Neon Jazz Interviews

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