Leonardo Pellegrino, also known as Leo P, is a baritone saxophonist based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He was born June 3, 1991, in the city of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. He is the youngest son of accordionist and composer Stephen Pellegrino.

Education

Pellegrino graduated from city schools — Pittsburgh Liberty Elementary School (K-5) and

Rogers Middle School for the Creative and Performing Arts Rogers Middle School for the Creative and Performing Arts (Rogers CAPA) was an arts magnet school located in Garfield, near East Liberty, and Highland Park neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Rogers CAPA offers students nine Arts majors: ...

(CAPA). He got his degree at the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...

in 2013. While at the Manhattan School of Music, Pellegrino recorded with its Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra.Yanow, Scott (July 2014) "Manhattan School Of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra with Bobby Sanabria – Qué Viva Harlem!". ''Down Beat''. p. 69.

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born October 4, 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author.Allmusic Biography/ref> Biography Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Since 1974, he was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles an ...

's review of the album noted "Pellegrino's use of extreme high notes as punctuation during his passionate solo on 'Let There Be Swing'."

Career

He is a member of the "brass house" band

Too Many Zooz Too Many Zooz is an American music group based in New York City, consisting of Leo Pellegrino ( baritone saxophone), Matt "Doe" Muirhead (trumpet) and David "King of Sludge" Parks ( drums). Formation and viral fame Pellegrino and Muirhead met a ...

and former member of the

Lucky Chops Lucky Chops is an American band from New York City formed in 2006. The band started at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School and was founded by sousaphone player Raphael Buyo along with trombonist Josh Holcomb and saxophonist and clarinetist Daro Beh ...

brass band. On November 30, 2019, Pellegrino and alto saxophonist

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. Kelly ...

announced a long-term collaboration project known as 2SAXY. Pellegrino is "perhaps best known for his impressive dance moves while performing on the baritone saxophone. A number of videos with Pellegrino have gained wide popularity on YouTube, due in equal parts to his playing, dancing, and vibrant hair and dress styles." Many videos of Too Many Zooz have gone 'viral' showing the band busking in New York City Subway stations, particularly the always busy

Union Square Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

station." Too Many Zooz featured on

Beyoncé Knowles Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

's 2016 album ''

Lemonade Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored beverage. There are varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In North America and South Asia, cloudy still lemonade is the most common variety. There it is traditionally a homemade drink using le ...

'' and joined her for a performance of "

Daddy Lessons "Daddy Lessons" is a song recorded by the American singer Beyoncé for her sixth studio album, ''Lemonade'' (2016). The song was written and produced by Wynter Gordon, Beyoncé, Kevin Cossom and Alex Delicata. The song's music video is part of a o ...

" at the 2016

Country Music Association Awards The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony f ...

. Pellegrino was a guest player with the

Metropole Orkest The Metropole Orkest (Metropole Orchestra) is a jazz and pop orchestra based in the Netherlands, and is the largest full-time ensemble of its kind in the world. A hybrid orchestra, it is a combination of jazz, big band and symphony orchestra. Com ...

in a 2017

BBC Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

concert on the works of

Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians and ...

John Fordham John Fordham (died 1425) was Bishop of Durham and Bishop of Ely. Fordham was keeper of the privy seal of Prince Richard from 1376 to 1377 and Dean of Wells before being named Lord Privy Seal in June 1377. He held that office until December 1381 ...

of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' commented on "Pellegrino's hook-punctuated sax playing and busker's line in simultaneous pirouettes, knee-trembles and high kicks ..by accident or design, the newcomer did emphasise the joyous impulsiveness of an American musical giant often characterised as only a tortured genius." Pellegrino performed with Too Many Zooz at

Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club that has operated in Soho, London, since 1959. History The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was set up and managed by musicians Ronnie Sco ...

in London in November 2017.

Equipment

In March 2019 Pellegrino was announced as a

Yamaha Yamaha may refer to: * Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below). ** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...

artist; he plays a Yamaha YBS-52 baritone saxophone. He endorses the Theo Wanne Durga 3 mouthpiece with an 8* tip opening.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pellegrino, Leo Living people Musicians from Pittsburgh 1991 births American jazz baritone saxophonists