Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino

Tuesday, September 22, 2026

UK Multi-Instrumentalist & Composer Eddie Parker on Airborn, Rob Luft & a Life in Eclectic Jazz

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with UK-based Jazz Flutist, Multi-Instrumentalist & Composer Eddie Parker.

We dive into his new 2026 album, Airborn, created with acclaimed guitarist Rob Luft, while exploring Eddie's remarkable life and career across the world of music.

Eddie Parker has built a career around curiosity, collaboration, experimentation, and an openness to musical possibilities. Along the way, he has worked with future musical luminaries including Django Bates and became widely recognized for his work in the 1990s with South African piano genius Bheki Mseleku.

He is also a regular member of the Will Gregory Moog Ensemble, while his Debussy Mirrored Ensemble has more recently gained attention for its distinctive compositions and performances.

Eddie describes himself as a qualified “eclectician” — a perfect description for a musician whose influences stretch across genres and generations. From Schoenberg to Santana and far beyond, Eddie explores a vast musical landscape while treating each influence with respect and transforming it through his own unmistakable voice.

In this conversation, we get into Airborn, working with Rob Luft, his collaborations with some of the most adventurous musicians of his generation, the evolution of his sound, the Debussy Mirrored Ensemble, the Will Gregory Moog Ensemble, and a lifetime spent exploring the endless possibilities of music.

Jazz, classical, fusion, electronic music, improvisation, composition, collaboration — Eddie Parker has traveled through it all.

Dig this interview.

Listen to the album:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3PMe9jBKXMLsV3gyaEAuOs

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Monday, September 21, 2026

Guitarist George Grydkovets on Spirit In You, NYC Jazz & His Journey From Ukraine

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Ukraine-born, NYC-based Jazz Guitarist George Grydkovets.

We take a deep dive into his powerful new 2026 album, Spirit In You, and the remarkable journey that has brought him into the heart of the New York jazz scene.

Featuring an all-star band of NYC musicians including John Raymond on trumpet, Ari Hoenig on drums, Ben Tiberio on bass, and Eden Ladin on keyboards, Spirit In You was produced by acclaimed guitarist Gilad Hekselman. The music reflects George's New York experience — the sounds he has heard, the people he has met, and his longing for home — while exploring the profound contrast of building a life in safety as his hometown in Ukraine remains under attack.

Set for release on September 18, 2026, Spirit In You is deeply connected to George's experiences, dreams, identity, and search for a life-affirming spirit through uncertain times.

In this conversation, we talk about his move from Ukraine to America, studying at The New School, the impact of COVID, finding his voice as a jazz guitarist, his dreams for the future, performing live, the making of Spirit In You, and so much more.

From Ukraine to New York City, George Grydkovets' story is one of music, movement, resilience, discovery, and the search for home.

Enjoy this interview with George Grydkovets.

More George:
https://www.facebook.com/GeorgeGrydkovets/

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Consultant, Speaker & Founder TJ Holloway on Leadership, Emotional Intelligence & the MADE System

Welcome to a new edition of the Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino series. On this episode, we talk with Leadership Consultant, Keynote Speaker & Founder of The Holloway Group TJ Holloway.

Over his career, TJ Holloway has helped thousands of leaders and professionals across the United States and Canada build stronger teams, improve communication, and develop the leadership skills needed to create lasting organizational success.

But TJ challenges a common assumption about leadership development: today's organizations may not be suffering from a lack of training — they may be suffering from a lack of development.

While traditional training often focuses on teaching people what to do, TJ focuses on developing the character skills that determine how people actually lead: accountability, emotional intelligence, adaptability, integrity, and self-leadership.

As the creator of the MADE System, TJ gives leaders a practical framework for turning personal growth into stronger leadership, healthier workplace cultures, better communication, and more effective teams.

In this conversation, we get into TJ's whole story — leadership development, organizational culture, emotional intelligence, accountability, adaptability, integrity, self-leadership, communication, personal growth, and why meaningful leadership begins with developing the person behind the position.

What happens when we stop asking, “What leadership training do people need?” and start asking, “Who do they need to become?”

TJ Holloway brings a thoughtful and practical perspective to that question.

Enjoy this interview with TJ Holloway.

More TJ:
https://themadeleader.com/

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Sunday, September 20, 2026

Canadian Guitarist Jeremy Green on In Motion, Jazz Fusion & His Unconventional Musical Journey

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with acclaimed Toronto-based Jazz Guitarist Jeremy Green.

We dive into his new 2026 album, In Motion, a career that started, stopped, and started again, and the many twists and turns that shaped his life in music.

Known for his distinctive blend of jazz, funk, and fusion, Jeremy Green has performed and recorded with acclaimed artists including Mike Stern, Will Lee, and Victor Wooten.

His debut album, Standing Eight, reached #1 on The Roots Music Report Fusion chart, while his original music has earned notable chart success and critical recognition across leading music publications and online platforms.

