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Click to hear 'I Keep Searching' from the CD 'The Michael Leasure Band' The player will show in this paragraph
A few of the articles written about Michael Leasure and his music:
By Lindy Shepherd, Orlando Sentinel Title Of Article: Review - Christmas 2000: A Thousand Years of Christmas Music For a trés traditional Christmas revelation, slide into jazzy guitarist Michael Leasure’s easy-listening self-release "Christmas 2000," a solid hour of locally produced spiritual reverie. Subtitled "A Thousand Years of Christmas Music," Leasure’s selections, orchestrations and arrangements are steeped in European lore. His classical guitar roams romantic history for true-to-their-roots revivals of evergreens, including lead track "Angels We Have Heard on High," "What Child Is This" and "The First Noel." Lengthy classical sophistications such as "Jesu, Joy of Mans Desiring" by J.S. Bach and the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" by Peter Tchaikovsky are rich and fulfilling. Then there’s a touch of gothic shadow in "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence," a traditional French number that keeps company with several other historical ghosts, like "Sanctus," from 13th-century Italy. By Jamie Anderson, Orlando Sentinel Title Of Article: Experience seasons Leasure's thoughtful 'Christmas 2000'. Orlando musician Michael Leasure, who recently released 'Christmas 2000', takes time out from a hectic holiday schedule to appreciate the season. "I'm always compelled to thank God for my life and music during the Christmas season," Leasure said. "Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ and is a Christian experience for me. That's why I released 'Christmas 2000'. It's my hope that all who hear it will be moved in the spirit. I hope they will say it's beautiful and that it's respectful of Christmas". Leasure began working on the album nearly two years ago while performing on a Carnival Cruise Line ship and recorded it in his Orlando studio, releasing it earlier this year on MTL Records. Throughout 'Christmas 2000', Leasure has taken traditional holiday favorites and added a personal touch, giving songs like 'Silent Night' and 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing' a new flair. The CD, co-produced by Leasure and Cathryn Smith, is scored for harpsichord, string quintet, woodwind quartet, solo flute, two voices, guitar synthesizer and classical guitar. "This project was really serious for me," he said. "I've been playing Christmas music my whole life and I decided for the new millennium to take my time and really think about the music". By Jim Ash, Florida Today There is far too much electricity surging through Michael Leasure for his wiry, diminutive frame to manage. The excess flows from him in bursts of animated gestures and waves of intense conversation. Unable to sit still very long, Leasure quickly ushers his guest into a makeshift studio in the rear of his spartan, Satellite Beach apartment. The converted bedroom is dominated by racks of blinking electronics, which are in turn tethered by snaking cables to a foot-operated console resting in the middle of the floor. Leasure fingers a miniature floppy disk before allowing it to be swallowed by a mysterious digital computer. Turning around, he straps on a sawed-off electric guitar small enough to fit into a large briefcase, one that looks as if it was designed for the alien nightclub scene in the original Star Wars. Shortly after Leasure plucks the first string, it is clear where his overwhelming personal energy was always meant to flow - The Sound. Bigger than any room it occupies, Leasure's music is lush with synthesized orchestrations, swirled with electronic clarinets and trumpets, and punctuated by laser sharp, operating-room clean guitar riffs. The entire package is bound tightly together with the rich pulsing of electronic drums and percussion. At the twist of a dial, the unmistakable sound of a full choir rises and falls in cadence with the dance of his fingers across the frets. He pushes another button and woodwind solos bolt from the strings. It's almost too much to believe all this music is coming from the single intense man with the Star Wars guitar. The scene is something from 'Fantasia', with Leasure the wizard-like conductor of an awesome but invisible orchestra - each wave of his hand producing another musical synesthesia. A strong element of magic surrounds Leasure and his music. By Gary Hritz, Marietta Times Simply referring to Michael Leasure as a guitar player doesn't begin to describe him. Bending and twisting with each shift in the mood of his composition while performing an intricate tap dance to activate the numerous foot pedals in front of him, Leasure resembles a dancer interpreting the very music he is creating. And the music he creates is truly something unique. A blending of technology and emotion programmed into the thousands of dollars worth of equipment he uses to perform his works. By Richard Rickey, Florida Party Guide Rare is the opportunity for a person to experience something great, something truly beautiful. The time has come, for us, and for them, the Michael Leasure Band. If you are of an inquisitive nature, with a sincere desire for education, and not to mention a love for musical growth, then you need to experience the Michael Leasure Band. A band that is not only