We need to talk about Michael ….

Michael Leonhart that is. The charming composer, arranger, conductor, producer and multi-instrumentalist has been making waves for a while now, but lately his work has become unavoidable for its sheer quality and meaningfulness.

March 3^rd saw the release of the Michael Leonhart & JSWISS collaboration ‘Bona Fide’, resulting from working together since 2019, when Michael needed a rapper for a performance of his orchestra at the jazz club Jazz Standard. All instruments on the album are played by Michael Leonhart, with guest appearances by Nick Movshon, Homer Steinweiss (drums); Chris Bullock (alto sax & flute); Keyon Harrold (trumpet); Bill Frisell (guitar) and Elizabeth Pupo Walker (congas). JSWISS handles all lyrical and vocal duties, covering a variety of topics including love, Black excellence and four songs inspired by themes from Paulo Coelho’s book “Manuscript Found In Accra”. The only samples to be heard on the recording are from the forthcoming new Michael Leonhart Orchestra album ‘The Normyn Suites’. The recording starts with the powerful ‘The Chase’, which sets the tone for the album: hard grooves, powerful rap vocals, spare but effective big band samples plus some jazzy soli and background sounds. JSWISS is a great storyteller, with a sense for groove and melody that makes his performance extremely musical. Trumpeter Keyon Harrold is simply amazing on that first track. On ‘Blackout’ JSWISS delivers great lyrics over a sublime arrangement by Leonhart, supporting the message and driving the song with musical simplicity. The title track is a melodic rap tune that sticks to your head for a while. And so it goes on: one strong track after the other, no fillers, strong words about life’s tough situations and the beauty of love, laid over sound beds of extreme effectiveness and modernity. Other outstanding tracks are ‘Golden’, ‘What’s Love’, ‘Elegance’ and ‘Make Room’. Leonhart makes it sound easy to include jazz into the world of rap and makes it sound as if they always belonged together. This is probably one of the best and most congruent efforts, to musically combine the two genres. It is modern and cool, and will appeal to fans of both genres. This is playing on my stereo for a while now and I can’t get enough! Check this out!

Michael will release on March 25^th the third Michael Leonhart Orchestra album, entitled ‘The Normyn Suites’, “a requiem and celebration, inspired by the life and death of the bandleader’s 15-year-old dog, a female mini dachshund named Normyn”. The recording is featuring the following soloists and guests – Elvis Costello: vocals; Joshua Redman: tenor saxophone; JSWISS: rap; Bill Frisell: guitar; Jim Pugh: trombone: Walt Weiskopf: tenor saxophone; Nels Cline: guitar; Michael Leonhart: trumpet; Larry Goldings: Hammond B3 Organ; Chris Potter: bass clarinet and Donny McCaslin: tenor saxophone and starts with the groovy ‘Shut Him Down’, co-written by Leonhart with Elvis Costello, Julian Caldwell, Luke O’Malley and featuring Joshua Redman. A second version of that song follows the second ‘Normyn Suite’ and features Chris Potter on bass clarinet. Hard to say which version is better, as both instrumentalists are truly amazing and play flowing and glowing soli. The first ‘Normyn Suite’ features beside the orchestra a choir and expresses through its five parts the human way of dealing with loss and mourning. Leonhart’s compositions and arrangements and his choices of soloists for each track, give the music the depth and emotion sought by its creator. This first suite was inspired by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and her 1969 book ‘On Death and Dying’ and has moments of incredible beauty in sound. Between the two powerful and emotional suites sits another song, ‘Radio Is Everything’ co-written with Elvis Costello, Bill Frisell and Nels Cline and featuring all three as well to impressive effects. The second suite features six compositions and is taking the listener on a journey through the sonic world of Michael Leonhart – laying bare emotions of love and loss through deeply felt soundscapes and outstanding individual contributions by Larry Goldings and Bill Frisell. Leonhart has the full history of big band jazz at his proposal and uses the tradition well to move forward into the now and new. ‘Newspaper Pane’, another Leonhart, Costello and Frisell co-work closes the strong album with another powerful song of top quality. A record that got everything: great songs with stunning vocals by Costello; powerful compositions with outstanding performances by a very unique orchestra and touching beauty and emotions in the way the music is conceived and performed. And then there are the two bonus tracks: ‘Kenny Dorham’ and ‘Wayne Shorter’, composed as tributes to these two jazz masters and performed by the Michael Leonhart Organ Quartet featuring Donny McCaslin. These are cool and swinging jazz pieces, revoking the spirit of the musician they are dedicated to and are showing once more what a great composer Leonhart is. This is a timeless recording I can’t recommend enough. Stunning!!!!