In this conversation, Jeremy opens up about In Motion, his evolution as a guitarist and composer, the musicians and experiences that shaped his sound, performing with legendary artists, and what it means to return to music after a career that didn't follow a straight line.

From Toronto to stages around the world, we cover the whole ride — jazz guitar, funk, fusion, improvisation, recording, collaboration, career reinvention, and the making of In Motion.

Enjoy this interview with Jeremy Green.

Get the album:
https://jeremygreenguitar.bandcamp.com/album/in-motion

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Author & Lawyer McCracken Poston Jr. on The Zenith Man, Alvin Ridley & Shocking Georgia Case

Welcome to a new edition of the Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino series. On this episode, we talk with Former Georgia Politician, Decorated Criminal Defense Lawyer & Author McCracken King Poston Jr.

Born and raised in Northwest Georgia, Poston served four terms in the Georgia House of Representatives before returning to his legal career. His life and career took an extraordinary turn when he found himself representing Alvin “The Zenith Man” Ridley, a reclusive Ringgold, Georgia television repairman accused of holding his wife captive for decades before her death.

What followed became one of the most unusual criminal cases in Georgia history — and ultimately the story behind Poston’s book, Zenith Man: Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom. Poston’s account explores the case, the people involved, the courtroom battle, and the revelations that challenged what the community thought it knew about Alvin Ridley.

Years after the trial, Ridley was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, adding another layer to a story about misunderstanding, perception, justice, and the ways people can be judged when their lives and behavior don't fit conventional expectations.

In this conversation, we get into the whole story — Poston’s political career, his legal journey, the strange and unforgettable Alvin Ridley case, the courtroom defense, the Ringgold community, the revelations surrounding the case, autism and the legal system, and why this story stayed with Poston long after the trial ended.

It's a remarkable story of crime, law, community, friendship, misunderstanding, and redemption — told by the attorney who was there.

Enjoy this interview with McCracken Poston Jr.

Get the book and more:
https://www.zenithmanbook.com/

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Consultant, Author & Speaker Yolanda Fraction on Joyful Workplaces, Leadership & the Future of Work

Welcome to a new edition of the Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino series. On this episode, we talk with Senior Organization Development Consultant, Speaker & Author of Joyful Workplaces Yolanda Fraction.

With nearly 20 years of experience across education, leadership development, and organization development, Yolanda Fraction helps leaders look beyond surface-level culture fixes and examine something deeper: how work is actually designed.

Through her Joyful Workplace Design framework, Yolanda explores how leaders can create the conditions for people to connect, contribute, and truly thrive at work.

Her approach brings together research, practical experience, organizational development, and a deeply human perspective on leadership and workplace culture. Rather than treating employee engagement and workplace happiness as quick fixes, Yolanda challenges leaders to think differently about the systems, structures, relationships, and experiences that shape the way people work every day.

In this conversation, we get into the whole story — joyful workplaces, organizational culture, leadership development, workplace design, employee experience, organizational change, connection, contribution, and what it really takes to create environments where people can do meaningful work and thrive.

From her base in Baltimore, Yolanda shares her perspective on building healthier and more human workplaces in a changing world.

Connect with Yolanda on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yolanda-fraction/

Visit Yolanda’s Professional Website:
https://yolandafraction.com/

Enter the Joyful Workplaces Kindle Giveaway on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/enter_kindle_giveaway/451483-joyful-workplaces-how-people-and-systems-create-energy-resilience-and

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Professor, Scholar & Founder Dustin Shepherd on Leadership, Trust, Decision-Making & 29 Years in the U.S. Army

Welcome to a new edition of the Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino series. On this episode, we talk with Retired U.S. Army Sergeant Major, Executive Leadership Professor, Scholar & Founder Dustin Shepherd.

After 29 years leading soldiers through complex operational environments and earning 2 Bronze Stars, Dustin Shepherd began a new chapter in higher education, where he teaches executive leadership, studies human behavior, and explores how trust, perception, and decision-making shape individuals and organizations.

As the Founder of Polaris Leadership Academy and Tranquility Ocean Adventures, Dustin is on a mission to make a difference. His work draws from decades of military leadership, combat deployments, executive leadership roles, academic research, and experiences working with trauma survivors and their families.

In this conversation, Dustin challenges the way we think about leadership and organizational problems, exploring why some of the biggest challenges inside organizations may not actually be leadership problems at all.

From his current base in New Mexico — traveling via RV — we get into the whole story: military service, combat leadership, trust, human behavior, decision-making, organizational culture, higher education, trauma, personal transformation, and what comes next.

This is a conversation about leadership shaped by experience — and about taking everything you've learned and finding new ways to use it to make a difference.

Enjoy this interview with Dustin Shepherd.

More Dustin:
https://toa4peace.com/

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