Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series. On this episode, we catch up with Pennsylvania-based acclaimed jazz guitarist Jon Fadem to talk about his new 2025 album Thankful—his long-awaited solo debut and a deeply personal instrumental project.

Created during the pandemic, Thankful came together after Jon combed through a collection of old phones, rediscovering musical ideas he’d been shaping for years. Those fragments became a cohesive, all-original album of guitar-forward instrumental music, telling a personal life story without words.

The songs move freely across genres, blending jazz, rock, soul, and groove, with echoes of Jeff Beck, Stevie Wonder, George Benson, Jerry Garcia, Jimi Hendrix, and Steely Dan. It’s a record that reflects a veteran musician who has spent years honing his craft, now stepping forward with a clear, confident artistic voice. 

We dig into the making of Thankful, Jon’s influences, his career journey, and what it means to finally release a solo statement that feels both reflective and forward-looking.

🎶 Get the album Thankful:
https://jon-fadem.bandcamp.com/

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Joe Dimino Podcaster/Artist

Joe Dimino has been writing & creating in a variety of capacities since his college days at the University of Missouri-Kansas City somewhere around 1993. If you are keeping score, that would be about 29 years+. It all began at UMKCs University News as a Sports Writer & turned into a myriad of expressive avenues. Inventing poems, art, video & audio has always been in the proverbial cards.