Album Notes

GROOVE YARD has been described by Derick Winterberg as "...Straight-ahead jazz for the smooth and contemporary jazz set. His selections definately have the unmistakable energy and improvisation that marks it as straight-ahead but is so warm and inviting that it would be appropriate to have it playing while you're romanticising that special someone in your life."

In this debut release from Pacific Coast Jazz, journeyman flutist Bradley Leighton, provides an album of beautiful, artfully arranged jazz standards that combine Bradley's full, rich, melodious playing of the flutes with one of Southern California's premier rhythm sections. Add to that a perfectly engineered recording and you will enjoy an album of exceptional quality one may not expect from an artists's first release. An album you will be able to enjoy over and over again.

A little about Bradley:
Bradley's talent as a musician was evident at an early age; he was always enamored by his parent's old Hobart player piano in the family room. He was in grade school when he started piano lessons. When he entered high school near Seattle, he wanted to be in the band and his mother asked what he wanted to play - the flute was the lightest item to carry on his long walk to school so she endeavored to find him one. He was classically trained at first but before graduation became interested in the sounds of the big bands and that of Maynard Ferguson, Stan Kenton and Woody Herman but also took a liking to the R&B sounds of Tower of Power, Earth Wind and Fire and the Brecker Brothers. He gained a fondness for the after hours clubs in Seattle. It was in these clubs where African American players would laugh at his showing up and wanting to play but were surprised and pleased at how "the skinny white boy can play."

Immediately after high school he played in the Army's 9th Infantry Division band at Ft. Lewis, Washington where he served for a time as musical director of the jazz ensemble. A tour with the 8th Army band in Seoul, Korea followed. Upon finishing his tour in the service, Bradley remained in Seoul for a time teaching and playing jazz in the country's (at that time) only jazz bar.

Missing the States and family he returned to Seattle where he spent the next 15 years playing in a wide variety of groups... mostly rhythm and blues bands, hammond organ trios, funky dance bands and some jazz. His career has included shows with international stars such as Bobby McFerrin, Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie and Patti Kim. His career found him in San Diego in 2001 and in 2003 he recorded and released his first solo CD, "Groove Yard" and continues on his musical path. "Groove Yard" is now getting some 100+ spins weekly across the nation including cities like New Orleans, Chicago and San Jose. His biggest contingent of fans are in Hawaii where his "Groove Yard" was first played by Ken Trapin of KKCR on Kauai and Don Gordon of KIPO in Honolulu.

His sound on the flute is large, warm and inviting; a gorgeous sound, with a centered, overtone-rich quality. His performances are engaging and energetic with a range of styles. There's an inherent rhythmic drive in his melodic lines and an imaginative harmonic vision. There's technique to spare - a hefty tone that stays warm and rounded from the sultry low resister to the highest notes, dazzling speed and articulation, octave-hopping agility, fluency with bent notes and alternate fingerings.

He is a clinician and teacher and has received kudos for his workshop, "Jazz Improvisation for the Classically Trained Flutist." His theory on music education is simple: "We need to make music fun again... Let's not get bogged down with the technique and theory - that's too much like calculus and physics to most students. Instead, we should be teaching the skills that our students will use to express their musical ideas for the rest of their lives." His teaching schedule is full and he prefers people with enthusiasm for their work and not those that need to be dogged for practice. He performs weekly at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines, various clubs in the San Diego County area and has a good following. He is available in a duo, as leader of his own quartet and sextet, and as a feature soloist with other bands.

He can now be found in San Diego playing, teaching and tanning. His weekly gig at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines is from 5 - 8 in their lobby lounge. He'll be at the IAJE convention in January 2004 at booth #322. He's also working on his next CD that he hopes will be available in the spring of 2004. We know you'll like his CD; it's wonderful.