Michael Leonhart Orchestra - Suite Extracts Vol.1 on CD

Description

Hailed as "a blazing hot mess of awesome" by The New York City Jazz Record, the Michael Leonhart Orchestra (MLO) traverses a huge swath of musical terrain, guided by the highly developed ears, ceaselessly omnivorous tastes and playful yet meticulous artistry of its leader, Michael Leonhart. 'Suite Extracts Vol. I' follows their 2018 debut album 'The Painted Lady Suite'. The first single from the album is "Shimmy Shimmy Ya/Glaciers of Ice," an orchestral instrumental medley of songs by Ol' Dirty Bastard and Raekwon from "The Wu-Tang Suite." This surprising collection documents an aspect of the MLO's mission: playing covers, but in the Leonhart way - with widely disparate material ranging from Fela Kuti to Spinal Tap to Howlin' Wolf to Ornette Coleman curated into suites, forming anarchic yet coherent thoughts on many of Leonhart's chief musical passions. The album features notable guests Chris Potter, Nels Cline, Donny McCaslin, John Ellis, Erik Friedlander and many others in the context of a vibrant and unclassifiable 20-piece ensemble.