Wonderful disc: Jay Leonhart's "Salamander Pie"

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And old DMP CD remastered for SACD. Splendid sonics, caberet jazz duet (piano and standup bass violin) with great presence and intimacy.
The lyrics are a bit quirky, but quite intelligent and, ultimately, winning.
Mr. Leonhart sings original songs of his own composition, and plays a very nifty standup bass, too. He's not going to get any auditions at the Metropolitan Opera, but his vocal presentation is, nevertheless, highly affecting -- reminiscent of great Fred Estaire as a singer.
I love the interplay of the piano, and bass violin, voice on this recording. The pianist (sorry, I'm too lazy to read the liner notes) sounds as though he was born joined to Mr. Leonhart's hip. He responds to Leonhart's singing and playing with uncanny anticipation and sensitivity. A drummer would RUIN this musical repartee.
When you hear this record, you will probably think of artists like Harry Chapin and Johhny Cash, with whom the lyrical approach of these songs has much in common. Yet, the jazz musical context of these pieces may even bring Jack Kerouac and the beat generation to mind. There's a song about a man contemplating suicide when he crosses a bridge, a song that struggles to understand how Robert Frost paid his mortgage with his poems, another about a stage door johnny to a strip-tease dancer in the 50's, a prayer for the strength to stop drinking.
Mr. Leonhart lyrics are sometimes startlingly forthcoming, yet there is a sensitivity and civility that makes him a welcome guest nonetheless. "Salamander Pie" is the work of a jazz troubadour. It's hard to think of a record that gives you the sense of having encountered a unique and engaging personality, a stuggling fellow spirit, on such an initmate basis.
And, (it's almost too good to be true!), the sonics and engineering are exemplary.

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Topic - Wonderful disc: Jay Leonhart's "Salamander Pie" - halfnote 20:47:25 01/30/07 (8)

Re: Wonderful disc: Jay Leonhart's "Salamander Pie" - hutmacher 12:15:00 02/01/07 (0)

Actually Jay is a darn good bass player. - Ozzie 20:56:52 01/31/07 (1)

Re: Actually Jay is a darn good bass player. - halfnote 22:31:38 01/31/07 (0)

Re: Wonderful disc: Jay Leonhart's "Salamander Pie" - Geop 13:32:16 01/31/07 (0)

Where did you get it? nt - The Sound Guy 00:28:00 01/31/07 (1)

Re: Where did you get it? nt - halfnote 19:50:02 01/31/07 (0)

We call him "The Depressed Dude". It's one of our favorite discs. [nt] - Ted Smith 23:49:56 01/30/07 (0)

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