Neon Jazz Interviews

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Drummer Robert Jospé. On this episode, we get into his new 2026 album, The Night Sky, and a decorated career in the world of jazz.
Born in Manhattan to Belgian parents with a deep love of music, Robert began playing drums at fourteen and had his first professional performance in France at just sixteen. He went on to study with legendary drummers Tony Williams and Bob Moses, developing a career that has taken him across the worlds of jazz performance, recording and education.
Over the years, Robert Jospé has performed and recorded with an extraordinary group of artists, including Michael Brecker, Dave Liebman, John Scofield, John Abercrombie, Bobby McFerrin, Pat Metheny, Cyrus Chestnut, Emily Remler, Stanley Jordan and Joe Henderson.
In this conversation, we explore The Night Sky, Robert's early musical journey, studying with Tony Williams and Bob Moses, decades of gigs and recordings, teaching, improvisation, collaboration and the life of a working jazz drummer.
It's a deep dive into the music, experiences and stories behind a remarkable jazz career.
Dig this interview.
Get The Night Sky and more from Robert Jospé:
Robert Jospé – The Night Sky
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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Kansas City-based jazz trumpeter and composer Nick Hmeljak. Nick is preparing to release his upcoming 2026 album, Alive, with his band Open Channel — a Kansas City collective he formed in 2024 to explore original music and standards through the wide-open lens of jazz, R&B and rock.
With a rotating lineup featuring vibraphone, guitar, synths, trumpet, bass and drums, Open Channel is constantly shifting textures, instrumentation and group dynamics to create something fresh every time they hit the stage.
A Charlotte Street Resident, Nick has become an active part of the Kansas City music scene, performing not only as a jazz trumpeter and composer, but also as a sideman in R&B, Cumbia, musical theater and party bands. He also shares his knowledge through masterclasses, clinics and private lessons with local high school music programs.
In this conversation, we get into the story behind Alive, the formation and evolution of Open Channel, Nick's life in Kansas City jazz, his work across different musical worlds, education, performance and the creative journey that continues to shape his sound.
It's a conversation about Kansas City jazz, jazz trumpet, original music, improvisation, Open Channel, R&B, composition, music education and the next generation of jazz artists.
More Nick Hmeljak & get the music:
Nick Hmeljak Official Website
Nick Hmeljak Music – HearNow
Nick Hmeljak on Instagram
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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with jazz musician, composer, educator and founder of Creative Sound Play, Hayes Greenfield. We dig into his third release for Sunnyside Records, Painting in Sound, and the fascinating journey that has taken Hayes through the worlds of jazz, composition, education, improvisation and electroacoustic music.
With Painting in Sound, Hayes Greenfield expands the possibilities of what jazz — and binaural, spatially immersive music — can be. Drawing on decades of experience in traditional jazz and improvisation, he creates a deeply exploratory recording where sound becomes something you don't simply hear, but experience.
The project blurs the boundary between performance and environment, creating an intimate sonic space where every gesture, texture and movement feels alive. Architecturally precise yet emotionally resonant, Painting in Sound offers a fresh perspective on the recorded jazz experience and pushes the music into bold new perceptual dimensions.
In this wide-ranging Neon Jazz conversation, we explore the making of Painting in Sound, Hayes' evolution as a musician and composer, his work as an educator, the philosophy behind Creative Sound Play, electroacoustic music, immersive listening, improvisation and the many chapters of his remarkable musical journey.
It's a conversation about sound, creativity, education and what happens when an artist starts asking us to experience jazz in an entirely different way.
🎧 Get Painting in Sound:
https://sunnysiderecords.bandcamp.com/album/painting-in-sound
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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with acclaimed jazz pianist and composer Armen Donelian, discussing his remarkable 2026 album Inquiry. With Inquiry, Donelian takes another bold creative step on his 15th album, released by Sunnyside Records. The project is the result of a four-year studio process that was carefully conceived, patiently developed and painstakingly executed — ultimately becoming one of the most distinctive and introspective recordings of his long career.
The story behind the album is just as fascinating as the music.
Inquiry began as a series of unaccompanied demo recordings featuring Donelian's newest compositions and arrangements. From that stripped-down beginning, the project continued to evolve, transforming into a haunting and deeply reflective work with little precedent in his extensive body of music.
In this wide-ranging Neon Jazz conversation, we get into the making of Inquiry, the evolution of the project from its original demos, Donelian's creative process, composition, arranging, recording and the many ideas that shaped this extraordinary new chapter.
It's a conversation about patience, experimentation, artistic evolution and what can happen when a musician gives an idea the time and space it needs to become something much larger.
🎹 Get Armen Donelian's Inquiry:
https://armendonelian.bandcamp.com/album/inquiry
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Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with GRAMMY-winning Engineer & Producer Jim Anderson and Distinguished Trombonist, Composer & Educator Jim Pugh on New American Symphonies. We get into their work on this remarkable project, which reunites two old friends and brings a long-abandoned piece of American musical history back to life.
New American Symphonies features the first-ever recording of Roy Harris's long-lost Trombone Symphony, a major work written for legendary trombonist and bandleader Tommy Dorsey in 1938. The piece was abandoned after a single rehearsal and remained unheard for nearly 90 years.
Decades later, Jim Pugh discovered the missing work in the Library of Congress and reconstructed the score for this recording, giving Roy Harris's Trombone Symphony a new life through a remarkable modern recording.
Jim Anderson brings his extraordinary experience as a GRAMMY-winning engineer and producer to the project, while Pugh's decades as a trombonist, composer and educator provide a unique connection to the music. Pugh's career includes more than 4,000 recording sessions with artists including Steely Dan, Yo-Yo Ma, Philip Glass, Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd and Frank Sinatra.
In this conversation, we explore the story behind New American Symphonies, Roy Harris, Tommy Dorsey, the discovery and reconstruction of the Trombone Symphony, recording technology, orchestral music, jazz, trombone and the extraordinary process of bringing forgotten American music back into the world.
We cover the whole project and so much more.
Enjoy this interview.
Listen to New American Symphonies:
Listen to the album
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