Neon Jazz Interviews

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz Interview Series featuring accomplished jazz bassist, composer, arranger, and educator Matt Dwonszyk.

We caught up with Matt to discuss his outstanding 2026 release, Live at the Side Door, and his remarkable journey through the world of jazz.

Based in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, Matt has become one of the most sought-after bassists in New England. A graduate of the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz and holder of a master's degree from SUNY Purchase College, he has built a respected career as both a performer and educator. Today, he serves on the faculty of Manchester Community College and Central Connecticut State University while maintaining a busy performance schedule.

Matt began playing electric bass at age eleven before transitioning to upright bass during his time at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts. That decision launched a lifelong dedication to jazz, improvisation, composition, and musical excellence.

In this conversation, we discuss the making of Live at the Side Door, the experience of recording live jazz, his development as a bassist and bandleader, the importance of jazz education, and the lessons learned from years of performing with some of the region's finest musicians.

Get the album:
Live at the Side Door on Bandcamp

Learn more about Matt:
Matt Dwonszyk Official Website

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz Interview Series featuring veteran Delaware-based jazz pianist, composer, and improviser Ray Jozwiak.

We caught up with Ray to discuss his latest 2025 album, Ray's Music, and his fascinating lifelong relationship with jazz, improvisation, and creative expression.

The album features a collection of instrumental compositions filled with deep improvisation, adventurous musical ideas, and a personal artistic vision that reflects decades of musical exploration. While music was not his sole profession throughout his life, Ray has remained deeply committed to the art form and is now creating some of his most inspired work in retirement.

In this conversation, Ray reflects on his musical journey, his unique approach to creativity, and his willingness to follow his own artistic instincts rather than popular trends. We also discuss his years performing with OHO, the influential Baltimore-area musical collective that played a significant role in shaping his musical identity and continues to inspire his work today.

From jazz improvisation and composition to artistic independence and lifelong creativity, this interview offers a thoughtful look at a musician who has always followed his own path.

Learn more about Ray and his music:
Ray Jozwiak Official Website

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz Interview Series featuring Canadian jazz saxophonist, composer, educator, and researcher John Sweenie.

We caught up with John to discuss his debut album, Mysticism for Intellectuals, and his unique journey through the worlds of jazz performance, composition, education, and scholarly research.

Recorded live over two nights at the legendary The Yardbird Suite, the album features an all-star ensemble and captures the energy, spontaneity, and depth of modern jazz performance. Mysticism for Intellectuals exists at the fascinating intersection of rigorous study and intuitive expression, reflecting John's ongoing effort to reconcile analytical understanding with artistic instinct.

In this conversation, we explore his roots in the bebop tradition, the influence of Black American Improvised Music, the process of internalizing and transmitting improvisational language, and how his work bridges performance, composition, and research. We also discuss the making of the album, live recording, jazz education, creative development, and the future of improvisational music.

John's thoughtful approach offers a compelling perspective on how jazz continues to evolve while remaining deeply connected to its rich traditions.

Learn more and get the album:
John Sweenie Official Website

For More Neon Jazz:
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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz Interview Series featuring Brooklyn-based jazz pianist, composer, and improviser Yvonne Rogers.

We caught up with Yvonne to discuss her compelling 2026 solo piano album The Button Jar, a deeply personal and imaginative recording inspired by childhood memories, creativity, and artistic exploration. Growing up in rural Maine, Yvonne often found herself immersed in nature and imagination, drawing inspiration from the world around her. One enduring image was the button jar kept by her artist mother—a collection of colorful, ordinary objects that could be transformed into endless creative possibilities.

That powerful metaphor became the foundation for The Button Jar, a solo piano project that blends childlike wonder with sophisticated rhythmic and harmonic language. Produced by acclaimed pianist and composer Kris Davis, the album showcases Yvonne's distinctive voice as a composer and improviser while highlighting her ability to balance playfulness, complexity, and emotional depth.

In this conversation, we explore the making of the album, her musical journey from Maine to Brooklyn, her approach to composition and improvisation, the influence of creativity and memory on her work, and her evolving place within today's contemporary jazz scene.

Get the album and learn more:
The Button Jar on Bandcamp

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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz Interview Series featuring legendary jazz keyboardist, composer, arranger, and bandleader Mark Adams.

We caught up with Mark to discuss his acclaimed 2026 album This Is Neo-Soul, a powerful recording that celebrates the continuing evolution of soul, jazz, funk, and groove-based music while honoring the lasting influence of the late jazz-funk icon Roy Ayers.

Released just over a year after Ayers' passing, This Is Neo-Soul brings together fifteen all-star musicians connected to the working bands of Roy Ayers, Lonnie Liston Smith, Luther Vandross, Gloria Gaynor, Gil Scott-Heron, and Chaka Khan. The project is not simply a tribute album—it is a continuation of a musical language that Mark helped shape over more than two decades as the keyboardist, arranger, and musical anchor of Roy Ayers' touring group Ubiquity.

In this conversation, we explore Mark's remarkable career, his years on the road performing thousands of concerts around the world, the creation of This Is Neo-Soul, the enduring power of jazz-funk and neo-soul, and his vision for the future of the music.

This is a fascinating discussion with a musician who has lived at the intersection of jazz, soul, funk, improvisation, and groove for decades.

Get the album and learn more:
Mark Adams - This Is Neo-Soul

For More Neon Jazz:
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