Carl Sonny Leyland
Carl Sonny Leyland is an Anglo-American boogie woogie, blues and jazz pianist. He was born in 1965 near Southampton, England, but as a child was drawn to American music. At age 15, he discovered boogie woogie, and was inspired to make the piano his career. He came to New Orleans in 1988, and built a reputation in the clubs there for the next nine years. In 1997, he relocated to California, where he joined Big Sandy & His Flyrite Boys, a rockabilly and western swing group, touring with them for three years. Since then his repertoire has included ragtime and early jazz. He formed the Carl Sonny Leyland Trio in 2003 with Hal Smith on drums (later replaced by Jeff Hamilton) and Marty Eggers on bass. The trio plays primarily boogie woogie and traditional jazz. It has recorded seven CDs and performs regularly in festivals.
Leyland is regarded highly by critics and considered to be one of the top attractions at jazz festivals (“We cannot heap enough praise on Carl Sonny Leyland. Not only is he a great solo pianist, he is an asset to any band and amazes other musicians…”)
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