ARLEE LEONARD - VOCALIST, POET, SONGWRITER, PRODUCER, WRITER
"WITH A 4-OCTAVE RANGE, the multi-talented Arlee Leonard sings jazz and blues with heart and soul With wide acclaim she is a highly respected jazz artist whose constant travel takes her from Singapore to Africa and back again We are so glad she's back in Brooklyn with her powerful jazz riffs and her warm swinging groove," a fan exclaims." - Cover Story, CARIBBEAN LIFE, June 23-29, 2010
"HER MULTI-TALENTED STYLE IS probably credited to the fact that she has been singing all of her life. Arlee has just returned this month from a concert tour of the Ukraine with Jazz in Kiev. Be sure to go out to Borough Hall [in Brooklyn] and enjoy this rare songbird." - THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS, July 1-July 7, 2010
"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, 4/1/08
"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, 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! When I sing in a space where everyone is there to consciously celebrate spirit, it lifts me to a whole other level! But I adore bringing my spiritual energy to every song, every time I sing!
I love 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 ongoing 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 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
******************************
ONLINE VIDEO FROM FRENCH PROJECT:
"ZOU, SHAKE THAT THING!" with ARLEE LEONARD and MOUSSU T E LEI JOVENTS. Visit this page to see video clips of rehearsals, interviews and the premier performance of my collaboration with this French group in Marseille, France (Nov. '08 & March '09), created in honor of writer Claude McKay and his book "BANJO" - a Cocotte Musique Production. We hope to begin some touring in the fall. If you're interested in bringing this program to your venue or festival, let me know! http://www.2marstv.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=172&Itemid=45
******************************
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
