KC-based Jazz Saxophonist & Composer Drew Williams on the 2025 Album Demons Hate Fresh Air
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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Jazz Royalty & Acclaimed Singer Carmen Bradford
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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Jazz Composer, Arranger, Producer, Bandleader, Guitarist & Educator Socrates Garcia
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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Jazz Hammond B-3 Organist, Performer, Composer & Educator Linda Dachtyl
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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Multi-Instrumentalist Simon Wettenhall and Grammy Winner Conal Fowkes of the High Society New Orleans Jazz Band
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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Neon Jazz is a radio show and interview series created and distributed since 2011. Hatched & Hosted by Joe Dimino out of Kansas City, Missouri. The series has been Engineered and generously supported by John Christopher over thirteen years, hundreds of episodes and thousands of interviews. We celebrate the glory days right on into the innovations of modern players. The aim is to tell the rich story of jazz through the voice of the musician and provide an enticing kaleidoscope of sound and stories. We are always celebrating one of America's finest inventions .. Jazz. Dig in ..
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