Leanne Weatherly

Jazz Vocals Paired with Indian Food; Leanne Weatherly at Junnoon Restaurant
Posted: 2007-07-18 comments


Jazz vocalist Leanne Weatherly is now singing at Junnoon Restaurant in Palo Alto with a jazz trio every Sunday evening until September 30th. Leanne, a local music teacher at Crittenden Middle School in Mountain View, is currently working on her second jazz album due to be released in October.
Junnoon is a modern Indian restaurant featuring bold, healthy, flavor intense cuisine. Located in the heart of Dowtown Palo Alto, this restaurant was rated one of the top 20 best restaurants in 2006 by Esquire Magazine.

Leanne Weatherly
and the Junnoon Jazz Trio
Every Sunday Evening
6:15-8:15 PM
Junnoon Restaurant
150 University, Palo Alto
(Corner of University and High Street)


- It's All About Jazz

Jazz Vocalist Leanne Weatherly Profiled in Mountain View Voice
Posted: 2007-11-30 comments


Leanne Weatherly is featured in the Arts Section of the Mountain View Voice. The article highlights Leanne's commitment to music education and discusses how she sets an example for her students with her active professional career as a jazz vocalist.
Additionally, the article discusses Leanne's latest CD release, “Go and Find" with insights offered by the CD's producer, Tom Tomasello.


- It's All About Jazz

Leanne Weatherly Quintet Jazz for Sweethearts Concert in San Jose February 9
Posted: 2007-02-08 comments


February is a time to express one's love and admiration for his or her sweetheart. Crittenden Middle School's Music Teacher Leanne Weatherly is busy expressing her love and passion for creating and singing jazz music. Teacher by day, singer/songwriter by night. You would think these would conflict but they compliment each other. “Music is my life and by performing it professionally, I am showing the kids that you can do anything your heart desires if it is your passion. It took them by surprise when I showed them my two CDs. They had no idea that their teacher could also be a recording artist and performer."
Leanne has a degree from San Jose State University in Voice. She is also a member of the West Coast Songwriters Association where she learned the craft of songwriting. It was there that she met Concord Records A&R Vice-President Nick Phillips. While she is not currently signed with the label, Nick has played trumpet on her latest CD and is helping her get funding for her next project. Leanne is hoping that her next album will get their attention. Her team is working very hard on it and she has one of the best Bay Area producers, Tom Tomasello, helping her record this project.

Leanne Weatherly began singing at the age of 13 in musicals. Ever since then, she has been pursuing her dream of becoming a touring jazz artist and music education advocate. She is still taking voice lessons and attends seminars for songwriting. Her song “Sunny Skies" with its Michael Buble-style big band arrangement won fourth place out of 708 other songs on the American Idol Underground contest web site. “I like to sing, write good songs, learn as much as I can about the music industry and talk about the importance of music education. Someday, I want to be able to raise money for music programs in need of funding."

After performing with guitar player Pat Smith for three years at the Espresso Garden Cafe's Open Mics, Leanne decided to put her own band together and began booking gigs. “We started in a coffee house when we were in our development phase. We then moved on to Santana Row and the Agenda Lounge. Now we are getting bookings throughout the Bay Area."


Listing her influences, Leanne says, “I have heard people tell me that I sound like Diane Schuur or Linda Ronstadt in her jazz days." I don't mind that at all! They are great singers". Her songwriting is similar to the style of Norah Jones and Michael Buble. “It's kind of a cross between jazz and pop music. I like to cross genres so that everyone can listen to it...from the young teenager to the seasoned jazz listener. Jazz is a great genre that is not marketed towards the youth often enough."

You can see Leanne and her quintet perform at the Agenda Lounge on Friday, February 9th at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. Check out her web site at: www.leanneweatherly.com.


WHO: The Leanne Weatherly Quintet
WHAT: Jazz for Sweethearts Concert
WHEN: Friday, February 9, 2007
WHERE: The Agenda Lounge
399 South First Street
San Jose, CA 95113-2804
(408) 287-3991



- It's All About Jazz

News - Friday, November 30, 2007

Teaching jazz by example
Crittenden's Leanne Weatherly shows kids how it's done with local gigs, new album
by Alexa Tondreau


For Crittenden Middle School music teacher Leanne Weatherly, teaching sixth grade music lessons in the morning, conducting private voice lessons in the afternoon, and performing as a jazz vocalist at night is all in a day's work.

Weatherly, whose new album "Go and Find ..." comes out Dec. 21, said she likes to stay busy, even hectic.

"I like to be involved all the time with everything. I wouldn't be able to choose between teaching and performing, I like them both so much," she said in an interview earlier this week.

A native of Hollister, Weatherly brings her energy and enthusiasm to "Go and Find ..." which includes an equal mix of jazz standards and Weatherly's own original work. Her third full-length album, it combines elements of big band, R&B and pop.

