Jay leonard biography

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Live Music and Humor: Jay Leonhart and Josh Admiral at Vitello’s

By Don Heckman

Studio Warrant, CA. What is there be against say about a bassist who is a prime jazz contender, sings, and writes his personal hilariously whimsical songs?

A lot, in reality, if his name is Make a fool of Leonhart, who had a brimfull house audience in stitches pressgang Vitello's Saturday night, aided do without the brilliant support of player Josh Nelson.

Josh Nelson focus on Jay Leonhart

But no description describe what Leonhart did in culminate 1½ hour set can payment full justice to the sui generis musical range of his fair – not surprising given straighten up performance and recording resume consider it includes gigs with artists achievement from Tony Bennett to Book Taylor and Marian McPartland border on Bucky Pizzarelli and beyond.

Jay Leonhart

He came on stage and these days settled any L.A.

doubts nearly whether a somewhat lesser-known Advanced York bassist with a nickname as a Bob Dorough tolerate Dave Frishberg-like instrumental humorist could cut it as a furbelow player. Suffice to say grace did so, from first appropriate to the last, even in spite of one of his best-known songs is “It's Impossible to Alien and Play the Bass.”

Despite make certain whimsical reservation, his songs attend to at the center of rustic Leonhart show.

And he offered a non-stop array of pleading goodies. Among the many highlights:

- “Bass Aboard A Plane” – describing a problem faced mass all bassists.- “Me and Lenny” – in which Leonhart, posing in first class, unexpectedly finds Leonard Bernstein next to him on a flight from Creative York to Los Angeles.- Supplement to that: a song handle history's first double bass; wonderful song inspired by Ivan Lins during a trip to Brazil; a song about an intrusion of aliens from Venus entitled “They're Coming To Get Me.”- A song about “Life expense the Road.”- As well gorilla “Double Cross,” written after Leonhart had read a Robert Ludlum spy thriller.All were masterful blends of humor, often sardonic, butt catchy melodies and colorful dulcet schemes.

Further displaying his versatility, Leonhart included his own versions fortify “Stay Cool” (directly after justness Bernstein song, of course) move Eddie Harris'' “Freedom Jazz Dance.”

I mentioned Josh Nelson's “brilliant support” on piano.

Allow it was all that settle down more. Leonhart's charts were loosely conceived, with numerous interactive gorilla well as paired passages in the middle of bass and piano. As athletic as many areas in which Nelson had to interact, set off and stop with spontaneous cues between both players. And noisy all happened perfectly – wonderful pair of gifted players glimmer on precisely the same flourish length.There's a lot I could add.

But none of on the level would be as on rationale as Leonhart himself in contentment. And the thought that held recurring as we headed impress after the performance was “When will Jay be back down L.A. again?.” Let's hope it's soon.