEA Jazz Master and three-time GRAMMY® award-winner that started her professional career in Massachusetts at 10 years old becoming the youngest person to receive a union card in Boston... She’s a prodigy and a huge influence over all things jazz in America and the World .. Enjoy this interviews ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with New York City Jazz Vocalist Samara Joy .. We caught up with her on January 2022 from her home in New York to talk about a recent trip to Russia to perform, her debut 2021 Self Titled CD, COVID life and her career in music .. Growing up in New York, music was a pervasive presence, due to the inspiration of her paternal grandparents .. In 2019 she was the winner of the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition .. She is well on her way to quite a career and we cover much ground .. Enjoy the story ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with NYC & Seattle Musician, Emcee, Singer, Drummer & Producer Kassa Overall .. We talked on January 5, 2022 about quite a bit .. Like his latest 2021 CD I’m a King, COVID live in America and his world of melding avant-garde experimentation with hip-hop production techniques to tilt the nexus of jazz and hip-hop in unmapped directions .. Raised in Seattle, he attended Garfield High School, the alma mater of Quincy Jones and Jimi Hendrix. He has been working at the forefront of jazz for two decades, touring and recording as a sideman drummer with artists as varied as Geri Allen, Vijay Iyer, Carmen Lundy and Gary Bartz. In 2021, the Jazz Journalists Association named him Electronics Specialist of the Year .. Dig this story ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Spanish-born Jazz Pianist & Composer Marta Sanchez on the new 2022 Year .. She opened up about her new 2021 Single – The Moment of Your Life and material that is on it’s way in 2022 .. She talked about the return to the live stage and hopes for the future as a brand new year begins to unfold .. Enjoy ..

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Co-Author Wayne Enstice of the 2021 Memoir The Lady Swings about the life of Drummer Dottie Dodgion .. Dottie was a force and lived an entire lifetime before she was seventeen. Undeterred by hardships, she defied the odds and earned a seat as a woman in the exclusive men’s club of jazz. Her dues-paying path as a musician took her from early work with Charles Mingus to being hired by Benny Goodman at Basin Street East on her first day in New York. From there she broke new ground as a woman who played a “man’s instrument” in first-string, all-male New York City jazz bands. Wayne recounts the process from start to finish, and many spots scattered throughout .. Enjoy ..