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Pianist 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 York' s 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 also been 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 Double Time Records. The first two,
'Bout Time and The Feeling of Jazz are quintet projects with Tom
Harrell, baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan, bassist Dennis Irwin and
drummer Kenny Washington. His third CD, Common Ground is a trio
recording and also features Irwin and Washington. The fourth CD,
Soulmates, includes Ryan Kisor, Joshua Redman, and Lewis Nash, with
Peter Washington on bass and Jon Gordon on alto saxophone. 'Bout
Time was one of the recordings selected as "Record Of The Year" in
the 1989 Jazz Journal Critics Poll. The Feeling of Jazz was chosen
as one of the "Top Ten Records of 1991 " in the Jazz Times' Critics
Poll. Soulmates came in second in the "Best 12 Recordings of 1994"
WBGO Poll (WBGO is the leading jazz radio station in the New York
area). Waltz For An Urbanite features vibraphonist Steve Nelson and
guitarist Peter Bernstein, along with Peter Washington and Kenny
Washington. Waltz For An Urbanite won "Record Of The Month" in its
first month of release on WBGO in Newark. Mike's sixth CD, To Each
His Own, is on the Double Time label. It's a trio featuring Peter
Washington and Mickey Roker on drums. This disc received four stars
in a Downbeat review. Mike's seventh CD Then And Now, also on
Doubletime, is a quintet recording featuring Eric Alexander on tenor
sax, Jim Rotondi, trumpet, Peter Washington on bass, and Joe
Farnsworth on drums. The latest CD Bags'Groove, is a tribute to Milt
Jackson which features Steve Nelson on vibes, along with Jim Snidero
on flute, Steve Wilson on alto flute, Jim Rotondi on flugelhorn,
Steve Davis on trombone, and a rhythm section including Bob Cranshaw
and Mickey Roker. This CD also received 4 stars in Downbeat
magazine.
Mike is the co-author of Jim Snidero's Jazz Conception for Piano and
Piano Comping books, on Advance Music. In Sept. In 2002 Mike joined
the faculty at the Juilliard School of Music. He has won praise not
only from critics but from master musicians: Oscar Peterson picked
him as one of his favorite pianists of today.
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