| When it comes to her approach to a song, bassist/vocalist Jennifer Leitham follows the advice of a master: Mel Torme. She recalls Mel telling her, "If you're going to be a singer, be sure to sing songs where you've lived the lyric, so you can put real feeling into them." Jennifer, who was Mel's bassist of choice for years, describes her own vocal style as "singing from my heart, making sure it's meaningful. I learned from Mel that to get it right, your heart and soul have to be in every note." Jennifer, who's based in Southern California, loves the vibrancy of the New York jazz scene. In L.A., "You don't have an area of concentrated clubs, like in the Village, and it's hard to build a scene when everything is so spread out," she says. Jennifer will be farther uptown on her next trip to the Apple: she'll play Dizzy's on Dec. 22-28, celebrating the release of Left Coast Story (Sinistral) and performing songs of the season. She'll reunite with a couple of friends for the gig: drummer Sherrie Maricle and pianist John diMartino. "They're kind of my East Coast trio. Sherrie's a mentor and a love," says the bassist. Her history with John goes way back, too: When she lived in Philadelphia, Jennifer sublet a house from John's mom. "He has great ears, a great sense of time, and a politeness in setting up a vocal." |