The Jazz Organ Scene
USA
 photo by Gene Martin |
Mike LeDonne
Mike LeDonne was born in Bridgeport Connecticut in 1956. He was raised in his parent's music
store and by the age of 10 his father, a jazz guitarist, began booking him on gigs.
At age 21, Mike graduated from New England Conservatory and moved to New York City
with the Widespread Jazz Orchestra. In 1981, he left Widespread to travel to the UK with Panama
Francis and the Savoy Sultans. On returning, he began a two-year stint as the house pianist
at Jimmy Ryan's, then one of New York¹s oldest jazz clubs. It was there that he came under
the influence of and played with many old masters such as Roy Eldridge, Papa Jo Jones and
Vic Dickenson. He spent 1982-1983 with the Benny Goodman sextet and went on to play with
Buddy Tate, Al Grey, Ruby Braff and many others. Later he worked with the Art Farmer-Clifford
Jordan Quintet, went to Paris with Grady Tate, and played with James Moody, Dizzy Gillespie,
Stanley Turrentine, Charles McPherson and Sonny Rollins. He also spent time as accompanist to singers
Ernestine Anderson, Annie Ross and Etta Jones. In 1988 he started playing with the Milt Jackson
Quartet (along with Mickey Roker and Bob Cranshaw).
Mr. Jackson recorded Mike's compositions and arrangements. Mike also became the band's musical director. In the fall of 1992, Mike was chosen to be part of a group of top young musicians for the Phillip Morris Superband World Tour. Mike served as musical director for that group, which featured Ryan Kisor on trumpet, Joshua Redman on tenor saxophone, Jesse Davis on alto saxophone, Christian McBride on bass and Lewis Nash at the drums. Around this time, Mike toured with the Newport All-Stars in lineups that also featured Harry 'Sweets' Edison and Clark Terry. Mike has been playing and recording with Benny Golson since 1997. He has alsobeen leading trios which have included Ron Carter, Jimmy Cobb, Billy Hart, Pete LaRoca and Louis Hayes. Most recently, he has worked with Bobby Hutcherson. Mike has played concerts and clubs around the world since 1981. Along with his many recordings as a sideman, he has five CDs on Criss Cross Jazz and three on Doubletime Records. One of them was selected as 'Record Of The Year' in the 1989 Jazz Journal Critics Poll. His long awaited first CD as a leader on Hammond organ, "Smokin' Out Loud" made it to #1 in national airplay. It features his regularly working band which includes Eric Alexander, Peter Bernstein and Joe Farnsworth. Mike is the co-author of Jim Snidero's Jazz Conceptions for Piano and Piano comping books, on Advance Music. In 2001 he was asked to join the faculty of the Juilliard School as part of it's Jazz Studies Division. His Hammond organ playing got him selected as Talent Deserving Wider Recognition in the 2002 Downbeat Critics poll and Oscar Peterson picked him as one of his favorite pianists of today. |
| contact: | mledonne@earthlink.net |
| homepage: | www.mikeledonne.com |
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Click on the logo to see Mike's tour dates. |
