Neon Jazz Interviews

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz Interview Series featuring NYC-based Russian-Canadian jazz pianist Maria Kaushansky. In this episode, we dive into her debut 2025 album, Northbound to Finch, an instrumental jazz release made up entirely of original compositions and inspired by her life in Toronto, Canada. The album takes its name from “Finch,” her former home subway station, and features her deeply expressive trio with Paul Gill on bass and the late Anthony Pinciotti on drums, adding emotional depth and resonance to the project. Classically trained and rich in nuance, Maria blends elegance, emotion, and intention into a sound that feels both grounded and exploratory. Beyond the jazz stage, she brings her unique musical voice into the ballet studio, having spent nearly two decades accompanying ballet classes across Canada and the United States. This rare sensitivity to movement, mood, and dynamics informs every note she plays. It’s a thoughtful, inspiring conversation with a rising voice in contemporary jazz. Dig this interview. Get the album: https://mariakaushansky.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 featuring internationally known master saxophonist and composer John O’Gallagher. On this episode, we take a deep dive into his powerful new 2025 CD Ancestral and an action-packed life in jazz defined by constant evolution and fearless exploration. The album features an extraordinary lineup with master drummers Andrew Cyrille and Billy Hart, alongside guitarist Ben Monder, creating a dynamic and deeply expressive recording. With Ancestral, John O’Gallagher casts off his old skin—fundamentally altering his studies, sense of homeland, and creative life to chart a bold new future. The recording is influenced in part by his PhD research into the music of John Coltrane, blending rigorous scholarship with raw artistic expression. Originally from Anaheim, California, John’s career spans more than 30 years in New York City (1988–2018) and nearly a decade living and working in Europe, now based in Lisbon, Portugal. Over his career, he has performed with jazz luminaries including Joe Henderson, Al Foster, and Mary Halvorson, and has appeared on more than 80 recordings, including 13 albums as a leader. We dive fully into the music, the journey, and the reinvention behind Ancestral. Enjoy this interview. Get the album: https://johnogallagher-whirlwind.bandcamp.com/album/ancestral  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 jazz vocalist, writer, and lyricist Stevie Holland. On this episode, we take a close look at her new 2025 CD Talk to Your Tomatoes and an extraordinary journey through the worlds of jazz, pop, theater, and the American Songbook. The album is a beautifully curated collection of gems and classics, showcasing Stevie’s signature storytelling, phrasing, and emotional depth as a vocalist. Over her career, Stevie Holland has headlined at major concert halls, jazz clubs, and cabaret rooms, while also building a rich presence in the theater world. A dynamic performer and internationally acclaimed song stylist, she continues to chart her own path as a completely original artist. During the pandemic, she created the one-woman musical ** Love, Linda: The Life of Mrs. Cole Porter ** with award-winning composer Gary William Friedman. The production premiered Off-Broadway at The York Theatre (2013–2014), returned for a special engagement at the Triad Theater in 2018, and was filmed for a worldwide on-demand release in 2021. Directed by Tony Award winner Richard Maltby, Jr., the film has earned multiple awards and is now streaming on Amazon Prime. We dive into it all. It’s quite a story. Enjoy. Get the album & more: https://www.stevieholland.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 featuring internationally acclaimed guitarist, vocalist, composer, and producer Tony Davis. On this episode, we dive into his new 2025 CD Jessamine and a life richly lived in the world of jazz. The album takes its name from the street where Tony grew up and stands as a symbolic musical homecoming—not simply a return to the past, but a full-circle synthesis of experience, influence, and identity. Originally from Hartford, Connecticut, Tony Davis has performed at some of the most prestigious jazz venues in the world, including The Blue Note, The Village Vanguard, Smalls, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Birdland, as well as major jazz festivals. In this conversation, we explore the inspiration behind Jessamine, his artistic evolution, and the journey that has shaped his voice as a musician, songwriter, and producer. We cover quite a ride through the jazz world. Dig in. Get the album: https://tonydavismusic.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 featuring jazz bassist and composer Mighty Joe Belson. From his base in Berkeley, California, we dive into his new 2025 CD Reinventing the Wheel, his musical beginnings in New York City, and his late start in jazz. Along with his band The Doodle Cats, Mighty Joe Belson taps into our collective sense of nostalgia, creating music that honors the past without trying to reinvent it. Recorded live in a small room with no overdubs, Reinventing the Wheel embraces the spirit of classic recording sessions from jazz’s golden era. The album presents original compositions inspired by familiar jazz standards, written to evoke the sound and feel of the iconic recordings of the 1950s and 1960s. Belson’s musical journey spans rock, metal, jazz, and orchestral music, and his deep commitment to storytelling shines through instrumental compositions that capture the full spectrum of human emotion—serious or whimsical, profound or playful—entirely without vocals and beyond words. The Doodle Cats channel the timeless energy of classic jazz with warmth, swing, and authenticity. Dig this story. Get the album: https://mightyjoebelson.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