Ron Miles, 1963 – 2022

American trumpeter and cornetist Miles was a unique voice in today’s jazz world, making his first steps as a leader around 1990, when his debut album ‘Witness’ was released, featuring among others the wonderful pianist Art Lande. I first discovered Ron Miles through his amazing 1997 album ‘Woman’s Day’, featuring Bill Frisell and having been produced by Hans Wendl, who later would be his manager as well as producer. Frisell was one artist Ron would go on to work with for many years, after their first encounter, culminating in the two fabulous trio recordings ‘Quiver’ and ‘Circuit Rider’, featuring as well drummer Brian Blade. I had the pleasure of seeing Ron Miles many times in the last decades, outstanding his performances with Bill Frisell, Madeleine Peyroux, whose songs he gave depth and a jazzy feeling and the group Still Dreaming. This band, founded by Joshua Redman to celebrate the group Old And New Dreams his father Dewey was part of, featured as well Scott Coley on bass and Blade on drums. I saw them twice, once in New York and once at North Sea Jazz and loved their free but controlled interplay and musicality. With ‘I Am A Man’, 2017 and 2020’s ‘Rainbow Sign’ Miles delivered two final recordings that will stand the test of time, for his beautiful playing and his outstanding compositions. May he Rest In Peace.

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

For a few days I didn’t find any words within me to express my shock and anger about the Russian invasion of the Ukraine. A war in Europe in 2022? Hadn’t we really not learned our history lessons?? How easy history can repeat itself – it just needs one man to bring the world close to a devastating third world war. The dream of rebuilding a powerful Soviet Union, of not only having access to the natural resources of Russia, but as well to control distribution to Europe completely, could destroy our world.

The reaction of the West had been hesitating for a few days, but now there stands a united Europe, ready to sanction the aggressor, even if these sanctions will be felt at home as well. While the people of Ukraine are fighting for their lives and independence, Europe, the UK, US and others are fighting an economical war with Russia, hoping to hit the economy hard enough for Putin to re-think his actions. For that to happen, they all might need to go a few steps further ….

Will Russia, as threatened, use nuclear bombs to retaliate to this economic ‘aggression’ of the West? Who knows how far they will go in the end, if the world isn’t standing united against any invasions from any military power? India, who has good political relations with Russia and the West, is trying a balance act, that will fail in the end, as in a situation like this, one has to take a side. China is holding back, not condemning the invasion. Maybe they just watch to see what the world would do in case they move for Taiwan ….

“WAR: what is it good for? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!”  These words are from the song ‘War’, penned in 1969 by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong and released as a single with singer Edwin Starr in 1970 and it became the most famous and successful protest song ever. Time to play it again and again and again ….

I have immense respect for the people of Russia who go out to demonstrate against the war their leader started, even so if it could mean to be arrested for expressing their anger. School kids and elderly people are among the around 6000 imprisoned for demonstrating for peace. And I have a lot of respect for the people around the world who take in the ones fleeing the war in their country – above all the people of Poland who opened their borders and hearts to help in an unprecedented way. 

Let’s all do what we can: donate, demonstrate, talk to each other and help in any way possible. Let’s forget the ‘Me’ for a while and think ‘Us’, as in human beings.

Love, Peace and Happiness to all of us.