Arlee Leonard profile picture

Arlee Leonard

LIFE IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

About Me


ARLEE LEONARD - VOCALIST, POET, SONGWRITER, PRODUCER, WRITER
"ARLEE LEONARD IS A COOL JAZZ DYNAMO WHO LEAVES AUDIENCES SIMMERING with her sultry and sophisticated jazz. If you are wondering about her technique to connect with an audience, Leonard explains it this way: "I sing from my heart and really try to touch people in theirs." - Michael Farrar, 2THEADVOCATE.COM profile, 4/1/08To READ THE REST OF THIS NEW ONLINE PRESS PROFILE please visit: http://www.2theadvocate.com/entertainment/17207571.html?inde x=1&c=y
"SINGER ARLEE LEONARD DISPLAYED A LUSTROUS VOICE AND IMPRESSIVE RANGE DURING HER SET, her “Time Keeps Slipping into the Future” serving as a platform for her appeal to politicians to make good on promises to help displaced Orleanians (more than 200,000 of whom are still living elsewhere) get onto the road home. “We need all our people back to keep growing the next generations of Louis Armstrongs,” she said." - Sandy Ingham, www.ALLABOUTJAZZ.com, Review of New Orleans' SATCHMO SUMMERFEST, 8/17/07
From Singapore's THE NEW PAPER Friday Shortlist of Happenings, 8/4/06: "CATCH NEW YORKER ARLEE LEONARD BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE. SHE HAS TRAVELLED EXTENSIVELY AROUND THE WORLD AND CHARMED AUDIENCES WITH HER FOUR-OCTAVE RANGE. HER RENDITION OF JAZZ FAVOURITES INCOPORATES LOW CARESSES, RHYTHMIC EXPLOSIONS, SOULFUL GROOVES AND MUCH MORE."
I decided to put MY OFFICIAL BIO IN A BLOG ABOVE, so you business folks can find it there. A bit about me, I've been singing and performing all of my life and I love it! The stage is my home, a place from which I have always enjoyed the vibe, the view, and thankfully, the reviews! I've loved jazz vocals and the standards repertoire since I was a little girl, and have considered myself a jazz singer since college, yet I've sung in all kinds of settings throughout my career, from musical theater, to girl groups, to guesting with Funk and Reggae bands, Traditional Jazz on Bourbon St., Latin Jazz in Guatemala, Symphonic Jazz in St. Petersburg, Russia, and lots more!
One of the most fulfilling things I do now when I'm not singing in concert halls or clubs is to sing at my church homes, Sacred Center New York and Agape Center of Truth (when I visit Los Angeles). I always feel I am ministering with my music, bringing positivity and awareness through my song choices and by letting my spirit shine - and reminding others they can do the same! But when I sing in a space where everyone is there to consciously celebrate spirit, it lifts me to a whole different place.
I enjoy putting pen to paper almost as much as I love singing. I'm sure I have way more lyrics and poems than I will ever set to music, but I'd love to publish many of them some day. I'm a traveling woman, and a seeker of my truth, with lots of stories to tell! In the past I've also expressed myself on stage as a dancer, an actress, and done industrial and commercial film and television work. I've hosted a radio program and done live television. I've toured all over the world, sung for and with Ambassadors, and done Music Together(r) with little kids in New York. Little ones expressing themselves through music is truly a gift to behold!!
Two things especially important to me are my parents, musicians David & Roselyn, and the recovery of New Orleans. Please visit some of the New Orleans links in my top friends to find ways you can support the recovery. And learn more about my parents by visiting www.DavidandRoselyn.com!
I give thanks for all the wonderful musical adventures I've had in my life, and I look forward to a whole lot more!
Peace and Blessings, Arlee
"JAZZ SINGER ARLEE LEONARD HAS BEEN ENTERTAINING AUDIENCES ALL HER LIFE...SHE HAS NOW EXTENDED HER PASSION TO ENTERTAINING AUDIENCES HERE IN THAILAND...THE STUNNING CHANTEUSE FROM NEW YORK FILLS THE DIPLOMAT BAR WITH HER SVELTE VOICE." - SYMPHONY, Magazine Feature, March 2005
VISIT WWW.ARLEELEONARD.COM OR CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW FOR MORE PRESS REVIEWS, CD INFORMATION, AND TO PURCHASE YOUR COPY OF HER OUTSTANDING DEBUT - "WILD HONEY."
ALBUM DESCRIPTION: Sultry, dynamic singer sets a mood with original songs and refreshing takes on jazz classics; a grooving pleasure. With DON BRADEN, MIRI BEN-ARI, MARCUS PRINTUP, ERIC LEWIS, and more. "Emotionally, Leonard doesn't hold back." All Music Guide
.. -- CDBABY LINK for ARLEE LEONARD: Wild Honey --
PEACE AND LOVE BABY!
I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4
Here's a great clip I just found on YouTube featuring my two favorite singers, SARAH VAUGHAN and ELLA FITZGERALD with Pearl Bailey from the 80's. Enjoy!
VISIT THIS LOCATION to see video of me performing on television and live in New Orleans, circa 2000-2002 - http://www.entagency.com/leonard/vleonard.ram
Photos by Vladrus on Flickr - At Le Club, Moscow, Aug. 2005 with Oleg Butman & Co.
Photo by Aelita on Flickr - Closing Jazz Jam, Jazz Tent, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, May 2007 with Tony Dagradi, Roger Lewis, Gregory Davis, John Boutte, Maurice Brown and others.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 8/27/2006
Band Website: ArleeLeonard.com
Band Members:
Link to Photographer/Artist NoahG in Top Friends
On her debut CD "WILD HONEY" with vocalist/songwriter/co-producer ARLEE LEONARD are a host of great New York jazz musicians: DON BRADEN - sax, MARCUS PRINTUP - trumpet, MIRI BEN-ARI - violin, FREDDIE BRYANT - guitar, ERIC LEWIS, LAFAYETTE HARRIS, JR., & MICHAEL JEFRY STEVENS - piano, DWAYNE BURNO, SEAN CONLY, & RICHIE GOODS - bass, DWAYNE "COOK" BROADNAX, JORIS DUDLI - drums, and DANNY SADOWNICK, RON MCBEE - percussion.
On the "LIVE AT SWEET RHYTHM" tracks, recorded in New York City on 9/13/06 (Not for release) are ARLEE LEONARD - vocals, DON BRADEN - sax, ART HIRAHARA - piano, PAUL BEAUDRY - bass, and DWAYNE "COOK" BROADNAX - drums. Links to some of their MySpace pages in Top Friends.

