Harlan Leonard

Biography

Harlan Leonard (July 2, 1905 – November 10, 1983) was an American jazz bandleader and clarinetist from Kansas City, Missouri, United States. Leonard was born in Kansas City in 1905. A professional musician from the age of 17, he joined Bennie Moten's orchestra in 1923, where he led the reed section until 1931. In 1931, he and Thamon Hayes formed the Kansas City Skyrockets, which included trumpeters Ed Lewis and James Ross, trombonist Vic Dickenson, and pianist Jesse Stone. After disputes with the Chicago local of the American Federation of Musicians the band broke up. In 1939, Leonard formed Harlan Leonard and his Rockets, which featured a young Myra Taylor. This band quickly became a leading band in Kansas City and toured nationally. Charlie Parker played in this band for five weeks, but he was fired by Leonard for lack of discipline. The band featured arrangements by its piano player Tadd Dameron that bore suggestions of the transition between swing and bebop. The band broke up during the Second World War, and Leonard left professional music. He worked in banking and for the Internal Revenue Service and died in Los Angeles in 1983.

Bio from Wikipedia

Discography

Records they worked on — most-collected first.

• 

  This Is The Big Band Era

  1971

• 

  Count Basie In Kansas City: Bennie Moten's Great Band Of 1930-1932

  1965

Credited work

171 releases · 49 albums · active 1954–2009

• Performance · 440
• Other credits · 15

Studios: Festival Studios · Basin Street East

Frequent collaborators

• Various
• Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra
• Charlie Barnet
• Harlan Leonard And His Rockets
• Charlie Barnet And His Orchestra
• Bennie Moten And His Orchestra
• Joe Reisman And His Orchestra
• Willie Martinez And His Orchestra

Around the web

• Wikipedia