Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz Interview Series. On this episode, we talk with big band leader, orchestrator, arranger, and film & TV composer Dave Slonaker.

Based in Los Angeles, Dave has built a dynamic career creating music for film, television, and the jazz world. We dive into his 2026 album Shifty Paradigms, a project that showcases his deep understanding of big band arranging and modern composition.

Originally from Pittsburgh, Dave’s journey began with a fascination for big band sounds as a teenager—spending hours at the Carnegie Library studying how the music was constructed from the ground up.

That curiosity evolved into a decades-long career scoring for film and television while continuing to push boundaries in jazz orchestration.

In this conversation, we explore his musical roots, creative process, and the evolving world of composition across jazz and screen.

Dig this insightful interview.

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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.