Neon Jazz Interviews

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Veteran Kansas City-based Jazz Drummer & Educator Carl Allen .. We caught up with the Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City to talk about his stellar new 2025 CD Tippin’. He brought together his dream team of Christian McBride playing bass, and the phenomenal Chris Potter on horns. This is his first album as a leader for over 20 years. With over 200 recordings to his credit, the gifted Milwaukee-born, KC-based drummer, sideman, bandleader, entrepreneur, and educator has been changing the face of jazz for over three decades. It was an honor to catch up with this titan. Dig this interview.

Get the album - https://carlallen.bandcamp.com/album/tippin

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with London-based Cellist & Composer Naomi Gee Wright .. We spent some time talking about her new 2024 CD Meteor Trail and a great life in the music. This very unique artist was trained at the Royal Academy of Music and the Eastman School in Rochester, NY. Since then, she has been enjoying a career as soloist, collaborator, improviser and composer. Her work transcends genres and she has appeared on the world's largest stages. She has worked and recorded with a wide-ranging mix of artists, from Björk and Terence Blanchard. It’s a flavor-rich story. Dig this interview.

Get the album: https://naomiwright.bandcamp.com/album/meteor-trail?from=discover_page

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Guitarist Jackson Potter on the 2024 Album Small Things .. Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, he has proven to be a versatile guitarist and composer based these days in New York City.  His new album is coming out on January 24th, 2025 via Shifting Paradigm Records and is a follow up to his 2021 debut album Restless. We get into this project, a release show and so much more. It’s a triumphant return to the show .. dig this interview.

Get the album - https://shiftingparadigmrecords.bandcamp.com/album/small-things

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Pianist & Composer Donald Vega on the 2024 CD Merry and Bright & Grammy Nominated Album As I Travel .. We originally interviewed Donald in December of 2020 during the music shutdown and uncertainty of the times. In this interview, we get into a new holiday album inspired by those hear heard done by Oscar Peterson and Nat King Cole .. We also get into his new Grammy nomination, live shows and much more. Dig in.

All Things Donald Vega - https://www.donaldvega.com/ 

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Composer, Guitarist, Author & Educator Neff Irizarry  .. We caught up with him from Helsinki about his new 2024 CD Cambio (Change) and a great life in the music. He specializing in Latin and Contemporary Jazz and on this new project is is produced by three-time Grammy Award-winning bassist Jimmy Haslip, featuring the guitar in a Latin Jazz context without the piano. His creativity, dedication, and solid groove as a guitarist have enabled him to perform with Eddie Henderson, Jimmy Haslip, Lonnie Liston Smith and so many others. From his home country to Berklee and beyond, we cover it all. Dig this interview. 

Get the album - https://www.bluecanoerecords.com/Cambio.html

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Trumpeter Paul Dietrich on the 2024 Album Small Patch of Earth .. This is his fifth album on Shifting Paradigm Records as a leader featuring his smallest ensemble to date. Following two quintet albums in 2014 and 2017, a full-size 18-piece jazz ensemble and a nine-piece quintet-plus-string-quartet,  sought to return to basics. This led to the creation of his Elemental Quartet, which embraces a more intimate sound inspired by folk music and simpler musical forms, emphasizing interaction and improvisation over the structured nature of his recent large-ensemble work. We cover the album, live shows and much more. Dig this interview.

Get the album - https://shiftingparadigmrecords.bandcamp.com/album/a-small-patch-of-earth

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Veteran Kansas City Jazz Musician & Educator Bryan Hicks .. We originally caught up with him back in 2023 and check in here in late 2024 to see what has been going on. There have been some significant developments and we get into all of it. Enjoy.

All Things Bryan - https://www.facebook.com/bryanhicksmusic/ 

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Saxophonist Shawn Maxwell on the 2024 Album C8H10N402 with Keri Johnsrud .. We get into the artistic chemistry between these two musicians that teamed up for this impressive release. We talk about their creative approach to the project, live shows and so much more. Great to catch up with Shawn. Enjoy this interview.

Get the album - https://shawnmaxwell.bandcamp.com/album/c8h10n4o2

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Violinist Jason Anick & Pianist Jason Yeager on the 2024 Album Sanctuary .. They met for the first time at a local jam session as teens in the Boston area. Since then, both have continued to collaborate while establishing flourishing careers as composers, performers and educators, with both serving on the faculty at Berklee College of Music. Sanctuary builds on the foundation set by the pair’s previous outing, 2017’s United. We get into this album and so much more. Dig this interview. 

Get the album - https://sunnysiderecords.bandcamp.com/album/sanctuary-2

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with London-based Author & Journalist Mike Gerber on the 2024 Book Kosher Jammers .. We caught up with this veteran and esteemed jazz journalist to talk about his new book, how it came about, his life in journalist and much more. Besides drawing on a plethora of second-hand sources, Kosher Jammers is packed with first-hand material, from interviews, phone calls and emails with jazz figures, Jewish and otherwise. It includes one of the last ever interviews with swing era icon Artie Shaw. The impact on jazz of tunes written by Jewish "Great American Songbook" composers such as George Gershwin, Harold Arlen and Johnny Green are monumental and explored in full. Dig this revealing interview. 

Get the Book - https://www.amazon.com/Kosher-Jammers-Jewish-connections-jazz-ebook/dp/B0CQKJNS27

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