Neon Jazz Interviews

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series. In this episode, we catch up with Montreal-based jazz singer and composer Marie-Soleil Lambert to talk about her 2025 release Anastasia and a life deeply devoted to music, growth, and creative exploration. Always evolving as both a musician and composer, Marie-Soleil leads her sextet Sun Fantasia, formed in 2022, as she continues to carve out a distinctive voice in contemporary jazz. Craving a new sound, she blends influences from Chick Corea, Weather Report, Joni Mitchell, and Frank Zappa, fusing genres and stylistic approaches to create something original, personal, and forward-thinking. We dive into the making of Anastasia, her compositional process, the vision behind Sun Fantasia, and the musical journey that continues to shape her artistry. It’s a wide-ranging and inspiring conversation with a rising voice in modern jazz. 🎙️ Enjoy this interview. 🎶 Get the album:https://mariesoleilmusic.com/track/4525714/anastasia For More Neon Jazz: Shows via MixCloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/neonjazzkc/Subscribe via Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/neonjazzkcSubscribe via iTunes/Apple - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-interviews-joe-dimino/id546432639?mt=2 The Home of Neon Jazz:http://theneonjazz.blogspot.com/ Contribute to Neon Jazz via PayPal:                   https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=ER Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series. In this episode, we catch up with European jazz saxophonist and composer Nikola Bankov, one of the brightest new voices in contemporary European jazz, just before a live gig to talk about his 2025 release Everwanted—his third album as a leader and a bold step forward in sound and vision. On Everwanted, Bankov fuses high-energy modern jazz with Nordic synth-pop textures, creating a vibrant and forward-thinking record that appeals to both younger listeners and seasoned jazz aficionados. Featuring his close collaborators, the album feels cohesive, ambitious, and refreshingly modern. This marks our second conversation with Nikola, who is a Danish Music Awards winner and a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree. We discuss the evolution of his music, the making of Everwanted, live performance energy, and the future of jazz in Europe and beyond. It’s a powerful snapshot of an artist hitting his stride. 🎙️ Enjoy the interview. 🎶 Get the album & learn more:https://www.nikolabankov.com/  For More Neon Jazz: Shows via MixCloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/neonjazzkc/Subscribe via Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/neonjazzkcSubscribe via iTunes/Apple - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-interviews-joe-dimino/id546432639?mt=2 The Home of Neon Jazz:http://theneonjazz.blogspot.com/ Contribute to Neon Jazz via PayPal:                   https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=ER Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series. In this episode, we sit down with esteemed Bronx-based drummer, composer, and arranger Greg Burrows to explore his powerful 2025 release, Let’s Not Wait: The Music of Ed Bonoff, along with an eclectic and deeply personal journey through the jazz world. This album stands as only the second recording ever dedicated exclusively to the compositions and arrangements of the legendary New York composer, arranger, and drummer Ed Bonoff. Remarkably, Bonoff remains vitally active today—continuing to compose, arrange, and perform his weekly drum gig at Arthur’s Tavern in Manhattan’s West Village. Greg Burrows is a longtime friend and musical partner of Bonoff’s, bringing authenticity and lived experience to the project. During the interview, we revisit a seminal Kansas City memory at Charlie Parker’s gravesite, reflect on creative partnerships, and trace a career filled with defining moments and musical highlights. From New York jazz history to personal connection, this conversation dives deep into the meaning behind the music. 🎙️ Dig this interview. 🎶 Get the album:https://gregburrows.bandcamp.com/ For More Neon Jazz: Shows via MixCloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/neonjazzkc/Subscribe via Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/neonjazzkcSubscribe via iTunes/Apple - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-interviews-joe-dimino/id546432639?mt=2 The Home of Neon Jazz:http://theneonjazz.blogspot.com/ Contribute to Neon Jazz via PayPal:                   https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=ER Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a little over a week away before this year known as 2025 comes to a close. And as I collect a cachet of memories and thoughts from the year that is gone by .. I think about all of the good in the highlights and the magic that took place this year. There are three things that rise to the top of this year that is gone by & it includes a near improbable run that I started to get my childhood hero Dwight Gooden rightfully into the halls of Cooperstown. This isn’t directly a jazz event, but it infused and informed so much of the positivity that happened over this year. It also included being a part of flying in a father/daughter Duo to Kansas City on international jazz day 2025 to see the Count Basie Orchestra .. thus completing a Dream for a man That loves Count Basie and jazz to the core of his heart. Essentially, it was a Fan letter that turned into something much much bigger thank you so much Tracy & John - I will forever hold you and High regard for such a wonderful moment. It is also the resounding thought that Neon Jazz has been around for 14 years and how cool it is that this entire ride has been orchestrated under the guise of being an independently run jazz show and interview series. All of this has been done strictly on the premise of Freedom. Every time I speak with Jazz Musicians about why they love this craft, they always point out freedom and I realize over this 14 year tenure that I’ve learned so much from all of the jazz musicians that I have been fortunate enough to interview. They have taught me about improv .. they have taught me about the temporal nature of music & how it evaporates into the air and they have taught me what it’s like to embrace and love freedom that I think in these strange politically divided 2025 days there’s nothing more important than tasting that freedom. And I think that is the theme of this year & the plight of this little radio show entering its 15th year in April of 2026. And I’m also enormously grateful to my good friend .. show engineer and mentor John Christopher for always being there and for being the reason and inspiration behind me getting back into a broadcasting dream when I never thought it was not going to happen. In all of the veins of this year and the major stories .. they revolve all the shows and all the musicians and all the interviews that have woven together a tapestry of America’s mighty invention known as jazz music … & I thank you for being along for the ride and for supporting me and for all the kind words and for you to know that we are strong as ever as we enter our 15th year of broadcasting this wonderful music to this epic community of jazz from Kansas City to the world, the musicians, and beyond..so thank you and here we go again… Music by E.E. Pointer .. The Playah - Single - 2010 More Neon Jazz - https://theneonjazz.blogspot.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series. In this episode, we sit down with jazz trombonist and composer JC Sanford to explore his 2025 release Denki, recorded with his band EQ (Electric Quartet). This eighth album as a leader is a creative tour de force—electric, exploratory, and deeply personal. The title Denki—Japanese for “electricity”—pays tribute to Sanford’s mentor Bob Brookmeyer, who released an album of the same name in 1994 with the WDR Big Band. Drawing from that lineage while pushing boldly forward, Sanford delivers a modern jazz statement fueled by spontaneity, evolution, and raw inspiration. Throughout his career, JC Sanford’s musical life has taken many shapes and forms, always guided by curiosity and forward motion. Denki is a natural step in that evolutionary flow—embracing the moment when inspiration strikes and capturing it with urgency and clarity. We talk about the album, live performances, modern living, and much more. 🎙️ Dig in and enjoy this conversation. 🎶 Get the album:https://jcsanford.bandcamp.com/album/denki For More Neon Jazz: Shows via MixCloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/neonjazzkc/Subscribe via Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/neonjazzkcSubscribe via iTunes/Apple - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-interviews-joe-dimino/id546432639?mt=2 The Home of Neon Jazz:http://theneonjazz.blogspot.com/ Contribute to Neon Jazz via PayPal:                   https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=ER Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices