Neon Jazz Interviews

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series featuring Acclaimed NYC-based Jazz Trumpeter Dave Scott as we preview his December 2025 performances in Kansas City. We connected with Dave for our annual conversation about his holiday trip through KC and the exciting string of gigs he’ll be playing this season.

His December lineup includes:
🎺 Friday, December 26 – Westport Theater with Michael Eaton at 6 p.m.
🎺 Sunday, December 28 – Westport Theater with Brad Gregory’s Sextet at 3 p.m.
🎺 Monday, December 29 – The Blue Room with Tim Brewer’s Big Band

We also dive into how 2025 unfolded for Dave and what he’s looking forward to creatively and personally in 2026. Always a pleasure to catch up with him.
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🎶 More on Dave:
https://www.facebook.com/dave.scott.92317121/

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series featuring Toronto-based Juno-Nominated Jazz Pianist & Composer Noam Lemish. We catch up with him to discuss his new 2025 CD There’s beauty enough in being here and explore his extensive career arc in the jazz world.

The album offers a gently ravishing program inspired by a Fernando Pessoa poem that meditates on the numinous magic within everyday moments. His work reflects his transcultural identity, and throughout a quarter century of musical creation, he has continually pushed to expand the scope of his exploration, blurring boundaries between genres, traditions, peoples, and sounds.

Based in Toronto since 2010, Noam Lemish is known for leading or co-leading numerous acclaimed ensembles, and his voice in modern jazz continues to evolve with depth, curiosity, and creative insight.

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🎧 Get the album:
https://noamlemish.bandcamp.com/album/theres-beauty-enough-in-being-here-2

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series featuring Creative, Artist & Jazz Producer Michael Simard. We take a deep dive into his new 2025 CD Take It to the Sky and explore his vibrant, evolving career in the creative world.

This new album is a full-throttle celebration of the music that has inspired him for a lifetime. Backed by a powerhouse 21-piece ensemble, the project reimagines classics by Earth, Wind & Fire, George Duke, The Crusaders, and Eumir Deodato with fresh arrangements, lush horn and string sections, and undeniable groove.

Recorded over four days in December at Vancouver’s Monarch and Hipposonic Studios, this album stands as a joyful homage to timeless influences and Michael’s deep musical vision.

Dig this story — he’s amazing.

🎧 Get the album:
https://orangegrovepublicity.com/Clients/motivation-take-it-to-the-sky/

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Co-Founder & Bassist Randy Wong of The WAITIKI 7. Speaking from his base in beautiful Honolulu, we dig into the band’s brand-new 2025 album Exotica Reborn: In Studio and Live at House Without a Key, their vibrant history, and the evolution of Exotica music.

The WAITIKI 7 is a modern Exotica supergroup blending jazz with global influences to create an immersive, transportive sound. Rooted in Hawaiʻi’s golden age of Waikiki, Exotica was shaped by legends like Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman, and the band carries that legacy forward while redefining the genre for today’s listeners. Featuring conservatory-trained musicians, GRAMMY winners, and symphonic performers, they’ve spent 20 years preserving and advancing this unique musical tradition.

Founded in Boston by Hawaiʻi musicians Randy Wong and Abe Lagrimas Jr., The WAITIKI 7 emerged in the wake of the 1990s lounge revival and has continued to expand the boundaries of Exotica. We cover their history, mission, musicianship, and the creation of their new album. Enjoy this deep dive.

🎧 Get the album: https://www.waitiki.com/exoticareborn

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with KC-based Jazz Saxophonist & Composer Drew Williams discussing his 2025 album Demons Hate Fresh Air out December 5, 2025. This new project chronicles a period of deep personal transformation since his debut album Hazel—from becoming a parent to getting sober, moving back to Kansas City, and earning a doctorate. It’s also rooted in the rediscovery of the tenor saxophone during the darkest days of lockdown.

The album presents Drew’s take on the saxophone trio format, expanded with overdubs of synth, guitar, bass clarinet, and tape loops to create a layered, exploratory sound world. We get into the writing, the evolution, the emotional themes, and the creative process behind this new chapter. Great to have him back on the show. Enjoy.

