Роб Диксон выпустил новый альбом «Naptown Soul», посвященный джазовой истории Индианаполиса

If you've ever heard Indianapolis-based musician Rob Dixon performing late Monday nights at the Chatterbox or Tuesdays at The Mousetrap, you're among the lucky few to hear his recent original compositions. It's about to get much easier to access Dixon's artistry with the late summer release of his new album Naptown Soul. Here's a brief interview with The Mayor, who is also the artistic director of Indy Jazz Fest (scheduled Sept 22-26). NUVO: Rob, how long has this album been in the works? Can you share some of its themes and inspirations? Rob Dixon: We recorded this, I think it was, the last weekend in January. And I had an idea for the originals that I wanted to play. The concept was to take some tunes from Wes Montgomery, and then do some of the music that might have been in the vein of when he was with A&M Records. So we could do an old soul jazz record or jazz soul record, because that was taking a page out of Wes Montgomery. It's a tip of the hat to Indiana Avenue, to Naptown in that sense. I wrote some originals in that style. Outside of doing two Wes (tunes), "Bumping on Sunset" and "Naptown Blues," we do Marvin Gaye's "I Want You" and The Blackbird's, "Walking in Rhythm." It's a fun album to listen to. NUVO: Who's in your band? Dixon: Dave Stryker on guitar, and he actually helped out with the arrangement of "I Want You" and co-produced the record with me. It's on his label, Strike Zone Records. Dave Stryker is an internationally known guitarist; you know, played with Stanley Turrentine for years and many others. We have Sam Fribush, a rising star on the Hammond B3 organ. Of course, we have Naptown's own, the one and only Mr. Richard Sleepy Floyd on the drums. NUVO: Are you hoping people will discover more to listen to and enjoy, like Wes Montgomery and Freddie Hubbard? How are they relevant in 2026? Dixon: They're relevant because I want to bring more attention to Indianapolis and the continuation of what's happening in this new scene and this new legacy. They're relevant in the fact that they've influenced a lot of musicians today. And we're carrying the torch of music from the foundation that they laid. This is what that record's about, Naptown Soul. Definitely brings attention to Indianapolis and what's happening here. Following in their footsteps, so to speak. Note: To hear some tracks from the new album, listen to "The Jazz State of Indiana," airing Thursday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at noon on WETF-FM and http://jazzradiowetf.org/ Leslie Lynnton Fuller, aka @IndyJazzBelle, is a professional member of the Jazz Journalists Association, the Blues Foundation, and the Society of Professional Journalists.