Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz Interview Series featuring NYC-based Russian-Canadian jazz pianist Maria Kaushansky. In this episode, we dive into her debut 2025 album, Northbound to Finch, an instrumental jazz release made up entirely of original compositions and inspired by her life in Toronto, Canada. The album takes its name from “Finch,” her former home subway station, and features her deeply expressive trio with Paul Gill on bass and the late Anthony Pinciotti on drums, adding emotional depth and resonance to the project.

Classically trained and rich in nuance, Maria blends elegance, emotion, and intention into a sound that feels both grounded and exploratory. Beyond the jazz stage, she brings her unique musical voice into the ballet studio, having spent nearly two decades accompanying ballet classes across Canada and the United States. This rare sensitivity to movement, mood, and dynamics informs every note she plays. It’s a thoughtful, inspiring conversation with a rising voice in contemporary jazz. Dig this interview.

Get the album: https://mariakaushansky.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.