Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino

Saturday, July 25, 2026

Machan Taylor Interview | Naked Out Loud, Sting, Pink Floyd, Glenn Miller Orchestra & More

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz Interview Series featuring acclaimed vocalist, recording artist, composer, educator, performer, and author Machan Taylor.

We caught up with Machan from her home in Upstate New York to discuss her powerful new memoir, Naked Out Loud, and her extraordinary journey through the worlds of jazz, rock, pop, and television.

Machan Taylor has enjoyed one of the most remarkable careers in modern music. Her unmistakable voice has been featured on recordings and live performances with some of the world's biggest artists. She has toured with Sting and performed on stadium tours with Pink Floyd, Foreigner, and Pat Benatar, while also sharing the stage with legends including Aretha Franklin, George Benson, Billy Joel, Bobby Caldwell, Natalie Merchant, and Gov't Mule.

Television audiences have seen her perform on Saturday Night Live, Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Conan, The Arsenio Hall Show, and many other national broadcasts.

Her musical journey began at just 16 years old, performing in coffeehouses and nightclubs before becoming co-leader of the swing and bebop group Za Zu Zaz. In 1979, she moved to New York City and landed a featured vocalist role with the legendary Glenn Miller Orchestra, launching an international performing and recording career that has spanned decades.

She also spent three years as the lead vocalist for the acclaimed jazz ensemble Hiroshima, further showcasing her versatility across jazz, fusion, and contemporary music.

This is a fascinating conversation with an artist whose voice has helped define countless performances across genres and generations.

Learn more about Machan Taylor and order her book:

Official Website: https://www.machantaylor.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MachanTaylorOfficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/machantaylorofficial/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/machantaylor/

If you enjoy interviews with jazz legends, vocalists, musicians, composers, and creative artists, please subscribe, like, and share for more exclusive conversations from Neon Jazz.

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Lolita Guarin Interview | The CALM Process, Stress Management & Overcoming Burnout

Welcome to a new edition of the Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino series. On this episode, we talk with Lolita Guarin—stress management expert, bestselling author, Story to IMPACT mentor, keynote speaker, and creator of The CALM Process, a transformative framework that helps people move beyond stress, burnout, and self-doubt into clarity, confidence, resilience, and lasting well-being.

Lolita's work is rooted in lived experience. As an immigrant rebuilding her life and career in a new country, she carried the constant pressure to prove herself, overperform, and keep pushing forward. Like so many high-achieving professionals, she believed stress was simply the price of success.

Everything changed after a serious health crisis forced her to rethink what she believed about achievement, resilience, and self-care. She realized that much of what she had called "stress management" was actually trauma-driven survival—a cycle of overfunctioning, self-neglect, perfectionism, and constant pressure.

Today, through The CALM Process, Lolita empowers individuals and organizations to recognize unhealthy patterns, build emotional resilience, and create healthier, more sustainable success.

Whether you're a leader, entrepreneur, professional, or someone looking to improve your mental wellness, Lolita shares practical tools and powerful insights that can help you live and lead with greater balance and purpose.

Learn more about Lolita Guarin:
https://www.beamazingyou.com/

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Zahra Antaramian Interview | Real Estate, Construction Leadership & Building a Family Legacy

Welcome to a new edition of the Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino series. On this episode, we talk with Zahra Antaramian—construction executive, real estate leader, entrepreneur, and founder of a second-generation real estate services firm built on resilience, leadership, and family legacy.

After the unexpected loss of her father, a highly respected real estate developer in South Florida and Massachusetts, Zahra found herself stepping into the world of construction and commercial real estate at just 20 years old. Rather than walking away from the family business, she embraced the challenge, launched her first company, earned her contractor's license, and partnered with her father's original business associates to build a thriving second-generation enterprise while forging her own reputation in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

Today, her firm provides a wide range of services, including construction management, owner's representation, litigation support, construction consulting, and property management. Collectively, her team has helped construct, develop, manage, and operate billions of dollars in real estate assets throughout the United States.

From her base in Florida, Zahra shares powerful lessons about leadership, perseverance, business growth, and honoring the past while building the future.

Learn more about Zahra Antaramian and ADG Companies:
https://www.adg4companies.com/

If you enjoy interviews with entrepreneurs, business leaders, real estate professionals, innovators, and inspiring founders, please subscribe, like, and share for more episodes of Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino.

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Byron Athene Interview | Find Your Path to Resilience | Emotional Strength, Mindset & Mental Wellness

Welcome to a new edition of the Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino series. On this episode, we welcome back mindset and emotions mastery therapist Byron Athene, who first joined us in 2023, to discuss his powerful 2025 book, Find Your Path to Resilience: Powerful Techniques to Build Emotional Strength, along with a new resilience equation he developed to help people better understand and navigate life's challenges.

