The Painted Lady Suite, the debut album by the Michael Leonhart Orchestra (MLO) is inspired by the butterfly of the same name. While Leonhart was initially attracted to its flamboyant coloration and wing ornamentation, it was the butterfly’s incredible migration, which spans over six generations and 9,000 miles — twice that of the Monarch butterfly, that inspired the trumpeter/composer/bandleader to write his “Painted Lady Suite.”
Leonhart’s path toward the creation of MLO began in his youth. Born into a musical family, Michael was fascinated by orchestration, composition and counterpoint by the age of 10. “I remember my mother playing all these amazing albums in the house growing up: the Miles & Gil Evans’ collaborations, Ellington Suites, Sinatra & Nelson Riddle, Quincy Jones and tons of Thad Jones/Mel Lewis,” Leonhart recalls. “While my dad Jay was out playing gigs and recording, it was my mother’s DJ’ing that was the ‘gateway drug’ that led me to discover Stravinsky, Ravel, Olivier Messiaen, Morricone and David Axelrod.” Leonhart has worked for decades as an accomplished trumpet player, arranger and composer, but it was when he took on the role as arranger/conductor for the 21-piece orchestra on guitarist Nels Cline’s eclectic Lovers album (Blue Note, 2015)... more
credits
released June 22, 2018
Michael Leonhart - composer, arranger, conductor, organ, Mellotron, accordion, bass harmonica, bass melodica, pump organ, trumpet, French horn, mellophonium, bass trumpet & electric bass (2)
Daniel Freedman - drums (1, 8, 9, 10) & percussion
Nick Movshon - drums (2)
Homer Steinweiss - drums (5, 7)
Jay Leonhart - acoustic bass (1, 8, 10)
Joe Martin - acoustic bass (6, 9)
Nick Movshon - electric bass (5, 7)
Nels Cline - guitar
Mauro Refosco - percussion
Leon Michels - percussion
Mauro Durante - percussion & violin
Dave Guy - trumpet
Taylor Haskins - trumpet & valve trombone
Andy Bush - trumpet
Carter Yasutake - trumpet
Andy Gathercole - trumpet
Ray Mason - trombone & bass trombone
Mark Patterson - trombone & bass trombone
John Altieri - tuba
Donny McCaslin - tenor sax
Sam Sadigursky - tenor sax, piccolo flute, flute, alto flute & bass clarinet
Matt Bauder - alto & tenor sax
Jason Marshall - alto & baritone sax
Cochemea Gastelum - tenor & baritone sax, flute
Charles Pillow - bass clarinet & alto flute
Ian Hendrickson-Smith - baritone sax
Jon Natchez - clarinet
Aaron Heick - tenor sax, English horn & bass flute
Sara Schoenbeck - bassoon
Pauline Kim - violin & viola
Erik Friedlander - cello
Carolyn Leonhart, Jamie Leonhart, Michael Leonhart & Milo Leonhart - choir