🎧 Get the album: https://www.williamsdrew.com/

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Royalty & Acclaimed Singer Carmen Bradford. We talk with her about her new 2025 CD Carmen Sings Carmen, her charmed life in the jazz world, and an extraordinary career that has taken her from Count Basie to global acclaim. A five-time Grammy nominee and recipient of the Los Angeles Jazz Society’s Jazz Vocalist Award, Carmen Bradford embodies versatility, soul, and technical brilliance. Her legacy continues to shape and preserve America’s great art form—jazz.

Born in Austin, Texas and raised in Altadena, California, Carmen is the daughter of two jazz legends: cornetist and composer Bobby Bradford, and world-renowned vocalist, composer, and author Melba Joyce. Her own rise began when Count Basie hired her at the age of 22—and she has been a force in jazz ever since. We get into the new album, her musical lineage, the road, the stories, and a life dedicated to the craft. Enjoy this interview.

Get the album:
https://www.uncjazzpress.com/product-p/cd18025.htm 

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Composer, Arranger, Producer, Bandleader, Guitarist & Educator Socrates Garcia. We discuss his new 2025 CD Shadows of Tomorrow and explore a full, rich life spent in the music world. Originally from the Dominican Republic, Socrates is now a Full Professor of Music and Director of Music Technology at the University of Northern Colorado, where he teaches advanced Music Technology and has taught Advanced Jazz Arranging.

His journey spans continents, cultures, and genres — from his musical roots in the Dominican Republic to his expansive work in the American jazz landscape. We talk about creativity, heritage, education, and what it means to pass musical wisdom to younger generations. It’s a wide-ranging and deeply insightful conversation. Enjoy.

Listen to the album – https://www.socratesgarcia.com/music/shadows-of-tomorrow/

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Hammond B-3 Organist, Performer, Composer & Educator Linda Dachtyl. We dig into her new 2025 album Full Steam Ahead and explore her wide-ranging life in music. From jazz and blues to rock and classical, Linda brings deep experience, versatility, and undeniable passion to everything she plays.

In addition to a rich performing career, she has served as an adjunct music instructor at Kenyon College and Ohio Wesleyan University, shaping new generations of musicians while continuing to pursue her own artistic path. Full Steam Ahead highlights her dynamic approach to the Hammond B-3 and her expressive, groove-filled sound. Dig this interview.

Get the album: summitrecords.com/product/full-steam-ahead-linda-dachtyl/

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Trumpeter, Composer, Arranger & Lyricist Simon Wettenhall and Grammy-winning Pianist, Double-Bassist, Vocalist, Arranger & Teacher Conal Fowkes of the High Society New Orleans Jazz Band. We caught up with these band co-founders to dig into their new 2025 album Live at Birdland, the band’s evolution, their connection to New Orleans tradition, and so much more.

Simon’s musical journey began in Australia, first on piano before Louis Armstrong’s sound pulled him toward the trumpet for good. Conal, a master of multiple jazz and Latin styles, began in the classical world with standout studies at the Royal College of Music in London before shifting toward jazz and performing on some of Europe’s most renowned stages.

Together, they lead a powerhouse seven-piece New Orleans–style jazz band with a long-running NYC residency and a deep love for classic jazz energy. Dig this story and the spirit of true New Orleans tradition alive in New York.

Get the album: thehighsocietyneworleansjazzband.bandcamp.com 

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with seasoned jazz trombonist, composer, and arranger Jason Forsythe, joined by multi-Grammy-winning trumpeter Brian Lynch. We talk with this powerhouse duo about their new 2025 album It’s About Time, their experiences playing with the legends, crafting music at the highest level, live shows, and so much more.

Released on Brian’s label Hollistic MusicWorks, It’s About Time marks Jason’s first release solely as a composer. The nine-track album was co-produced by Jason and Brian and features an ensemble of heavy-hitters, including tenor saxophonist Walt Weiskopf, trombonist Steve Davis, pianist Michael Weiss, bassist Ugonna Okegwo, and drummer Andy Watson.

Jason’s musical journey stretches back to the ’60s and ’70s when, as a young jazz devotee, he transcribed hundreds of solos while developing his voice as a composer. Brian Lynch, meanwhile, is a towering figure in both Latin jazz and straight-ahead jazz, known for his electrifying sound, deep musical knowledge, and legacy of collaboration with some of the greatest names in the music.

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Get the album: lydialiebman.com/index.php/2025/07/08/new-release-jason-forsythes-its-about-time-is-out-september-4-2025-via-hollistic-musicworks/

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