Weatherly is a graduate of San Jose State's music studies program and a regular performer at concerts and clubs around the Bay Area, including a summer gig every Sunday night at Junnoon's Restaurant in Palo Alto. These days, she's also gearing up to promote and perform what she considers to be her strongest work to date.

Her expressive, colorful vocal style is an ideal pairing with the friendly, personal tone of her songwriting.

"I draw inspiration from a lot of things that happen in my life, and the lives of people around me. I like to write songs people can relate to, but I also like to inspire," she said.

"Sunny Skies," an up-tempo number written by Weatherly, is a standout track on the record and one of her personal favorites.

"It's all about looking toward a more positive future, and believing things can get better," she said.

Tom Tomasello, who produced "Go and Find..." with Weatherly and played keyboards on the album, said she "speaks the language" of music with ease, and is "the kind of artist who knows what she wants."

Tomasello, himself an accomplished musician, producer and arranger who has worked with superstars Al Green and Loretta Lynn, cites Weatherly's strength as a vocalist and her stage presence as the main draws of her act.

"Her vocals are very strong, and she is so engaging when she sings. She'll go into these interludes where she'll sing to the audience, and it's completely improvisatory, which is the spirit of jazz. People really like that," he said.

Weatherly is a die-hard jazz enthusiast, and said she strives to cultivate an appreciation for the musical art form in her students at Crittenden. Without the interest of the younger generations, Weatherly said, jazz could disappear altogether, and already she sees a deficit in the Bay Area for good jazz clubs and shows.

Part of the problem, she thinks, is the difficulty some people face when it comes to understanding jazz.

"Jazz can be hard to listen to. It's a lot of freestyle and not much structure. Generally you have to be music-educated to like it, and that's one of the reasons I'm a teacher. I'm trying to teach my students to play music, but also to be listeners. You have to listen to a lot of jazz before you start to get it," she said.

The Crittenden community has been very supportive of her career, Weatherly said, and quite a few students and parents turned out recently for her CD release concert on Nov. 16 at Crittenden, which featured a 10-piece band and a six-piece horn section.

Students are "always shocked" to see Weatherly step out of her teacher's role and into her singing role, she said with a laugh. She views music instruction as a primary means to develop children's self-esteem, and hopes that when they see her perform, it helps to inspire their self-confidence.

Weatherly herself has become more confident as a performer over the years, said Tomasello — in part, he thinks, because her work as a teacher has honed her ability to communicate to an audience and be "acutely aware" of its needs. (It's not so easy on the vocal cords, however: "Teaching is one of the worst jobs for a vocalist," Weatherly said. "Your voice gets so tired.")

"Clearly she's continuing to grow as an artist," Tomasello said. "I've seen her grow in confidence, technique and quality. This is her best album, and I have no doubt her next one will be even better."

INFORMATION:

"Go and Find ..." an album of jazz standards and songs performed by Leanne Weatherly, will be released Dec. 21. For more on Weatherly or to purchase the CD, visit leanneweatherly.com.

E-mail Alexa Tondreau at atondreau@mv-voice.com - The Mountain View Voice

ALSO PRINTED IN THE PALO ALTO WEEKLY

Teaching jazz by example
Peninsula music teacher shows kids how it's done with new album
by Alexa Tondreau


For music teacher Leanne Weatherly, teaching sixth grade music lessons at Mountain View's Crittenden Middle School in the morning, conducting private voice lessons in the afternoon, and performing as a jazz vocalist at night is all in a day's work.

Weatherly, whose new album "Go and Find..." comes out Dec. 21, said she likes to stay busy, even hectic.

"I like to be involved all the time with everything. I wouldn't be able to choose between teaching and performing; I like them both so much," she said.

A native of Hollister, Weatherly brings her energy and enthusiasm to "Go and Find..." which includes an equal mix of jazz standards and Weatherly's own original work. Her third full-length album, it combines elements of big band, R&B and pop.

Weatherly is a graduate of San Jose State's music studies program and a regular performer at concerts and clubs around the Bay Area, including a summer gig every Sunday night at Junnoon restaurant in Palo Alto. These days, she's also gearing up to promote and perform what she considers to be her strongest work to date, sung in an expressive, colorful vocal style.

"I draw inspiration from a lot of things that happen in my life, and the lives of people around me. I like to write songs people can relate to, but I also like to inspire," she said.

"Sunny Skies," an up-tempo number written by Weatherly, is one of her personal favorites.

"It's all about looking toward a more positive future, and believing things can get better," she said.

Tom Tomasello, who produced "Go and Find..." with Weatherly and played keyboards on the album, said she "speaks the language" of music with ease, and is "the kind of artist who knows what she wants."

Tomasello, himself an accomplished musician, producer and arranger who has worked with Al Green and Loretta Lynn, cites Weatherly's strength as a vocalist and her stage presence as the main draws of her act.

