LEROY JONES

Q1

Your sound is rich in New Orleans tradition but you have come such a long way writing and playing in your own style. I notice that your tone has gotten more velvety, especially I notice this on “Katrina” from your Soft as a Summer Breeze album. How did you go about composing that piece?

Q1…

There’s a serenity there that speaks of a mature artist expressing his innermost thoughts directly and with such confidence. And how has that affected your relationship with New Orleans or desire to stay settled there.

A1

Actually that album is titled “Sweeter Than A Summer Breeze.” My previous independent release from 2007 is titled “Soft Shoe.” I reckon my tone has become more velvety or refined from all the hours of practice I’ve put in over the years.

A1…

The melody or theme for Katrina came to me while I was still an evacuee during the Katrina experience. Obviously the piece is in a minor mode, which usually conveys sadness or melancholia. My wife and I left New Orleans a couple of days before the storm affected the city, before the levees failed.

A1…

We were fortunate to have good friends in the Dallas, Fort Worth area. They put us up in their home for 6 weeks. Words can never accurately express what we, what I was feeling during this period in my life. I felt the melody and harmonies in my composition would express those feelings more appropriately.

A1…

I’d have to say that the entire Katrina experience made me realize how much I enjoy living in the City of New Orleans, a city with a special cultural heritage and an intriguing history, the city of my birth. Even more so for my wife, who is from Finland. It’s our home.

Q2

How has Danny Barker influenced your performance style since you started out at the tender age 13 leading his Fairview Brass Band, and I see you still play with the Hurricane Brass Band. How has that impacted your current style? And.. do you ever play with the Dirty Dozen?

A2

Meeting Danny Barker at such an early age and being a significant figure within the Fairview Baptist Church Brass Band gave me an opportunity to begin developing my knowledge and appreciation of New Orleans traditions, in particular, brass band music and jazz . . .

Danny Barker’s

Fairview Baptist Church

Brass Band

A2…

In my freshman year in high school my upper classmen gave me the nickname “Jazz” because even then I was able to improvise and play with logic and continuity. These days I still get called upon to do brass band gigs. So I reorganized the Hurricane Brass Band.

A2

Actually its called the Original Hurricane Brass Band, for there’s a Netherland based brass band that was formed much later and they call themselves the Hurricane Brass Band. I’ve never played with the Dirty Dozen.

Q3

You have a worldwide following and are quite the showman. Do you miss touring with Harry Connick, Jr. You were so dynamic in those performances and how has that experience influenced you?

A3

I’m quite thankful for the fans I have around the globe. They help artists keep motivated. And perhaps more importantly, they support your livelihood. I don’t consider myself to be as much of a showman as I am an artist.

A3…

But like Harry Connick, Jr. and Louis Armstrong, I try to make art entertainment and entertainment art. There’s no need for the two to be separated. It was a great experience to be on the road with Harry and to tour the world with a working big band composed of other very talented musicians.

A3…

I will always cherish that experience. It was also a learning experience and it exposed me to a wider audience in the United States.

Q4

Tell me a little about your upcoming plans to perform in France and Hungary.

A4

I will be performing in France with a talented young drummer from Bordeaux named Guillaume Nouaux. He has a quintet consisting of the same instrumentation I use in that format: trumpet, trombone, piano, bass and drums.

A4…

I recorded a CD with Guillaume a few years ago titled “Guillaume’s Invitation” which is one of the compositions I wrote for the session. In Hungary I will be performing with a band called the “Jazz Steps” under the leadership of clarinetist/saxophonist Zoltán Finok.

A4…

The band is based in Budapest, which is one of the cities where we will be playing. I’ve also recorded and performed in Hungary with the band a couple of years ago. The CD is titled “Side By Side.” It is also an independent release.

Q5

I’m glad to see you’ll be in New Orleans during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival after your return from abroad and have many performances planned. Tell me about some of the artists you’ll be working with and how has Jazz Fest changed in the last several years?

A5

This jazz fest I will be performing on the Friday of the opening weekend in Economy Hall with veteran drummer June Gardner and the “Fellas”, in the quintet format.

A5…

Later, that same day, I will also do my own set as a sextet under the name Leroy Jones & New Orleans Finest. The rhythm section will be Gerald French on drums, Mitchell Player (bass) Paul Longstreth (piano) Alonzo Bowens (reeds) yours truly on trumpet and my wife Katja Toivola on trombone.

A5…

On Sunday, of the closing weekend, I will be doing a set with bassist/vocalist Mark Brooks and his band, also in Economy Hall. In the last several years Jazz Fest has only gotten bigger. A couple of new stages have been added to the festival grounds, as well as changes in the location of certain stages.

A5…

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is now as big and commercialized as most major festivals around the world. Nevertheless I still think the festival is more unique than others because of the musical variety it has to offer, along with the headliners and big name acts, although some of them having nothing to do with jazz music or New Orleans culture.

Q6

Does your wife have her own band and do they tour separately or do you work it so that you perform in the same regions simultaneously and do you ever perform together and what is it like being married to a musician? I just had to ask you that.

A6

My wife has her own band in Finland, based in Helsinki. It’s called the Spirit of New Orleans. They perform traditional jazz with a 21st century flavor. Spirit of New Orleans has featured, guest artists such as vocalist Tricia Boutté, Mariam Aida, Eeppi Ursin, pianist Mari Watanabe and yours truly.

A6…

They also have a few independent releases under their name. They have performed on festivals and club dates in Scandinavia, Southern Europe, the Fuji Islands and New Zealand.

A6…

My wife and I perform together quite often and it’s wonderful being married to another musician. We have a more perfect understanding of one another. But we also have other common interests.

Q7

I want to ask about the upcoming album that you are currently working on. What has been your creative springboard for this new work and who are you including on it, anybody new? Is this the Leroy Jones Quartet, Quintet or will it be a solo album? And when will it be out?

A7

My upcoming album is in it’s infancy, in respect to getting into the recording studio, post production, et cetera. It will consist of all original material. My compositions and arrangements have been completed.

A7…

You could say it’s a solo album, in the sense that it will be under my name, just like Soft Shoe, Props, Mo’ Cream, Back To My Roots and Summer Breeze. Some of the ensembles will be within the quartet, quintet, sextet, septet format and one track will also include strings.

A7…

I like to keep the sound of my albums as consistent as the sound of my horn. So that means keeping the formula that has worked in the past. So most, if not all of the musicians, will be familiar.

A7…

I hope to get into the studio at some point before the end of 2010, which means we might be looking at a release later this year or at least by the beginning of 2011, of course God willing. As with just about everything else, it costs money…

Thank you Leroy for the update.Viewers and listeners canfind you on your websites:

http://www.satchmo.com/leroyjonesand

http://www.myspace.com/leroyjonesmusic

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