Articles

Jennifer Leitham: Mood (S)wings

by Jack Bowers
August 17, 2015

One of the rules of thumb in jazz is that hardly anyone ever looks forward to a bass solo. Rules, however, were made to be broken, and a case in point is multi-talented Jennifer Leitham whose solos on Mood (S)wings are nimble, well-crafted and consistently engaging--in other words, worth looking forward to. Not that anything less would be expected from someone who has been at the top of her game for more nearly four decades and performed with a who's ...

Jennifer Leitham: Future Christmas

by Jack Bowers
November 24, 2014

The spirit of Christmas past, present and future overspreads this charming holiday album by virtuosic bassist Jennifer Leitham's working trio (Andy Langham, piano; Randy Drake, drums) on which she offsets a program comprised mainly of established seasonal favorites with some tantalizing curves (for example, her own “Future Christmas," a.k.a “The Global Warming Winter Holiday Blues," or Bob Dorough's clever “Blue Christmas" --not to be confused with Elvis Presley's version from the '50s). Such uncommon departures seem only proper, as there ...

Jennifer Leitham: The Real Me

by Jack Bowers
December 14, 2006

Those who know Jennifer Leitham best will most appreciate the title of The Real Me. Others need know only that she is a terrific bassist--and not a bad singer either.

The album is comprised entirely of Leitham's invariably charming compositions, and much of it is performed by her trio with pianist Josh Nelson and drummer Randy Drake, which has been a working unit for several years. The exceptions are “Keni's Song, a vibrant solo vehicle for Leitham; “Riff Raff, on ...