In this practical and inspiring guide, Byron explains how emotional resilience isn't something you're born with—it's a skill that can be developed through intentional habits, mindfulness, and a new way of thinking. Drawing on years of therapeutic experience and emotional mastery techniques, he shares actionable strategies for transforming adversity into personal growth and lasting inner strength.

Whether you're facing stress, uncertainty, personal setbacks, or simply want to improve your mental well-being, Byron offers a roadmap to becoming more emotionally resilient and living with greater purpose and confidence.

This is an insightful conversation filled with practical wisdom for anyone seeking greater emotional balance, resilience, and personal transformation.

Learn more about Byron Athene and his work:
https://www.byronathene.com/

Get the book:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1836006977?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

If you enjoy interviews with authors, therapists, mindset experts, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders, please subscribe, like, and share for more episodes of Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino.

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Stacy Carlson Interview | The Gyre Award-Winning Historical Novel, Mt. St. Helens & The Writer's Journey

Welcome to a new edition of the Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino series. On this episode, we talk with award-winning novelist and writer Stacy Carlson, author of the acclaimed historical novel The Gyre, winner of the 2025 Electric Book Award and the 2026 IndieReader Discovery Award for Historical Fiction.

Stacy takes us inside the inspiration behind The Gyre, a powerful novel that has earned critical recognition for its compelling storytelling, rich historical detail, and emotional depth. We also explore her lifelong relationship with music, the creative process, and the experiences that shaped her voice as a writer.

Her essays and fiction have appeared in respected literary publications including Tin House, Novus Literary & Arts Journal, Post Road, Inkwell, and Sparkle+Blink, among others. She has also received prestigious fellowships from organizations including The Mesa Refuge and The Community of Writers.

Growing up in Seattle, spending many years in Oakland, California, and now living in Minneapolis, Stacy brings a unique perspective to her writing. One of the defining moments of her life came in 1980, when she was just 35 miles from Mount St. Helens during its historic eruption—an experience she credits as the catalyst for becoming a writer.

Beyond fiction, Stacy maintains a successful editorial freelance practice and serves as the Education Program Manager for the Women's Environmental Institute, blending storytelling, education, and environmental awareness in her professional life.

This is an engaging conversation about creativity, resilience, literature, and the experiences that shape great storytelling.

Learn more about Stacy Carlson and The Gyre:
https://stacycarlson.com/the-gyre

If you enjoy interviews with authors, novelists, artists, and creative thinkers, please subscribe, like, and share for more episodes of Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino.

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Thursday, July 23, 2026

Ruthie Dineen & Andrew Lion Interview | Cycles I (2026) | Negative Press Project & Friction Quartet

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz Interview Series featuring pianist/composer Ruthie Dineen and bassist/composer Andrew Lion, the creative forces behind Negative Press Project.

In this episode, we reconnect with Ruthie and Andrew—whom we first interviewed back in 2018—to discuss their ambitious new 2026 album, Cycles I, created in collaboration with the acclaimed Friction Quartet. The project marks the fifth album from Negative Press Project and expands their musical vision into a stunning chamber-jazz experience that blends post-bop jazz, postmodern classical music, and fearless contemporary composition.

Andrew joins us from Bend, Oregon, while Ruthie checks in from California's East Bay. Together, they discuss the creative process behind Cycles I, surviving the COVID era, composing in America today, and continuing to evolve as artists in an ever-changing musical landscape.

The result is a bold, cinematic recording that balances sophisticated composition with improvisational freedom, making it both the group's most adventurous and most accessible release to date.

Enjoy this fascinating conversation with two outstanding composers and innovators.

Get the album:
https://negativepressproject.bandcamp.com/album/cycles-i

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Ted Rosenthal Interview | Trios in 4 Acts | Four Jazz Albums, Piano Trio & Improvisation

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz Interview Series featuring acclaimed New York City jazz pianist, composer, educator, and arranger Ted Rosenthal.

A longtime friend of Neon Jazz, Ted returns to discuss one of the most ambitious projects of his career—his remarkable four-album collection, Trios in 4 Acts. In this conversation, we take a deeper dive into the inspiration behind the complete series and the artistry that connects each recording.

The collection concludes with The Good Old Days, following the acclaimed releases:

High Standards
The Ted Rosenthal Songbook
Classics Reimagined: Impromptu
The Good Old Days

Together, these recordings celebrate Ted's lifelong passion for jazz piano, the piano trio tradition, American standards, original compositions, and the endless possibilities of improvisation. Each album offers a unique perspective while honoring the rich legacy of jazz.

Ted Rosenthal continues to be one of today's most respected jazz pianists, blending virtuosity, creativity, and deep musical tradition into every performance.

Learn more about Ted Rosenthal:
https://www.tedrosenthal.com/

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