Home » Jazz Musicians » Michael Leonhart

Michael Leonhart

Born into a musical family, Michael Leonhart has developed into one of the most imaginative and prolific musicians of his time, sought throughout the music and entertainment world as a trumpeter, composer, producer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. At age 17, Michael was honored as the youngest Grammy recipient in history, cited as the most outstanding musician in a U.S. high school. That same year ABC World News named him "Person of the Week". He has since gone on to collaborate with artists as diverse as James Brown & Wutang Clan to Meryl Streep & Isaac Mizrahi.

As a trumpeter, Michael performed on Mark Ronson’s record breaking smash hit “Uptown Funk” featuring Bruno Mars, which won the 2016 Record of the year Grammy and the 2015 BRIT award for British Single of the Year. He has performed with Rock legends Steely Dan since 1996, recording two albums with them, including 2000's 4x Grammy winning Album of the Year "Two Against Nature" on which he was also a featured soloist, arranger and conductor. Michael played the featured trumpet solos on Baz Luhrmann’s critically acclaimed Netflix series “The Get Down” and was a regular member of the Antibalas Orchestra in Bill T. Jones’ Tony nominated “FELA” on Broadway. Michael performed on the hit song “It Ain't Fair” by The Roots & Bilal from the “Detroit” movie soundtrack and is frequently featured as a guest with Questlove and the Roots on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

Michael has composed music for stage and screen, including writing a song for and directing Meryl Streep on the Decca soundtrack album “Songs of Lahore”. Leonhart recently composed music for the score to Rockstar Games upcoming “Red Dead Redemption 2" . Michael and Paul Brill wrote the music to the Emmy nominated “Unhittable: Sidd Finch and the Tibetan Fastball”. Michael, Leon Michels and El Michels Affair co-wrote the scores to both “One: Union of the Senses” by Jose Parla and the upcoming thriller “Clover”.

Michael produced “Many A New Day: Karrin Allyson Sings Rodgers & Hammerstein” which was nominated for Vocal Jazz Album of the year at the 2016 Grammys. Donald Fagen’s long awaited fourth solo album “Sunken Condos”, was produced by Michael and Donald and released in October 2012. Nels Cline’s “Lovers” (arranged & conducted by Michael Leonhart) was released on the legendary Blue Note records in August 2016 to rave reviews. The album was premiered live at Newport Jazz 2016 with legendary festival creator George Wein in attendance. He also wrote arrangements for large brass/woodwind ensemble for David Byrne and St. Vincent’s “Love This Giant” tour.

Read more

Tags

9
Play This!

Michael Leonhart Orchestra: Silent Night

Read "Michael Leonhart Orchestra: Silent Night" reviewed by Ludovico Granvassu


Conceptually, I find holiday music puzzling. How can it be that, year after year, it keeps being churned out? Even by jazz musicians, who are usually not driven by commercial considerations? Then why not spring-break albums? Or something more meaningful like World Oceans Day jazz music? Or Martin Luther King day songs? I presume that holiday music represents the ultimate challenge to the creative-minded artist: “how can I bring excitement, new life, and my own stamp, to a ...

Album Review

Michael Leonhart Orchestra: The Normyn Suites

Read "The Normyn Suites" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Gli eclettici sviluppi orchestrali di Michael Leonhart, tra maestosi affreschi evocativi e trascinanti momenti rock e soul, tornano a entusiasmarci con questo magistrale The Normyn Suites, dove la poetica della leggerezza convive con scelte di vivo impatto ritmico e timbrico. Le due forti propensioni musicale dell'autore sono ben bilanciate: quella impressionista (che ha caratterizzato opere ammalianti come Lovers di Nels Cline e il suo The Painted Lady Suite) e quella legata alla popular music, maturata nelle collaborazioni con Steely Dan, ...

1
Radio & Podcasts

Michael Leonhart, Marta Sanchez, Mostly Other People Do the Killing, Alabaster Deplume & More

Read "Michael Leonhart, Marta Sanchez, Mostly Other People Do the Killing, Alabaster Deplume & More" reviewed by Ludovico Granvassu


It's February. The Winter Olympics are well under way and there are so many new and upcoming releases in 2022 that we can fill an entire show with them... Starting and ending with two Orchestras: Michael Leonhart's mighty ensemble and their upcoming stunner, The Normyn Suites, and Paul Wacrenier's Healing Orchestra, a band with a mission: bringing Free Jazz to the People! Happy listening! PlaylistBen Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 ...