musically sound but mentally sound as well. The MLB is an original music project. Their relationship between mind and music should only be interpreted by your own personal experience. Their goal is to move you spiritually, musically. Raw power that seizes your inner thoughts and transforms them into a beautiful melodic painting. In closing, don't be surprised to overhear the following, "Hey, I saw this show last night and this guy was playing a guitar (that looked like a space weapon) but, the sounds coming from it were...piano, flute, steel drums, and trumpet"! You have to see it to believe it! By Arleen Zorbis, Brevard Magazine Michael Leasure clearly took over the evening with his computers, synthesized sounds and incredible creative talent. A slim, young looking man, one would never suspect that his powerful, soaring, emotional and well-practiced classical style could be bent into the shape of the high tech astonishment that he manages to produce. It is a fusion. He interacts with his electronic equipment in such a way that while you can see he is well planned, he doesn't lose that spontaneous, giving quality that reminds you of genius. You become enraptured by sound. His total involvement with what he does comes through. Leasure has several hundred original compositions behind him. He infects the audience with his energy and enthusiasm when he talks about his music and especially when he plays. By Lisa Olen, Observer The Michael Leasure Trio performs for the art of making glorious music. With their innovative style and harmonious sound, audiences who hear the band cannot stop raving about their performances. The trio includes Michael Leasure, a composer, guitar synthesizer player and creative stylist; Michael Bocchicchio, an innovative and acclaimed bassist and improviser and Michael Welch, a musical pioneer whose quadragrip drum technique has been hailed as diverse and unique. Attendees at the 1997 Winter Park Autumn Art Festival will have the unique opportunity to hear this highly acclaimed trio perform compositions of impressionalism, expressionalism, abstract, jazz, classical, world music, and more. Their performances have been praised as 'fearless and defying all musical categorization'. Dave Latchaw, The Zine (Interview conducted with Michael in 2003) This Month's Guest Artist:
It was the 60's and 70's. There were a lot of paying gigs around and a lot of interaction with other musicians. I was not only playing music at an early age, I was composing as well. The first piece of music I ever played was my own composition. I grew up in Marietta, Ohio and there certainly was no one in that town that cared whether I had my own voice or not. They probably would have been happier if I played and sounded like John Denver. I remember being told a lot that I was different. My voice first emerged as a blend of rock,
classical and folk. It was what the area wanted to hear and I got paying
gigs. Lucky for me I landed a resort gig outside of NYC when I was 18
and fully immersed myself in jazz. The first well known jazz musicians
I heard were Charlie Parker, George Benson, Tal Farlow, Chick Corea and
Freddie Hubbard. Most of the artists were recording on the CTI label.
This music was coming from a completely different place/culture. In my
trying to reconcile my Ohio roots to this music I discovered an artist
that helped me to define who I was. His name was Keith Jarrett. His music
moved me to a place I wanted to be. Jarrett had the technique of a classical
virtuoso and the creative ideas of a jazz artist. This artist, through
his recordings, helped me to define for myself what I wanted to strive
for and gave me the inspiration to continue. This opened up the world
of the EMC recording artists. I was captivated with the artists, their
sound and their music. Boston was the next place for me. Q3 How have your private studies
with Mick Goodrick, Gary Burton and Michael Gibbs influenced you and your
musical directions? I took 10 lessons with Mick Goodrick and I give him credit for influencing more than a generation of Boston guitarists. Both Mick Goodrick and John Abercrombie. Up until this time I was self taught. I also wanted to know Pat Metheny and I took one lesson with him. As much as I liked him and his music, this was not a positive experience overall, but he did like the way I played. I used to play a lot of his music from Bright Size Life. Since he has become a star I resent the credit he receives for the creative work of others. Gary Burton was instrumental in clarifying my theory questions about improvisation. Michael Gibbs was another teacher who helped me to define who I was as an orchestrator/arranger. To this day I still hear traditional classical orchestrations as the background instrumentation for the way I play. It's the Chamber/Jazz style that I hear. For example: "Christmas of Yore" - A Thousand Years Of Christmas Music.
It can be work and re-work. For the most part the last 5 years have not been about "serious" composing for me. The music never stops but it has been music that usually fits on one page of manuscript, it is easily readable/understandable/playable by other musicians and resonates naturally with my music's eternal self. Sometimes it is logical and clever - Sometimes it is naive and innocent. When describing "First and Third View Of An Ocean", I say it goes everywhere and nowhere. The germ of all of my compositions is inspiration.