View Arlee Leonard's EPK
Photos by David Powell - (link in Top Friends). Taken in New York and New Orleans, April & May 2007, including two benefit concerts for the NEW ORLEANS MUSICIANS CLINIC.
Influences: Straight-Ahead Jazz & Swing, Soul, Blues, R&B, Funk, African, Brazilian, Cuban and Middle Eastern music, all New Orleans musics, Gospel, Spirit Songs, Chill Out/Lounge, Poets, Soul Jazz, and my parents! - New Orleans icons/musicians DAVID & ROSELYN. Visit www.DAVIDANDROSELYN.com for more about them.
I ESPECIALLY LOVE VOCAL MUSIC WITH SPIRIT AND SOUL! Early loves - The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Motown, Marvin Gaye, lots of Blues with attitude- Bessie Smith, B.B. King, Big Mama Thornton, Carole King, Bonnie Raitt, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, The Spinners, Earth, Wind & Fire, Aretha Franklin, Minnie Riperton, Santana, Bob Marley...Classic Rock & Pop. Then came the 3 super divas of jazz - SARAH VAUGHAN, ELLA FITZGERALD and BILLIE HOLIDAY!! Plus Nina Simone, Abbey Lincoln, Carmen McRae, Nancy Wilson, Louis Armstrong, Lambert, Hendriks & Ross, Ray Charles, Dinah Washington, Al Jarreau, Chaka Khan, and more. Classic Jazz - Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Antonio Carlos Jobim, the Great American Songbook, Thelonious Monk, plus Burt Baccarach & Hal David, Chick Corea, Djavan, Ivan Lins, Baba Olatunde and...lots more! The soulful stylings of Dianne Reeves, Anita Baker, Sade, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Cassandra Wilson, Diana Krall, Nnenna Freelon, Kurt Elling, Allan Harris, Germaine Bazzle, Gil Scott-Heron, Erykah Badu, India.Arie, Jill Scott, Bebel Gilberto, Jamie Cullum, Raul Midon, Eric Benet, Corinne Bailey Rae, John Legend, and the unique Amy Winehouse - to name a...few!!
My sisters in song are numerous - visit www.INTERNATIONALWOMENINJAZZ.com to find many. In my travels I listen online to give me a taste of home - WWOZ.org for my New Orleans and WBGO.org for New York. Save internet radio!!!
Sounds Like:
"ARLEE HAS A VOICE THAT CAN EMBRACE THE WHOLE ROOM, BUT SHE USES IT WITH CARE, PROVIDING MANY VARIATIONS OF LIGHT AND SHADE. IT SWOOPS, IT SOARS, IT TEASES; IT IS LIGHT AND YOUTHFUL, OR DEEP AND BLUESY. SOMETIMES SHE RE-INVENTS SONGS, SOMETIMES SIMPLY DECORATES THEM SO THAT THEY COME UP LIKE NEW. BUT ALWAYS SHE SWINGS, AND HOWEVER SEDUCTIVE THE SONG MAY BE - OR HOWEVER OPTIMISTIC, LIKE "ALMOST LIKE BEING IN LOVE" - YOU'RE ALWAYS LISTENING TO A TRULY AUTHENTIC JAZZ SINGER." - Brian Kent, BANGKOK POST Feature Story, 2/4/05
I really enjoy singing and writing lyrics and songs, and I hope you like what you hear!! And wouldn't you know, I sound like a mix of these two folks, my musician parents David & Roselyn! Visit their site at www.DavidandRoselyn.com to know more about them!
Peace and Blessings, Arlee
THESE ARE MY NEW ORLEANS-BASED PARENTS DAVID & ROSELYN! Visit www.DavidandRoselyn.com to hear their music and listen to "GOD BLESS" above to hear them with me and my band live!
ARLEE LEONARD AT NEW ORLEANS 25TH FRENCH QUARTER FESTIVAL APRIL 12, 2008