5
Radio & Podcasts

[Long] Live (at) the Jazz Standard! - Part 1

Read "[Long] Live (at) the Jazz Standard! - Part 1" reviewed by Ludovico Granvassu


A jazz club is not just a commercial enterprise, or an entertainment spot, it's a cultural hub, a place where ideas are exchanged, styles are tested and then defined, careers are inspired, collaborations get launched or cemented. When a venue like the Jazz Standard closes the loss should not be seen only in terms of a measurable disappearance of revenues but especially in terms of an unmeasurable loss of artistic opportunities. This week we focus on the artistic ...

Album Review

Michael Leonhart: Suite Extracts Vol. 1

Read "Suite Extracts Vol. 1" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Credo proprio di non esagerare ma è dall'uscita di There Comes a Time di Gil Evans che non ascoltavo un album orchestrale così eclettico nella sintesi di materiali diversi. Il nuovo disco di Michael Leonhart segue il debutto di The Painted Lady Suite (Sunnyside 2018), il maestoso affresco musicale che evocava l'impressionismo del primo Evans, con le ipnotiche variazioni armoniche e il soffice gioco di combinazioni timbriche in lenta espansione. Dall'uscita di quel disco l'attività di scrittura ...

1
Live From New York

Peter Evans, Michael Leonhart, Sean Lennon, Jambinai & Axiom

Read "Peter Evans, Michael Leonhart, Sean Lennon, Jambinai & Axiom" reviewed by Martin Longley


Peter Evans & Levy Lorenzo Roulette April 15, 2019 Trumpeter Peter Evans is a very familiar figure on the extreme scene, but the percussionist and electronicist Levy Lorenzo will be a new name to most folks. The pair have been jointly penning compositions, but these nevertheless have the feel of ambient improvisations. It's a continuation of the collaboration that began on 2018's Q album, released on the More Is More label. Their entwined roots ...

2
Radio & Podcasts

2018 Jazz Surprises

Read "2018 Jazz Surprises" reviewed by Ludovico Granvassu


The end of the year is the time when we usually look back and take stock. To celebrate the continuous growth and expansion of the music we love, we've decided to look back at the music that, for a reason or another, has surprised us the most this year. It features mostly young musicians, artists we were not familiar with, unexpected reissues or new projects by players we love. Happy listening! Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo ...

Read more articles
3

Event

Grammy Winning Trumpeter, Composer, Producer, Arranger, Multi-Instrumentalist, Songwriter Michael Leonhart Spins Classic & Rare Blue Note Albums On April 21st At 7:30pm ET

Grammy Winning Trumpeter, Composer, Producer, Arranger, Multi-Instrumentalist, Songwriter Michael Leonhart Spins Classic & Rare Blue Note Albums On April 21st At 7:30pm ET

Source: All About Jazz

Live from Leonhart's Lounge! Grab your favorite beverage, sit back and tune in as Michael Leonhart (of Michael Leonhart Orchestra and Steely Dan) “drops the needle" on some classic and rare Blue Note albums on April 21, 2020 at 7:30m ET. A virtual listening party As part of their ongoing monthly residency at Jazz Standard, the Michael Leonhart Orchestra was scheduled to present the “Blue Note Suite / Birthday Show" on April 21st (also Michael's birthday). In place of the ...

128

Interview

Trumpeter Michael Leonhart Interviewed at AAJ

Trumpeter Michael Leonhart Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz

For most musicians, writers and actors, making the final decision to go against the grain and pursue a paycheck-to-paycheck, month-to-month career as a performing artist is one of the harder choices in life. Yet for trumpeter Michael Leonhart, a life in jazz and art is “all in the family": his father is the noted jazz bassist, studio musician and humorist Jay Leonhart; and his sister is the sprightly, sassy, and torchy alt-rock and jazz singer Carolyn Leonhart. And after a ...

215

Performance / Tour

Truth & Soul's Michael Leonhart & the Avramina 7 Joe's Pub Residency

Truth & Soul's Michael Leonhart & the Avramina 7 Joe's Pub Residency

Source: All About Jazz

Trumpet player, producer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and singer-songwriter Michael Leonhart and his band “the Avramina 7" are pleased to announce their monthly residency at New York’s Joe’s Pub, beginning Wednesday, October 7, and continuing though the rest of 2009. Despite being the newest group on Truth & Soul Records, the band is anything but inexperienced. Michael himself, a New York native, won a GRAMMY at 17 for being most outstanding musician in a US high school, and plays trumpet for ...

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Asterisms

Tzadik
2024

buy

The Normyn Suites

Sunnyside Records
2022

buy

Suite Extracts Vol. 1

Sunnyside Records
2019

buy

The Painted Lady Suite

Sunnyside Records
2018

buy

Seahorse and the...

Truth and Soul Records
2010

buy

Slow

Sunnyside Records
2003

buy

Videos

Similar

Chet Baker
trumpet and vocals
Steely Dan
band / ensemble / orchestra
Megaphone Man
band / ensemble / orchestra

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.