"Her vocals are very strong, and she is so engaging when she sings. She'll go into these interludes where she'll sing to the audience, and it's completely improvisatory, which is the spirit of jazz. People really like that," he said.

Weatherly is a die-hard jazz enthusiast, and said she strives to cultivate an appreciation for the musical art form in her students at Crittenden. Without the interest of the younger generations, Weatherly said, jazz could disappear altogether Already she sees a deficit in the Bay Area for good jazz clubs and shows.

Part of the problem, she thinks, is the difficulty some people face when it comes to understanding jazz.

"Jazz can be hard to listen to. It's a lot of freestyle and not much structure. Generally you have to be music-educated to like it, and that's one of the reasons I'm a teacher. I'm trying to teach my students to play music, but also to be listeners. You have to listen to a lot of jazz before you start to get it," she said.

The Crittenden community has been very supportive of her career, Weatherly said, and quite a few students and parents turned out last month for her CD release concert on Nov. 16 at Crittenden, which featured a 10-piece band and a six-piece horn section.

Students are "always shocked" to see Weatherly step out of her teacher's role and into her singing role, she said with a laugh. She views music instruction as a primary means to develop children's self-esteem, and hopes that when they see her perform, it helps to inspire their self-confidence.

Weatherly herself has become more confident as a performer over the years, said Tomasello — in part, he thinks, because her work as a teacher has honed her ability to communicate to an audience and be "acutely aware" of its needs. (It's not so easy on the vocal cords, however: "Teaching is one of the worst jobs for a vocalist," Weatherly said. "Your voice gets so tired.")

"Clearly she's continuing to grow as an artist," Tomasello said. "I've seen her grow in confidence, technique and quality. This is her best album, and I have no doubt her next one will be even better."

Info: "Go and Find ..." an album of jazz standards and songs performed by Leanne Weatherly, will be released Dec. 21. For more on Weatherly or to purchase the CD, go to leanneweatherly.com. - Palo Alto Weekly

”Recognized for her ability as a songwriter, Leanne Weatherly, a music teacher by profession, is also a wonderful vocalist with two previous albums to her credit. Go and Find..., her third CD release, is one of those light jazz vocal recordings that presents the gentler side of jazz. The album contains five originals including the title tune from her debut recording, Chocolate and Roses, as well as a Latin jazz arrangement of Duke Ellington, Caravan, and a bouncy, hip rendition of Billie Holiday, God Bless the Child. Weatherly uses no less than twenty musicians playing on different tracks and offers a big band sound on such tunes as Simple Things and Sunny Skies. The lady shares vocals with special guest Dan Fryer on the lovely Christine McVie composition Songbird against the background of Tom Tomasello guitar and Jeff Rzepiela foray on the flute for one tasteful song. Tomasello plays a major part on this recording providing many arrangements as well playing the piano, strings and the drums. Other special songs include the smooth-like title tune, Oo So Cool where the lady offers some stylish scatting, the mellow Midnight at the Oasis, and the soft melodic The Water is Wide. For an enjoyable and relaxing session of music I urge you to search for Leanne Weatherly Go and Find and let her oft described colorful and expressive vocal style impress you as she has this listener.” ~Edward Blanco, Ejazz News


- E-Jazz News

”Leanne Weatherly is a voice that is described as “pure”, and at times one can tell her influences come from two to three generations ago, and nothing wrong with that. Go and Find... (self-released) has the class and beauty of jazz and pop singers of the past, but she can also do things with a contemporary touch, which means she will not be limited by her own interests. She writes a good amount of her material and one can tell why she is a part of the West Coast Songwriters Association, this lady knows about the art of the song. Let me repeat that for emphasis: this lady knows about the art of the song. It's nice to hear someone who sings her own words and does it as a way to say “this is from me, this is me, this is what I am about”, which you can hear in songs like “Simple Things”, “Go and Find”, “Oo So Cool”, and “Chocolate and Roses”. When she does cover other songs, she does so by understanding the song, the music, and its intent, and in turn becoming the new voice of the song. Her versions of ”Caravan”, “Midnight At The Oasis”, “God Bless The Child”, and even Fleetwood Mac's “Songbird” are remarkable, and she is backed by a wide range of musicians who know how to paint the soundscape with their playing.” ~John Book, The Run Off Groove #204


- The Run Off Groove

”The kind of vocalist in the know jazzbos rave about, Weatherly is clearly poised for breaking out of the hipster ghetto and letting the rest of the world know about her gifts. Simply a vocalist that knows her way around a song and has jazz in her soul, this vocalist is more than a thrush that needs to be pointed in the right direction to look good. With a mature edge that she uses to her advantage, this is aimed at the kind of Starbucks customer that wants something more than something that full of beans. A tasty taste treat throughout.”~Chris Spector, Midwest Record Recap.

- Midwest Record Recap.