Hayes Greenfield Interview | Painting in Sound, Immersive Jazz & Creative Sound

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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Trumpeter Nick Hmeljak on New Album Alive, Open Channel & Kansas City Jazz

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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Acclaimed Pianist Armen Donelian | Inquiry, His 15th Album & a Four-Year Creative Journey

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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The Lost Roy Harris Trombone Symphony Comes to Life | Jim Pugh & Jim Anderson on New American Symphonies

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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Author & Physicist Randy Lyman on Emotional Intelligence, Leadership & 30x Business Growth

Welcome to a new edition of the Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino series. On this episode, we talk with Author, Physicist & Entrepreneur Randy Lyman. 

Most leadership advice focuses on strategy, systems and execution. Randy Lyman explores what can determine whether those strategies actually work: the emotional patterns driving leaders beneath the surface.

Randy helps CEOs, founders and business owners use emotional intelligence as a practical operating system for better decision-making, stronger team dynamics, healthier workplace cultures and sustainable business growth.

His approach is rooted in his own journey. As Randy developed greater emotional awareness and addressed unconscious triggers influencing his decisions, communication and relationships, his companies experienced more than 30x growth.

In this conversation, we explore emotional intelligence, leadership, entrepreneurship, business growth, decision-making, communication, company culture and the often-overlooked emotional forces shaping how leaders operate.

This is a story about looking beneath the traditional formulas for success and understanding how greater emotional awareness can transform the way leaders build companies, relationships and their own lives.

More Randy Lyman:
Randy Lyman – Official Website 

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Author & Developer John Wylie on the Unified Absorption Model, Hypnosis & Lasting Change

Welcome to a new edition of the Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino series. On this episode, we talk with Hypnotherapist, Author & Developer of the Unified Absorption Model John Wylie. John's Unified Absorption Model is a framework for understanding how attention, emotion, identity and automatic patterns shape human experience and change.

Drawing on more than two decades of clinical work, John explores why anxiety, addiction, habits, trauma responses and personal transformation are not simply matters of willpower. His work brings together hypnosis, psychology, neuroscience and real-world behavior change to explore how people become stuck, why insight alone may not be enough, and how lasting change can become possible when attention, emotion, expectation and identity begin working together.

In this conversation, we get into the origins of the Unified Absorption Model, hypnotherapy, the psychology of change, automatic behavior, attention, emotion, identity, anxiety, habits, addiction and the relationship between the conscious and unconscious mind.

From his base in Boise, Idaho, John shares the full story behind his work and his approach to understanding how people can change deeply rooted patterns.

More John Wylie:
The Absorbed Mind – John Wylie 

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Podcaster & Storyteller Amy Boyle on Women's Empowerment, Photography & Finding Your WHY

Welcome to a new edition of the Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino series. On this episode, we talk with Multimedia Journalist & Women's Empowerment Champion Amy Boyle. Based in Chicago, Amy is a photographer, podcast host, educator and storyteller whose work is dedicated to highlighting phenomenal people and the stories behind their accomplishments. She teaches at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, where she earned her MSJ in 2023.

Amy's photography has appeared in more than 200 publications, including The New York Times and Forbes. For more than eight years, she has also hosted Speaking of Phenomenal, now in its sixth season, with listeners in 96 countries and 62 episodes published.

At the heart of every conversation is one question Amy has never stopped asking: What's the WHY behind your WHAT — right now?

In this conversation, we explore Amy's journey through photography, multimedia journalism, podcasting, women's empowerment, education, storytelling and the pursuit of purpose. From her Chicago roots to her work with people around the world, Amy shares the experiences that shaped Speaking of Phenomenal and her approach to finding meaning behind what we do.

We cover the whole ride — creativity, journalism, photography, women's stories, podcasting, purpose and the power of asking better questions.

More Amy Boyle & Speaking of Phenomenal:
Speaking of Phenomenal

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