Carl Sonny Leyland is an Anglo-American
boogie woogie
Boogie-woogie is a genre of blues music that became popular during the late 1920s, developed in African-American communities since 1870s.Paul, Elliot, ''That Crazy American Music'' (1957), Chapter 10, p. 229. It was eventually extended from pi ...
,
blues and
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
pianist. He was born in 1965 near
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
, England, but as a child was drawn to American music. At age 15, he discovered boogie woogie, and was inspired to make the piano his career. He came to
in 1988, and built a reputation in the clubs there for the next nine years. In 1997, he relocated to California, where he joined Big Sandy & His Flyrite Boys, a rockabilly and western swing group, touring with them for three years. Since then his repertoire has included ragtime and early jazz. He formed the Carl Sonny Leyland Trio in 2003 with Hal Smith on drums (later replaced by Jeff Hamilton) and Marty Eggers on bass. The trio plays primarily boogie woogie and traditional jazz. It has recorded seven CDs and performs regularly in festivals.
Leyland is regarded highly by critics and considered to be one of the top attractions at jazz festivals (“We cannot heap enough praise on Carl Sonny Leyland. Not only is he a great solo pianist, he is an asset to any band and amazes other musicians…”)
Discography
Carl Sonny Leyland Trio:
* ''Ready to Boogie''
* ''The Carl Sonny Leyland Trio Meets Nathan James & Ben Hernandez''
* ''The Carl Sonny Leland Trio''
* ''Dang Good Boogie''
* ''Railroad Boogie''
* ''Studio Session''
Solo:
* ''Stompin’ Upstairs''
* ''Gin Mill Jazz''
* ''Wild Piano''
With the Joel Patterson Trio:
* ''A Chicago Session''
References
External links
Carl Sonny Leyland website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leylan, Carl Sonny
Living people
American jazz pianists
American male pianists
Boogie-woogie pianists
1965 births
English emigrants to the United States
Jazz musicians from New Orleans
People from Southampton (district)
20th-century American pianists
21st-century American pianists
20th-century American male musicians
21st-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians