Leo Sidran is an American
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
-nominated musician,
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
, performer, and producer whose
credits
Credit refers to any form of deferred payment, the granting of a loan and the creation of debt.
Credit may also refer to:
Places
* Credit, Arkansas, a ghost town
* Credit River, a river in Ontario, Canada
* Credit River (Minnesota), a river in ...
include co-producing the
Oscar-winning song "Al Otro Lado Del Rio" for the soundtrack to the movie ''
The Motorcycle Diaries''.
Sidran began his career in music early. Having learned to play the
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
from
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
-
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 major ...
percussionist
Clyde Stubblefield
Clyde Austin Stubblefield (April 18, 1943 – February 18, 2017) was an American drummer best known for his work with James Brown. A self-taught musician, he was influenced by the sound of natural rhythms around him. His drum patterns on Brown's ...
, he toured as a teenager with
Steve Miller.
Early life and education
Sidran grew up in
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...
. His father,
Ben Sidran, is a jazz musician, producer and historian. His mother is a
weaver
Weaver or Weavers may refer to:
Activities
* A person who engages in weaving fabric
Animals
* Various birds of the family Ploceidae
* Crevice weaver spider family
* Orb-weaver spider family
* Weever (or weever-fish)
Arts and entertainment
...
. Leo attended the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
, graduating in 1999 with a degree in history and integrated liberal studies. While still in high school, he developed a fascination with Spain and the Spanish language, and moved to
Seville
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...
for a year in college. He relocated from Madison to
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
in 2005 and has lived there since.
Early music career
Sidran began playing and writing music at a young age. He wrote his first song, "Pushing and Shoving", when he was six years old, and recorded a demo of the song with his father. The vocal from that demo was later used on the Sidrans' father-son children's music album ''El Elefante''.
His first instrument was the drums, and his first teacher was
Clyde Stubblefield
Clyde Austin Stubblefield (April 18, 1943 – February 18, 2017) was an American drummer best known for his work with James Brown. A self-taught musician, he was influenced by the sound of natural rhythms around him. His drum patterns on Brown's ...
. Sidran later produced Stubblefield's solo record ''The Original''. As a drummer, Sidran has recorded on many of his father's records, including ''
Nick's Bump
''Nick's Bump'' is a smooth jazz album by American keyboardist and jazz vocalist Ben Sidran, released in 2004. It is Sidran's twenty sixth album, and his first release by his independent label Nardis Records.
Background
Although Sidran's reputat ...
'', ''
Don't Cry For No Hipster
''Don't Cry For No Hipster'' is a jazz album by keyboardist and vocalist Ben Sidran. It was recorded in July 2012, and released in 2013 under Sidran's label Nardis Records in the United States, and Bonsaï Music in France.
It was Sidran's 35th ...
'', and the
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
-nominated ''Concert for Garcia Lorca''.
The
Steve Miller Band recorded Sidran's songs before he had graduated from high school. Miller, a longtime friend and collaborator with his father, taught Sidran to play the guitar.
Also while still in high school, Sidran began performing regularly as a jazz drummer with his father. His earliest performances included shows with bassist
Richard Davis, saxophonists
Frank Morgan
Francis Phillip Wuppermann (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949), known professionally as Frank Morgan, was an American character actor. He was best known for his appearances in films starting in the silent era in 1916, and then numerous soun ...
and
Richie Cole, and guitarist
Phil Upchurch.
Solo recordings
Sidran released his first solo record, ''Leo and the Depleting Moral Legacy'', while he was in college. The album was a collection of songs he had written mostly in high school, including two songs that had already been recorded by Steve Miller. He played many of the instruments and mixed the record;
Paul Peterson
Paul Joseph Peterson (born October 18, 1964), also known as St. Paul Peterson, is a singer and musician best known for his memberships in the bands The Family and The Time.
Life and career
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Peterson was the you ...
,
Ricky Peterson, and
Steve Marker
Steve Marker (born March 16, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known as a cofounder and guitarist of the alternative rock band Garbage.
Early life
Steven W. Marker was born in Mamaroneck, New York on Marc ...
also contributed.
After returning from Spain, Sidran recorded two bilingual solo albums. In 1998 he recorded ''L. Sid'' in
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
with a studio band including
Anthony Cox,
Gordy Knudtson and
Bob Malach
Bob Malach (born August 23, 1954) is an American jazz saxophonist.
Malach learned several reed instruments in his youth, and played with Philadelphia soul bands such as The Stylistics and The O'Jays while still a teenager. He played in the big b ...
. In 2003 he released ''Bohemia'', an album recorded in Madison and
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
, and featuring appearances by Spanish artists including
Jorge Drexler
Jorge Abner Drexler Prada (born September 21, 1964) is a Uruguayan musician, actor and doctor specializing in otolaryngology.
In 2004, Drexler won wide acclaim after becoming the first Uruguayan to win an Academy Award, which he won for compos ...
,
Ana Laan
Ana Serrano van der Laan (born 10 February 1967), known professionally as Ana Laan, is a singer-songwriter born in Madrid, Spain. She composes in English, Spanish and Swedish, with a smattering of French.
Biography
Born in Madrid, Spain, ...
, and
Tino di Geraldo
Tino di Geraldo (born Faustino Fernández Fernández in 1960) is a French-Spanish percussionist, tabla player, drummer, and producer. He is one of Spain's leading flamenco and jazz percussionists, bringing classical and jazz influences to flamenco ...
, and American collaborators including
Freedy Johnston
Freedy Johnston (born Frederic John Fatzer in 1961) is a New York City–based singer-songwriter originally from Kinsley, Kansas.
Johnston's songs are often about troubled loners, and cover topics like heartbreak, alienation, and disappointm ...
,
Holly Brook, and
Howard Levy.
Sidran's fourth solo record, ''Mucho Leo'', was released in October 2014.
Productions
During the process of recording ''Bohemia'', Sidran became friendly with Jorge Drexler and Ana Laan, and eventually went on to produce and perform regularly with both. He co-produced Laan's ''Oregano'' and ''Chocolate and Roses'' albums, as well as Drexler's Oscar-winning song, "Al Otro Lado Del Rio".
In 2003 Sidran started
Nardis Records
Nardis Music is a jazz record label formed in 2003 by Ben Sidran and his son Leo.
It is a subsidiary of Liquid8. It has a compilation series called Nardis Music Presents, which features songs and artists from Nardis and Sidran's GoJazz label. ...
with his father. The name "Nardis" comes from a
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...
composition, but is also Sidran's name spelled backwards. The label was set up as a vehicle to release projects by both father and son, and both have released their recent solo projects as well as other artist productions on the label.
A chance encounter at a jam session in Madison with singer-songwriter
Joy Dragland would ultimately lead to the creation of
Joy and the Boy
Joy and the Boy is an American musical duo consisting of singer-songwriter Joy Dragland and musician/producer Leo Sidran (son of Ben Sidran). Their first performance as a duo was in Madison, Wisconsin at a 2000 political rally at the Wisconsin ...
; primarily a studio project, the duo released three albums. Their cover of
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...
's "Let's Get It On" debuted in the Top 40 pop radio charts in Spain.
After moving to New York in 2005, Sidran developed his career as a composer for film and television commercials. He has scored over 100 national television commercials, and six feature-length documentaries including ''At The Death House Door'' and ''No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson'', directed by
Steve James.
The Third Story
In 2014, Leo Sidran started a podcast called The Third Story, in which he interviews musicians, artists, and writers. His first guest was
Will Lee
William Lee (born William Lubovsky; August 6, 1908 – December 7, 1982) was an American actor who appeared in numerous television and film roles, but was best known for playing Mr. Hooper, the original store proprietor of the eponymous Hooper' ...
, and subsequent interviews included scientist
Daniel Levitin
Daniel Joseph Levitin, FRSC (born December 27, 1957) is an American-Canadian cognitive psychologist, neuroscientist, writer, musician, and record producer. He is the author of four ''New York Times'' best-selling books, including '' This Is You ...
, pianist
Jon Batiste, singer
Madeleine Peyroux
Madeleine Peyroux (born April 18, 1974) is an American jazz singer and songwriter who began her career as a teenager on the streets of Paris. She sang vintage jazz and blues songs before finding mainstream success in 2004 when her album ''Carele ...
, arranger/producer
Rob Mounsey
Rob Mounsey (born December 2, 1952) is an American musician, composer, and arranger.
Music career
Mounsey was born in Berea, Ohio, and grew up in Seattle, Washington, spending a few years each in Findlay and Granville, Ohio. At the age of 17, ...
and record producer
Tommy LiPuma.
Discography
*''
Depleting Moral Legacy'' (1999)
*''
L Sid'' (2000)
*''
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
'' (2004)
*''
Mucho Leo'' (2014)
CD-Tipp Leo Sidran: Mucho Leo
*'' Cool School (The Music of Michael Franks)'' (2018)
*''The Art of Conversation'' (2021)
With Joy and The Boy
*''Paradise
In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...
'' (2004)
*'' Soaking Wet'' (2007)
*'' Secret Place'' (2009)
With Ben Sidran
*'' The Concert for García Lorca'' (Go Jazz, 1999)
*'' El Elefante'' (2001)
References
External links
Official website
The Third Story (podcast)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sidran, Leo
1976 births
Living people
American multi-instrumentalists
American film score composers
American television composers
Musicians from Madison, Wisconsin
Steve Miller Band members
Record producers from Wisconsin
Singer-songwriters from Wisconsin