A gifted jazz pianist and Hammond B-3 specialist,
Mike LeDonne has earned praise for his deeply swinging work with jazz greats, as well as with his own trio and
Groover Quartet. Arriving in New York in the early '80s,
LeDonne distinguished himself as a regular member of
the Milt Jackson Quartet, the Widespread Depression Orchestra, and as a sideman with such legends as Dizzy Gillespie,
Sonny Rollins, and
Benny Golson. Along with sessions for
Joshua Redman,
Jim Snidero, and
Eric Alexander,
LeDonne has led his own highly regarded straight-ahead dates including 1988's
Bout Time, 1993's
Soulmates, and 2005's
Night Song. He also leads his own funky Hammond organ group
the Groover Quartet with saxophonist
Alexander, guitarist
Peter Bernstein, and drummer
Joe Farnsworth, issuing albums like 2010's
The Groover and 2016's
That Feelin'.
Born in 1956 in Bridgeport, Connecticut,
LeDonne became fascinated by music at a young age while listening to albums at his parent's music store. His father, a guitarist, introduced him to jazz and got him started on piano lessons at age five. By the age of ten,
LeDonne was already good enough to begin playing on his father's gigs. After high school, he further honed his skills studying at Boston's New England Conservatory of Music. Graduating in 1979, he moved to New York where he played with the Widespread Depression Orchestra and toured the U.K. with Panama Francis and the Savoy Sultans. Returning to New York in the early '80s, he gained visibility as the house pianist at the noted jazz club Jimmy Ryan's. There, he met and played with a bevy of jazz greats, including
Roy Eldridge,
Papa Jo Jones, and
Vic Dickenson, among others, and toured as a member of the
Benny Goodman sextet; he worked with such luminaries as
Buddy Tate,
Ruby Braff,
Art Farmer,
James Moody,
Dizzy Gillespie, and
Sonny Rollins, as well as singers like
Annie Ross and
Etta Jones. In 1988,
LeDonne joined the
Milt Jackson Quartet and became the band's musical director after
Jackson's death in 1999.
As a leader,
LeDonne began recording in 1988, debuting with the post-bop album
Bout Time on the Criss Cross label. It featured contributions by trumpeter and flugelhornist
Tom Harrell, baritone saxophonist
Gary Smulyan, bassist Dennis Erwin, and drummer
Kenny Washington. Several more albums followed on Criss Cross throughout the early and mid-'90s, peaking with the sextet album
Soulmates, a straight-ahead recording which featured soloists such as alto saxophonist
Jon Gordon, tenor saxophonist
Joshua Redman, and trumpeter
Ryan Kisor. Also during this period, there were sessions with
Chris Flory,
Duke Robillard, and others.
LeDonne switched to the Double Time label in 1998, issuing
To Each His Own, a trio effort with bassist
Peter Washington and veteran drummer
Mickey Roker. He then paid homage to his former boss, vibraphonist
Jackson, on 2001's
Bags Groove: A Tribute to Milt Jackson, with saxophonist
Jim Snidero, trumpeter
Jim Rotondi, altoist Steve Wilson, vibraphonist
Steve Nelson, bassist
Bob Cranshaw, and drummer
Roker. With 2004's
Smokin' Out Loud,
LeDonne moved to Savant Records showcasing his Hammond B-3 organ chops alongside tenor saxophonist
Eric Alexander, guitarist
Peter Bernstein, and drummer
Joe Farnsworth. Sticking with Savant, he returned a year later with
Night Song, a trio date with bassist
Ron Carter and drummer
Farnsworth.
On Fire arrived in 2006 and again showcased
LeDonne's organ work with
Alexander,
Bernstein, and
Farnsworth.
FiveLive followed in 2008 and featured the pianist in concert at New York's club Smoke with
Alexander,
Farnsworth, bassist
John Webber, and trumpeter
Jeremy Pelt.
In 2010,
LeDonne continued exploring his love of organ jazz with
The Groover, featuring his long-running ensemble dubbed here as
the Groover Quartet with saxophonist
Alexander, guitarist
Bernstein, and drummer
Farnsworth. The same group was on board for 2011's
Keep the Faith, 2014's I Love Music, and 2015's AwwlRIGHT!, the latter of which also featured
Bob Cranshaw and
Jeremy Pelt.
LeDonne then augmented his
Groover Quartet with saxophonist
Vincent Herring for 2016's
That Feelin', and returned two years later with From the Heart. In 2019, he paired with bassist
Christian McBride and drummer
Lewis Nash for the trio date Partners in Time. ~ Matt Collar