COOL
THE JAY LEONHART TRIO
with Ted Rosenthal and Joe Cohn
“Leonhart is the Fred Astaire
of jazz — a
craftsman so seamlessly smooth that casual observers
often fail to grasp the immensity of his talent.
As a bass player, Leonhart’s in the same
exalted league as his mentor, teacher and musical
hero, Ray Brown. As a vocalist, he remains, much
like Astaire, significantly underappreciated.”
— Christopher Loudon, JazzTimes, November 2003
New York, NY – Sons of Sound proudly announces
the November 16, 2004 release of Cool, a trio recording
led by bassist/vocalist/songwriter Jay
Leonhart and featuring Ted
Rosenthal on piano and Joe Cohn
on guitar.
Jay Leonhart is a national treasure, respected
for his technique on the bass and loved for his
original songs. As the quote in the headline suggests,
he is the successor to Ray Brown in small group
settings like Cool. In his review of Jay’s
2002 outing, Galaxies And
Planets, Harvey Siders
for JazzTimes wrote: “If you could somehow
stuff Dave Frishberg, Mose Allison, Jon Hendricks
and Eddie Jefferson into a blender, out would pour
Jay Leonhart. He contains many of their best ingredients,
yet like each of them he remains a jazz original.”
The Cool repertoire ranges from straight-ahead
bebop to touching ballads (“I Loves You,
Porgy” and “For Real”) to jazz
waltzes (“Shall We Dance” and “Jitterbug
Waltz”) to popular tunes (“If I Only
Had A Brain” and “Nobody Else But Me”).
The music can get a bit hotter than the title suggests:
With technique to burn, the Trio executes high-speed
lines on “Take Four,” “Bop Kick,” and “You
And Me.” Each tune on Cool was arranged
specifically for the trio, often reharmonizing
the classics (Ellington’s “C Jam Blues”).
Joe Cohn provides arrangements of three of his
father’s compositions: “Take Four,” “Two
Funky People,” and “You And Me.” In
addition to “For Real,” Mr. Leonhart
contributes “My Bluebird,” his lyrics
set to the Tommy Flanagan composition "Beyond
The Bluebird, written in collaboration with the
famed pianist. Jay wrote a much-loved tune about
flying across county seated next to Leon"ard
Bernstein. The popularity of this song, entitled “Me
And Lenny,” led Mr. Leonhart to pay proper
tribute to the composer by adding “Cool” as
the title track.
Pianist Ted Rosenthal first achieved recognition
by winning first prize in the second annual Thelonious
Monk International Jazz Piano Competition. He toured
and recorded with the Gerry Mulligan Quartet and,
after Mulligan’s death, he was pianist/musical
director of the Grammy nominated Gerry Mulligan
All-Star Tribute Band, featuring Bob Brookmeyer,
Lee Konitz, Randy Brecker and Nick Brignola. Since
that time, he has also performed with Art Farmer,
Phil Woods, Jon Faddis, Benny Golson, and James
Moody.
Described in JazzTimes as “a brilliant musician… one
of the really great ones,” guitarist Joe
Cohn is the talented son of famed tenor saxophonist
Al Cohn, with whom Mr. Leonhart also crossed paths
earlier in his career. Joe has worked with his
father and Zoot Sims, and from 1982 to 1988 was
with the Artie Shaw Orchestra. He has recorded
with Buddy DeFranco, Dave McKenna, Al Grey, Frank
Wess, and Harry Allen, among others.
Cool is Mr. Leonhart’s third CD as a leader
for Sons of Sound. The first, Galaxies
And Planets (1999), features the artist singing his own compositions,
representing one significant facet of his career
as an entertainer. The second, Rodgers & Leonhart (2002) documents Mr. Leonhart’s take on the
American Songbook, developed in tribute to the
centenial of the birth of composer Richard Rodgers.
Cool showcases the bassist in perhaps his favorite
setting, a straight-ahead, small group session
with emphasis on improvisation and arrangement.
Mr. Leonhart is a frequent live performer, having
just completed a week in New York City on a double
bill with Dave Frishberg at Birdland in New York
City, where he will return with the Trio in support
of Cool in 2005. In addition to his work with the
Trio, Mr. Leonhart often performs as a solo artist.
The current version of his one-man show is entitled “The
Bass Lesson.”
Sons of Sound is an independent jazz label founded
in 1997 to support musicians who are active in
music education. Mr. Leonhart is a frequent guest
in schools and leader of master classes. He is
also an annual participant in Swing ‘N Jazz,
a three-day celebration of music education with
workshops, concerts, and a fund-raising golf tournament
for the benefit of The
Commission Project, a music
education nonprofit based in Rochester, NY.
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CDs, full press kits, color and b&w jpgs available
upon request.
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