Jan Leder

Jan Leder is a born-and-raised New Yorker. After six years of piano and six years of classical flute she discovered her love for improvisation. She studied for three years with the late pianist Lennie Tristano and then continued her jazz studies with pianist Connie Crothers for over ten years. A self-styled course of study in jazz history at the State University of New York at Purchase led to her compilation of the first comprehensive history of women in jazz entitled Women in Jazz: A Discography of Instrumentalists (Greenwood Press 1985). Ms. Leder has also enjoyed teaching jazz improvisation.

In 1999 Jan was signed by A-Records (a division of Challenge Records) to record her second CD. Released in September, Nonchalant, is a collection of mostly original melodies, including three vocalists singing five of Jan's lyrics.

In February 1997 Monad Records released her first CD, Passage To Freedom, in which she leads a quartet with pianist Jon Davis, bassist Yosuke Inoue, drummer Art Lillard and guest guitarist Mark McCarron. She also produced the CD, which features two of her own tunes; the title tune as well as "Lullaby for Jayda."

Ms. Leder leads her own jazz ensembles in the New York City area, appearing at nightclubs, festivals, cultural functions, hospitals and other public and private engagements. Since 1994 she has been a featured performer at the Yonkers Hudson Riverfest. The 1995 performance was videotaped for submission to BET's Jazz Discovery on cable television, and subsequently broadcast nationally in the Video Showcase segment of the show. Her repertoire includes bebop, swing, blues, bossa nova and her own unique jazz compositions. In April 1998 vocalist Diane Hubka released her debut CD Haven't We Met (A-Records) and included Ms. Leder's "Thinking of You" among a fine lineup of standard and original material. In 1989 Ms. Leder published "Gaspe," an original tune, in Charles Lane's film Sidewalk Stories, which premiered at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival (her quartet also appears in the film). Four of her compositions were awarded Certificates of Achievement in the jazz category of the Billboard Song Contest: Thinking of You and Inbetween the Streets in 1989, Bebop Papi in 1991, and Survival of the Flutist in 1994. In addition to writing jazz, Ms. Leder enjoys composing pop, r&b, theater and film music.

In 1993-4 she worked with Chip Shelton's World Flute Orchestra, a coming-together of the best jazz flutists in New York. In 1986 she recorded with the Dan Krimm Quartet on Overtone Records. Since 1987 Ms. Leder has been a member of Art Lillard's Heavenly Band, a 16-piece swing orchestra playing all original jazz. A featured soloist on Mr. Lillard's recording First Flight (1995) she also enjoys recording and performing locally with this unique group, whose members rank among the finest contemporary jazz players. In the last four years she has also become a writer-contributor to this unique group, both collaberating as a lyricist with Mr. Lillard on a number of his tunes as well as his arrangement of her composition "Bebop Papi."

For many years Ms. Leder has worked with the 9th Street Stompers, a popular local jazz band, playing their unique variety of jazz styles, in parades, street fairs and other venues. Addutionally, since 1994 she has worked regularly in nursing homes performing in music therapy programs, usually playing solo. Ms. Leder is a writer and publisher member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and a member of the National Association of Music Publishers.