Out of all the really happening vocal material that I had written for The Spliff Bros, Big Bang Theory and The Michael Leasure Band my understanding was that Dr. Butler was not interested in any of it. I was a bit baffled since the style was really developed and it had a huge audience. I didn't consider myself a great singer but the music/performances were explosive. Truthfully, I was performing with great instrumentalists that did not want to sing. I had written a piece called "Song For Michelle". It was a beautiful instrumental piece that Dr. Butler categorized as my trademark chamber/jazz/new age style. After Dr. Butler heard the tape of it he came to see me perform solo in Florida. On my first break Dr Butler and I talked about the Bartok string quartets. I knew at that point that I was in good hands. He said he wanted to sign me and flew in producer Ronnie Foster. I was performing solo with The Maynard Ferguson Big Band in the next room! I remember getting a lot of nasty looks from that band. I was blowin' solos with my guitar synth using sax/trumpet samples and the midi production was a wall of sound. Subsequently I was set up in a studio and began to compose 300 pieces over a 5 year period receiving phone calls from Dr. Butler every once in a while saying he really enjoyed my music and my sound, and to hang in there as I was moving to NYC. There was talk of Dr. Butler actually producing the recordings himself. I think I was a curious artist for Dr. Butler. I played guitar synth, midi had exploded, I had classical roots, new age was being marketed, my sounds were avant garde, and considering his history in recorded jazz, I am not sure that he ever really understood electronic instruments. He did know though that the whole package was fresh, modern and interesting. Quote from Dr. Butler, "This music invokes my curiosity". Sony bought CBS, Dr. Butler departed, and all that I had worked on for 5 years never actually got professionally recorded/released. It was an amazing experience living with the fact that it doesn't get any bigger than this, that the music I heard in my head was to be released internationally and that my music values and what I had lived for my whole life, were validated by one of the most respected executive producers in jazz. Politics has really hurt me, and my career, time and time again. At least now I know what it is about, instead of beating myself up constantly and not feeling like I was good enough. I now know when the politics are working for me or against me. This was a hard lesson to learn for a musician farm boy from Ohio and I will never forget how many relationships in my life changed with my apparent "success". In this 5-year period I never got to ride a bicycle, instead I was expected to fly at supersonic speeds in a rocket in regards to creativity and virtuosity. I received no technical help with production, no creative advice or direction, and not one answer to any problems I was having with my career. I was a solo artist that was going to be placed in a variety of musical situations that suited the producers and my executive producer at CBS. I was expected to perform at 110% at anytime, in any situation. I received all the praise and criticism to last 2 lifetimes, finally learning that what anyone says about another person’s art means absolutely nothing. It is what we artists choose to create that matters. Let the popularity, money, star cards fall where they will. At the time, I met and spoke to some of
the most powerful execs in the business, including the president of Polygram,
one of Michael Jackson’s producers, The Miami Sound Machine’s
manager and many, many others. If I had even one conversation with anyone
with even a distant memory of what it was like to be a musician in any
of those meetings, I walked away feeling good. Q6 What do you want the listeners
to get from your recordings "Ethereality" series, "Two
Views of an Ocean", "Edge of Success, Live 88 - 90" and
"Christmas of Yore"? "Two Views Of An Ocean" is purely avant-garde. The guitar synth paints the imaginary ocean. "It goes everywhere and nowhere, and represents my music's eternal self". "Edge Of Success" clearly represents one of the only performances of mine while under contract expressing the excitement in my life and in my music. This music is part of the 300 pieces composed while under contract preparing to record for CBS. I intend to release a lot more from this period when I find the time to dedicate myself to the task. "Christmas of Yore" is beautiful and respectful of Christmas, which began as a celebration of the birth of Jesus and the beginning of Christianity. I know that this is not the case anymore for many American musicians, as evidenced by the garbage I hear on the radio every year that has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas. "Christmas of Yore" began in the library as I researched Christmas music from the catholic and orthodox churches. There has been a massive amount of unbelievably beautiful music written for Christmas that people will never get to hear. My research began with Hildegard Von Bingen, a nun in a German monastery around the year 1000 AD, and stopped at the 20th century, where my interest waned. Another note to add here is that "Christmas of Yore" was turned down by every attempt to get a sponsorship/grant. It's sales were denied by Carnival Cruise Lines and distribution for it was also impossible for me to get. I was paid no advances and it cost at least $15,000 to complete. It has sold approx 500 copies and earned approximately $2000.00 for Internet airplay.
Q7 How has the Internet helped with
your musical activities? I want to be successful as an independent. I do not want to be owned, bought and paid for. I know I need partnerships, a lot of money, luck, and as of late, the new developments with mp3 - it is all but impossible. Still, I take the contracts that are offered to me, play and write my best, and hope for an independent music business revival.
Q8 What future projects should people
look for from you? I am undecided on the direction(s) at this point. It would be nice to release a couple of "jazz" CD's. The jazz style sells and people are usually interested in these CD’s to a point. Sometimes the business gets complex when recording standards. Not all of them are in the public domain and so for an independent it is not worth dealing with, and obtaining and paying for the rights. Besides, this puts money in the pockets of an industry that does not put money in my pocket! What always works is recording my music or the collective trio material. I have plans to finish a chamber jazz CD - "As The Seasons Flow". I have been separated from my gear this past year and have not had the time to work on it. The last time I worked on a project of this magnitude it took me 2 years. It is possible for the fall of 2004. The trio will be busy until November 2003. After that time I hope to set up shop again and get this project done. The trio will be performing on Carnival’s
ship The Legend, and taking a lot of gear is sometimes impossible.
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