..." a prime jazz player, who sings, and writes his own hilariously whimsical songs...Jay Leonhart, had a full house audience in stitches... with the unique musical range of his performance..." - The International Review of Music
"Leonhart is the Fred Astaire of jazz a craftsman so seamlessly smooth that casual observers often fail to grasp the immensity of his talent." – Christopher Loudon, JazzTimes
Jay Leonhart, recognized as a highly accomplished bass player for a long time now, has been named the Outstanding Bassist In the Recording Industry three times. At age thirteen, while playing banjo with his brother in a Baltimore Dixieland band, Jay watched and listened to the bass player and knowing that it was the bass he would play forever....
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..." a prime jazz player, who sings, and writes his own hilariously whimsical songs...Jay Leonhart, had a full house audience in stitches... with the unique musical range of his performance..." - The International Review of Music
"Leonhart is the Fred Astaire of jazz a craftsman so seamlessly smooth that casual observers often fail to grasp the immensity of his talent." – Christopher Loudon, JazzTimes
Jay Leonhart, recognized as a highly accomplished bass player for a long time now, has been named the Outstanding Bassist In the Recording Industry three times. At age thirteen, while playing banjo with his brother in a Baltimore Dixieland band, Jay watched and listened to the bass player and knowing that it was the bass he would play forever.
Since, Jay has been privileged to play with Judy Garland, Duke Ellington, Thad Jones, Buddy Rich, Jim Hall, Peggy Lee, Mel Torme, Marian McPartland, Kenny Barron, Sting,m James Taylor, Papa Joe Jones, Roy Eldridge, Jim Hall, Louie Bellson, Dick Hyman, Luciano Pavoratti, and many more.
Over the years, Leonhart has been writing and singing his own individualistic songs about his life as a bass player. He now performs his music worldwide to receptive audiences, such as:
“Bass Aboard A Plane” – describing a problem faced by all bassists.- “Me and Lenny” – in which Leonhart, sitting in first class, unexpectedly finds Leonard Bernstein next to him on a flight from New York to Los Angeles, along with masterful blends of sardonic humor, catchy melodies and colorful harmonic schemes.
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