Joey DeFrancesco, Alexis Cole, Mark Isham, Stella Heath & Ken Lovern

It's an honor to kick off the 981st Episode of Neon Jazz with Kansas City's own acclaimed organist Ken Lovern and his ambitious new project, Blind Boone! We open with "Boone Plays It Back," a musical journey that reaches beyond the album into the pages of a comic book and onto the stage in a production planned for the latter part of 2026. It's a bold celebration of music, history, and storytelling you won't want to miss. From there, we hear the voices and stories behind the music with interview features from Stella Heath, Mark Isham, and Jennifer Madsen. In between, we dig into a fresh wave of modern jazz from Marlon Simon, Jocelyn Gould, Clay Giberson, Diego Figueiredo, Alexis Cole, and Zeiu Zheng—a vibrant mix of sounds and styles keeping the music moving forward. And to bring it all home, we turn up the heat with the mighty Joe DeFrancesco, captured live at Keystone Korner before his untimely passing in 2022. A powerful reminder of the fire, soul, and spirit he brought to every performance. From Kansas City roots to adventurous new sounds and a treasured live performance, this hour has plenty to savor. Dig this hour of jazz, my friends.

Playlist

• Ken Lovern "Boone Plays it Back" Blind Boone—The Musical Soundtrack (Ken Lovern) 0:00
• Host talks 3:09
• Marlon Simon And The Nagual Spirits "Walking" Resistencia! (Stay Black Records) 6:08
• Mark Isham "At The Carousel Club" At The Carousel Club (E-Tones Records) 8:41
• Host talks 14:12
• Jocelyn Gould "Cakewalk" So Delighted (La Reserve Records) 15:31
• Stella Heath "Swing Brother Swing" For Billieem> (Matterhorn Records) 20:16
• Host talks 23:44
• Burgamy-Hancock New Originators "Sensation Rag" Down in Honky Tonk Town (Turtle Bay Records) 24:51
• Clay Giberson "First Song" Moment's Notice (Clay Giberson) 27:25
• Host talks 32:30
• Diego Figueiredo "Clown" Horse Blues (Arbors Records) 33:10
• Jennifer Madsen "Girl Talk" Girl Talk (Grand Central Artists) 35:22
• Host talks 39:56
• Alexis Cole "Momentary Lapse" Taking my Seat—A Musical Inheritance (Alexis Cole) 41:21
• Zeju Zheng Trio "At the Corner" A Mind in Motion (Shifting Paradigm Records) 44:57
• Host talks 52:19
• Joey DeFrancesco "Roll With It" Live at Keystone Korner (Mack Avenue Records) 53:22