..
Featuring ARLEE LEONARD - Vocals, VADIM NESELOVSKYI - Piano, KHARI ALLEN LEE - Sax, PETER HARRIS - Bass & JASON MARSALIS - Drums.

TCHAIKOVSKY CONCERT HALL, MOSCOW, RUSSIA - ARLEE IN CONCERT WITH IVANOV PRODUCTIONS - OCT. 31, 2006
TCHAIKOVSKY CONCERT HALL, MOSCOW, RUSSIA ARLEE IN CONCERT WITH IVANOV PRODUCTIONS - OCT. 31, 2006, Photos courtesy of www.Myspace.com/DavideSwarup

SACRED CENTER NEW YORK - REV. AUGUST GOLD ON BALANCING OUR LIVES, APRIL 6, 2008
SACRED CENTER NEW YORK CHOIR VIDEO - "SAY YES!" Featuring Shevon
Record Label: SolaJazz Productions
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

POST JAZZ FEST NEWSLETTER - BOBBY & ME!

Hello my friend,If you were at the New Orleans Jazz Fest this year I hope you had a great time! I was there every day for the second weekend and it was great, grand and glorious, as someone in my fam...
Posted by Arlee Leonard on Tue, 06 May 2008 05:32:00 PST

NEW SONGS UP - LIVE AT SNUG HARBOR 7-07

I uploaded a couple of tracks from my SNUG HARBOR performance on July 8, 2007. The concert was broadcast live on www.WWOZ.org the night after the owner, GEORGE BRUMAT, passed away. My band featured ...
Posted by Arlee Leonard on Sun, 24 Feb 2008 11:56:00 PST

NEW BEGINNINGS - 2008

Welcome to 2008 everybody! I feel very excited and blessed to be living, breathing, enjoying and singing in this life I live! And guess what, I'm home in Brooklyn for a change! For the last three y...
Posted by Arlee Leonard on Mon, 28 Jan 2008 11:01:00 PST

REQUIEM FOR THE TREES - A POEM

"REQUIEM FOR THE TREES" By: Arlee Leonard, Jan. 12, 2008DOTTED ALONG THE SIDEWALKSON THIS TEPID JANUARY NIGHTLOTS OF PRETTY TREESSTRIPPED OF ALL THEIR LIGHTSLAYING OUT IN WAITFOR ONE FINAL RIDENO...
Posted by Arlee Leonard on Sun, 13 Jan 2008 04:10:00 PST

GOT VIDEO?

Yes, I have some newer live performance footage, but I don't know how to get it online yet - technical challenges.  Here is a link to an agency site with some live television and performance video fro...
Posted by Arlee Leonard on Fri, 13 Jul 2007 02:30:00 PST

A GOOD REMINDER - QUOTE

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kil...
Posted by Arlee Leonard on Wed, 11 Jul 2007 12:14:00 PST

SAD NEWS FROM SNUG HARBOR, NEW ORLEANS

On Sunday morning, July 8th, my family got a call from Pat Jolly sadly informing us that GEORGE BRUMAT, the owner of  Snug Harbor had passed away in his sleep Sat. night.  George, along with...
Posted by Arlee Leonard on Mon, 09 Jul 2007 03:46:00 PST

ARLEE'S BIOGRAPHY

ARLEE LEONARD HAS BEEN SINGING AND SWINGING ALL HER LIFE. This versatile singer and all around entertainer performs in nightclubs, concert halls and festivals around the world. She released her self-p...
Posted by Arlee Leonard on Mon, 18 Jun 2007 03:51:00 PST

WHERE IN THE WORLD AM I?!

Hey folks, I know I know, you never know where I am, and since there are no current gigs posted it's even more of a mystery.  Suffice it to say, for the time being I am "way down yonder in New Or...
Posted by Arlee Leonard on Tue, 22 May 2007 02:10:00 PST

SUCH A NIGHT! NEW ORLEANS MAY 9, 2007

Way down yonder in New Orleans on a Wednesday night, with my own early concert at St. Anna's Episcopal Church finished, I made my way to Frenchman Street.  That's where the locals go to make...
Posted by Arlee Leonard on Thu, 10 May 2007 03:02:00 PST