Neon Jazz Interviews

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series featuring Chicago-based jazz vocalist & theater artist Tatum Langley. 🎶 In this episode, we dive into her new 2025 album Tatum’s Swinging Session and her dream-fueled journey as an emerging big band singer. Tatum is an amalgamation of musical influences, specializing in jazz and musical theatre, and has captivated audiences everywhere—from cozy jazz clubs and intimate cabaret rooms to legendary venues like The London Palladium, Sydney Opera House, and Royal Albert Hall. She regularly records and tours internationally with the viral musical sensation Postmodern Jukebox, while also building an impressive résumé in professional regional theatre, spanning Shakespeare, Golden Age musicals, contemporary works, and large-scale original theme park productions. It’s quite a story—full of swing, stage lights, and global momentum. Let’s get into it. 🎧 Get the album – Tatum’s Swinging Session👉 https://shoutsection.com/tatum-s-swingin-session-digital-version-pre-sale 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. On this episode, we talk with Grammy-nominated harpist, composer, innovator, educator, and coach Deborah Henson-Conant—a visionary artist who has redefined the harp for modern audiences. With decades of international acclaim, Deborah has built an extraordinary career as a live performer, composer, and musical pioneer, including the invention of her own body harp, expanding the expressive and physical possibilities of the instrument. She has educated and coached hundreds of musicians across the United States and abroad, influencing generations of artists. We dive into her powerful collaboration with Ukrainian bandura virtuoso Iryna Lytvynenko, which led to the world premiere of Deborah’s Bandura Concerto in Kyiv, Ukraine, broadcast on Ukrainian national television on November 19, 2025. This historic performance symbolized resilience, unity, and the life-affirming force of music amid war, made possible through Deborah’s Legacy Bridge Project, which connects composers with sponsors to remove financial barriers to new works. For over three decades, Deborah has mesmerized audiences throughout the US and Europe. In this wide-ranging conversation, we explore her career, creative philosophy, this landmark project, and what it means to make meaningful art in the modern world. Enjoy this interview. More Deborah:https://www.hipharp.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. On this episode, we talk with Montreal-based jazz drummer, bandleader, and composer Jacob Wutzke about his new 2025 album Pedalling Falsehoods and a life immersed in the world of jazz. This fourth release marks a powerful artistic statement, with Jacob explaining the meaning behind the album’s title and the ideas that inspired the music. Known for his precise technique, creative ensemble playing, and joyful sense of swing, Jacob is a mainstay of the jazz scene, performing regularly as both a leader and an in-demand sideman. Beyond performance, Jacob is a dedicated music educator and author, having self-published several highly regarded drum method books that have become essential practice tools for drummers around the world. In this conversation, we explore modern jazz drumming, composition, education, creative intention, and the evolution of a working jazz musician. Enjoy. Get the album:https://www.jacobwutzke.com/music/p/pedallingfalsehoods 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. On this episode, we talk with LOBE, a collective of musicians from the San Francisco Bay Area, about their new and debut 2025 album was that on purpose? and the story behind the band’s formation, sound, and mission. The LOBE collective features Daiki Nakajima on flute, bass, tenor and soprano saxophones; Sam Silverstein on violin; Nolan Miranda on piano and synths; Mark Rau on bass and guitar; and Michael Hayes on drums. Originally united by a shared love of rhythm-forward contemporary jazz, the group quickly expanded its sound to include dance, folk, electronic, and pop influences. Through years of collaboration, friendship, and deep musical chemistry, LOBE developed a distinctive voice—whimsical and unhurried, challenging yet inviting, time-bending while firmly rooted in the present moment. This conversation explores creative process, collective identity, modern jazz evolution, and the spirit behind their debut release. Dig their story and this interview. Get the album:https://lobeband.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

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series. On this episode, we talk with Toronto-based jazz singer, songwriter, and actor Whitney Ross-Barris about her new 2025 album Curtains of Light and a life devoted to the arts. Curtains of Light is a deeply expressive recording that blends jazz, choral music, neo-soul, spoken word, and folk, weaving intimate human stories of disconnection, longing, and resilience shaped by the challenges of recent years. The album features award-winning multi-instrumentalists Michael Shand and Drew Jurecka, whose contributions further expand its emotional and sonic depth. Beyond her work as a recording artist, Whitney has appeared at major music festivals as a solo jazz performer and has enjoyed a successful career as an actor, bringing the same emotional intelligence and storytelling to both disciplines. This conversation explores creativity, vulnerability, genre-crossing jazz, and the power of music to heal and connect. Enjoy this interview. Get the album:https://whitneyrb.bandcamp.com/album/curtains-of-light 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