Mike LeDonne

LeDonne was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on October 26, 1956.[1] His parents ran a music store.[2] His father was a jazz guitarist, and LeDonne started performing locally around the age of ten.[1] He also had lessons with John Mehegan for four years.[1] After graduating from the New England Conservatory of Music where he studied with Jaki Byard in 1978, he moved to New York City and joined the Widespread Depression Jazz Orchestra.[1]

LeDonne left the Widespread Depression Jazz Orchestra in 1981 and toured the UK with Panama Francis and the Savoy Sultans[1] Back in New York, LeDonne became the house pianist at Jimmy Ryan's, where he played with some big names in jazz during 1981–83.[1][2] He was also part of Benny Goodman's Sextet in 1982–83.[1]

LeDonne joined Milt Jackson's quartet around 1987; he also composed for and recorded with the band and eventually became musical director. He stayed with this quartet until Jackson's death in 1999. [1][2] His first recording as a leader was in 1988.[2] It was released by Criss Cross, and LeDonne went on to record several more albums for this label in the 1990s.[2] "As a sideman he played in the Art Farmer–Clifford Jordan Quintet and toured Paris with Grady Tate (both 1988), performed with Charles McPherson (1992), James Moody (1992), Sonny Rollins (1995), and Benny Golson (late 1990s to the present), and served as an accompanist to Ernestine Anderson, Annie Ross and Mary Stallings."[1] In 1998, LeDonne began recording for Double-Time Records.[2] In 2000, LeDonne started his "Groover Quartet" (organ with guitar, drums and tenor sax) band as the result of a weekly Tuesday night gig at the Smoke Jazz Club in NYC. This brought his organ playing to prominence and the band went on to record many CD's for the Savant label as well as tour the world. He continues to split his time between the organ and the piano, releasing several #1 'jazz chart' recordings as well as winning the Downbeat Rising Star Poll and being nominated for Best Keyboards by the Jazz Journalist Association in 2012. As a sideman, he played organ with Lou Donaldson, George Coleman and David "Fathead" Newman.

In 2015 LeDonne organized the inaugural disability pride march in New York City. [3]

Grove wrote: "A level of understatement in LeDonne's style reflects the playing of Hank Jones and Tommy Flanagan. Predominantly a bop pianist, he introduces a strong left hand into his work and reveals an understanding of swing piano playing".[1] Major influences also include Wynton Kelly, Cedar Walton and McCoy Tyner. His Hammond Organ playing shows influences ranging from Jimmy Smith, Don Patterson and Charles Earland to Melvin Rhyne and Larry Young.

• Smokejazz.com bio
• Mike LeDonne's home page
• In Conversation with Mike LeDonne by Tomas Peña (Jazz.com)