USA: Jay Leonhart-Joy (2019)

The great Jay Leonhart has always shown a deft touch on his instrument, the double bass. It would be fair to say that he is equally skilled at turning a phrase. Leonhart’s storytelling in word and low tones is sure to delight on his new recording, Joy, a wonderful collection of jazz-inflected art songs.

Beginning his musical explorations as a teenage trad jazz player in Baltimore, Leonhart was immediately attracted to the music and the upright bass soon after. He attended The Peabody Institute, The Berklee School of Music and The Advanced School of Contemporary Music in Toronto before turning professional and settling in New York at 21 years old.

Leonhart’s path led him to associations with many of jazz’s greats, including Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, Gerry Mulligan, Tony Bennett and Jim Hall. In the early 1980s, Leonhart began his affiliation with Sunnyside Records, releasing There’s Gonna Be Trouble (1984) and The Double Cross (1988). These prodigiously playful recordings are still touchstones in Leonhart’s discography.