Lee, Nancy Ann - Jazz Times (April, 1997) - John Leitham

Webmaster's note: Jennifer wishes it to be known that she does not consider herself to be self-taught and that she has had many teachers and mentors in her career who have helped her become the musician she is today. Jennifer would especially like to acknowledge her first teacher, Al Stauffer who helped her to start her musical journey. There are few left-handed string bass players, especially if they aren't lefties to begin with. An exception is 43-year-old Los Angeles bassist John Leitham (pronounced LITE-em), who worked with Mel Tormé for nearly a decade until the singer's 1996 stroke. Mostly self-taught, Leitham fingers with his right hand, plucks or bows with his left, a technique that has served him well professionally for 21 years in numerous performances and recordings with Tormé, George Shearing, Bob Cooper and other jazz luminaries. Lefty Leaps In, Leitham's third album for USA Music Group, features a fresh mix of eleven straight ahead standards, lesser-known gems and two originals. No matter the setting, well-arranged catchy melodies and constantly swinging grooves grab your attention. "When you're arranging for a jazz recording, you have to have room to let the players play, because a jazz record is about how well the guys play," says Leitham. The "guys" on this disc include studio musicians Leitham's worked with in the past--soloists Pete Christlieb and Ricky Woodard (tenor saxophonists), Bill Watrous (trombone), and Barry Zweig (guitar). Pianist Tom Ranier enlivens throughout. Drummers Roy McCurdy and Jeff Hamilton split duties, locking tightly with Leitham, whose performances sparkles with buoyancy and imagination. Leitham's inspirators include Edgar Meyer, Oscar Pettiford, Paul Chambers and Ray Brown. Brown's long time cohort, Hamilton, adds much to the album and empowers Leitham to innovative renderings, especially on his snappy original, "The Studio City Stomp," destined to become a classic. McCurdy is equally inspiring, particularly on the swifty Sonny Rollins' bopper, "Oleo." Recorded last year in three separate sessions, Lefty Leaps In contains many memorable moments. Leitham brilliantly changes (sic) a CD you can listen to from beginning to end without getting bored with the sound of it.