Garry Leonard

"The finesse and skill of everyone on board is evident from the first notes of "It Could Happen To You" through the final chord of "If You Never Come to Me." Everything here, including easy swing, medium-up bebop, and liquid Latin lines, is a marriage of virtuosity and restraint. If the term Smooth Jazz hadn't been taken by an anemic variant of instrumental pop music, this album could aptly be described as such. It's impossible to listen without being carried into the groove as Garry and Gerry lay down an unobstructive foundation for the interplay between Embrey and Smith."

"Jay Sollenberger (an alumnus of the Stan Kenton, Woody Herman and Buddy Rich bands) lays down gorgeous solos on "The Nearness of You" and "Embraceable You." And Gary Helm provides Latin percussion on several tracks. There is also a contribution from the Winnetonka High School "48th Street Players Chamber Orchestra," who supply some strings texture on "Wave."

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"The finesse and skill of everyone on board is evident from the first notes of "It Could Happen To You" through the final chord of "If You Never Come to Me." Everything here, including easy swing, medium-up bebop, and liquid Latin lines, is a marriage of virtuosity and restraint. If the term Smooth Jazz hadn't been taken by an anemic variant of instrumental pop music, this album could aptly be described as such. It's impossible to listen without being carried into the groove as Garry and Gerry lay down an unobstructive foundation for the interplay between Embrey and Smith."

"Jay Sollenberger (an alumnus of the Stan Kenton, Woody Herman and Buddy Rich bands) lays down gorgeous solos on "The Nearness of You" and "Embraceable You." And Gary Helm provides Latin percussion on several tracks. There is also a contribution from the Winnetonka High School "48th Street Players Chamber Orchestra," who supply some strings texture on "Wave."

"The production values are high throughout, the material impeccably chosen and the musicianship flawless. This unassuming package contains an awful lot of great playing by some of Kansas City's world class musicians. Surprising, however, is the absence of drum and bass solos, which one would expect on an album whose bandleaders are a drummer and bassist. That's not a criticism, though. One of my favorite albums is a Steve Swallow recording which, if memory serves, has only one bass solo. (But a ton of great grooves.) The brothers Leonard seem thrilled to provide the foundation needed to catch the wave of each tune and ride it until it breaks, without a need to indulge in the spotlight. It's rare to find such humble bandleaders."

"I have listened to this CD probably thirty times as of this writing, and its balance, character and taste hold up well." -- Rod McBride Kansas City Jazz Ambassador Magazine December 2001/January 2002

"Following the tradition of previous recordings A Simpler Time and A Simpler Christmas, Garry Leonard, Gerry Leonard and regulars Danny Embrey and Paul Smith have fashioned a lovely disc of eight user-friendly classic standards for a relaxed spot by the fire. Tunes such as Bud Johnson's "Since I Fell for You" and Johnny Mandel's "Shadow of Your Smile" go down easy, never straying from the cover-portrait promise of peaceful repose and languid tranquility."

"Walter Bryant's arrangements are richly pliable and surprisingly unadorned. The addition of 18 strings, 4 French horns and one Latin percussionist (Kansas Citian Gary Helm) never detract from the real stars of this album, the melodies, expertly carried by Embrey, Smith, and saxophonists Hal Melia and Mike White." -- Kim Gorman Kansas City Jazz Ambassador Magazine October/November 2003

"On the striking album cover, an evergreen stands alone in a pristine field of soft-white snow, reaching above into a blue winter sky. Suffice it to say the beauty and simplicity of the design reflects the sounds within. Players and song tracks sparkle uniformly, making it genuinely difficult to single out highlights."

"So, with apologies to the author of the original classic account... 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a player was stirring, not even a mouse; The instruments hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that the Leonard boys soon would be there; Now, Garry! now, Gerry! now, Janie and Embrey! On, Mike White! on, Paul Smith! on, Helm and Metheny! To the top of the scale! to the top of the hall! Now play away! play away! play away all! They sprang to their music, the whole team gave a whistle, And away they all played, not a single note bristled. But I heard them exclaim, ere they played out of sight, "Simpler Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!" -- Tom Fredrick Kansas City Jazz Ambassador Magazine December 2002/January 2003

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