Neon Jazz Interviews

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz Interview Series with Detroit-based jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, and educator Zen Zadravec.
We caught up with Zen to explore his new 2026 album, New Paradigm, and a remarkable musical career that has taken him across continents and through decades of contemporary jazz.
With a rich international career as a bandleader, collaborator, and educator, Zadravec has developed a distinctive voice rooted in the belief that music is more than sound—it is a form of creative communication, an expressive language shaped by human experience, connection, and a deeply humanistic perspective.
Throughout his career, Zen has performed and collaborated with some of the most respected figures in the international jazz community, including Ron Carter, Louis Hayes, Sean Jones, Steve Turre, and many others.
Today, he leads two original projects that showcase different dimensions of his musical vision: the Zen Zadravec Quintet and the fusion-oriented ensemble Human Revolution.
In this conversation, we get into New Paradigm, Zen's international journey, his Detroit roots, the philosophy behind his music, collaboration, improvisation, education, and the continuing evolution of jazz in the modern world.
Zen Zadravec's story is one of musical exploration, international collaboration, education, and a lifelong commitment to using jazz as a language of human expression.
From Detroit to stages around the world, his work continues to connect tradition with innovation while exploring where contemporary jazz can go next.
Listen to New Paradigm
Zen Zadravec — *New Paradigm* on Apple Music
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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz Interview Series with veteran Austin, Texas-based saxophonist Elias Haslanger.
We caught up with this longtime fixture of the Central Texas jazz scene to talk about his ninth album, Legacy, and the remarkable 30-year journey that has made him one of the enduring voices in Texas jazz.
Legacy is deeply personal.
The album is dedicated to the great mentors who have influenced Elias throughout his musical life, and it serves as an all-original program celebrating the people, experiences, lessons, and musical traditions that helped shape his sound.
For this special recording, Elias assembled an exceptional group of musicians from across the country, including his longtime partner Mike Sailors on trumpet and flugelhorn.
Over the course of his three-decade career, Elias Haslanger's playing and writing have drawn comparisons to jazz giants including John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Ben Webster, and Wayne Shorter. He has also performed, recorded, and toured with numerous world-class musicians, including legendary New Orleans pianist and educator Ellis Marsalis and acclaimed bandleader and trumpeter Maynard Ferguson.
In this conversation, we explore Legacy, the mentors who shaped Elias' musical identity, his evolution as a saxophonist and composer, the Austin jazz scene, and what it means to continue creating original music after 30 years in the business.
At its heart, Legacy is about more than music.
It's about the people who teach us, inspire us, challenge us, and leave something behind in us that continues long after the lesson is over.
Elias Haslanger brings three decades of experience, an impressive musical résumé, and a deep respect for the jazz tradition into this fascinating conversation about mentorship, composition, performance, Austin jazz, and the continuing evolution of his sound.
Get the Album & More
Elias Haslanger Official Website
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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz Interview Series with Brooklyn-based jazz flutist/composer Michel Gentile and drummer/composer Rob Garcia as we explore two exciting new 2026 albums from Connection Works Records.
Released worldwide on May 29, 2026, these two recordings offer different perspectives on contemporary jazz while sharing a deep commitment to composition, improvisation, collaboration, and creative exploration.
First up is Light of Day by Michel Gentile FLOW—Gentile's debut recording as a leader. The project features Gentile on flute, alto flute, bass flute, and piccolo, joined by Michael McGinnis on clarinet, Jacob Garchik on trombone, Chris Lightcap on bass, and Tom Rainey on drums. The music moves between carefully constructed compositions and open-ended improvisation, creating an adventurous chamber-jazz sound filled with texture and interaction.
Then we get into **Rob Garcia's Sizzle Ensemble, a new group featuring Garcia on drums with Noah Preminger on tenor saxophone, Shane Endsley on trumpet, Gary Versace on piano/electric piano, and Kim Cass on bass. The album combines Garcia's original compositions with inventive interpretations of music by artists including Thelonious Monk, Marcus Miller, and Herbie Hancock.
Both artists are deeply connected to Connection Works, the Brooklyn artist-run nonprofit they co-direct with pianist/composer Daniel Kelly. The organization has been supporting new jazz and creative music in Brooklyn since 2007.
In this conversation, we explore the creative thinking behind both albums, the Brooklyn jazz community, composition and improvisation, building ensembles, the relationship between structure and freedom, and what it means to create adventurous jazz in 2026.
It's a special dual-album conversation with two important voices in the Brooklyn jazz community—and two musicians who continue to push their music forward through collaboration, curiosity, and fearless creativity.
Get the Albums
Connection Works Records — Michel Gentile & Rob Garcia releases
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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz Interview Series with Washington, DC–based baritone saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Leigh Pilzer.
On this episode, we dive into Leigh's compelling new 2026 album, Keep Holding On, released on Strange Woman Records. The project finds Pilzer exploring intimate trio and quartet settings, creating an environment where composition, improvisation, interaction, phrasing, and musical structure can breathe.
Leigh brings a distinctive compositional philosophy to the record. Rather than simply placing her baritone saxophone within an ensemble, she approaches instrument, composition, arrangement, and collaboration as one unified expressive system.
The result is music where every detail matters—from the shape of a melody and the architecture of an arrangement to the spontaneous interaction between musicians.
In this conversation, Leigh and Joe also explore what it means to create meaningful music in 2026 America, the evolving role of the jazz composer and bandleader, her approach to ensemble design, and the possibility of bringing her music to Kansas City in the near future.
Keep Holding On is a fascinating look at what can happen when composition, musicianship, improvisation, and ensemble chemistry become inseparable.
This is a conversation about the architecture of jazz—and the freedom that can emerge when great musicians know exactly when to follow the structure and when to break away from it.
Leigh Pilzer — Keep Holding On
https://leighpilzer.bandcamp.com/album/keep-holding-on
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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz Interview Series with Jazz Trumpeter & FONT Music Organizer Allison Philips. On this episode, we get deep into the roots, history, mission, and activities surrounding the Festival of New Trumpet Music (FONT Music)—one of the most adventurous and important organizations dedicated to expanding the possibilities of the trumpet in contemporary music.
Now entering its 24th season, FONT Music will take place September 14–20, 2026, with performances and educational events happening across New York City, Brooklyn, Jersey City, and online.
Founded in 2003 by legendary trumpeters Dave Douglas and Roy Campbell Jr., FONT Music has become the world's leading presenter dedicated exclusively to new trumpet music.
The festival brings together artists working across jazz, improvised music, contemporary composition, electronics, experimental music, and cross-disciplinary collaboration, creating a space where musicians can push the trumpet far beyond traditional boundaries.
In this conversation, Allison Philips takes us inside the story of FONT Music, its evolution, its community, and the incredible range of artists helping shape the future of the instrument.
The 2026 festival brings together an international community of established innovators and emerging voices, showcasing the extraordinary diversity of approaches being applied to the trumpet today.
A major centerpiece of this year's festival will be the presentation of the FONT Music Award of Recognition to legendary trumpeter, composer, educator, and cultural visionary Ahmed Abdullah on September 15 at The New School.
FONT Music is about more than a festival. It is about creating a community around experimentation, innovation, education, and the limitless possibilities of one of music's most powerful instruments.
From New York City to the international jazz community, this is a fascinating look at the people and ideas helping push trumpet music into the future.
Everything FONT Music Festival 2026
FONT Music Official Website
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