By Robert Ham | Published February 2020
Jay Leonhart can be forgiven for playing it safe on Joy. That’s the leverage you earn after cultivating a long career in the jazz industry, backing up legends like Judy Garland, Tony Bennett and Gerry Mulligan. And at 79, Leonhart’s still playing the bass with the nimble hands of a youngster. That said, if you’ve been following his discography since he started releasing leader dates in the ’80s, you’ll notice that much of Joy seems fairly familiar; the bassist recorded a good chunk of the material here previously. Leonhart, though, doesn’t stray too far from the source texts; not that people play his albums seeking innovation or anything extreme. His music is pure comfort food, uplifted by his plainspoken delivery and his dry, dad joke-heavy sense of humor. Where he does allow the material to shift and adapt is through the work of the other musicians on the album. Pianist Tomoko Ohno and drummer Vito Lesczak are ideal foils, talented musicians who stick to the basics, taking quick and crisp solos with minimum showiness. And they’re agile enough to add a feathery samba backdrop to “Bass Aboard A Plane”—Leonhart’s ode to the struggles of traveling with his instrument.
Joy simply holds true to its title while accepting its fate as a fleeting pleasure and a quick musical diversion.
Joy: Bass Aboard A Plane; Joy; Playboy Club; Gasparo; Momma Don’t You Think; Tulips; Life Out On The Road; Doublecross; Robert Frost; Very Few; For Real. (52:24)
Personnel: Jay Leonhart, bass and vocals; Tomoko Ohno, piano; Vito Lesczak, drums.
