Kelseyville >> The Rural Jazz Project may be a difficult name to say, but their music is all easy listening. There’s nothing avant garde about the songs, which consist of older, straight ahead Jazz standards, said saxophonist Jim Leonardis. It might explain why they were the only group to perform on Lake County Live, back when the program was still running, and receive a standing ovation.
“Most people can listen to it and feel comfortable,” Leonardis said. “We can reach a lot of people with it. It’s not really hard to grasp, not overly intellectual.”
Even so, the reaction was a little mind-boggling — the group didn’t think there was an audience for jazz in Lake County. “We were mystified as to why that happened,” Leonardis added.
The Rural Jazz Project has been together in their current configuration for about a year, with Tom Aiken on keyboards, Jim Conlin on jazz drums, Steve Baird on vocals and bass, Will Siegel on guitar and Leonardis on sax. However, their roots can be traced back to the summer of 2014, when Aiken and Leonardis played together for the first time. Aiken had a gig at the Saw Shop in Kelseyville and he invited Leonardis to join him. They felt an instant musical connection, and knew they wanted to turn the temporary show into something bigger.
Though they’re in disagreement over who was the brain behind their name, the Rural Jazz Project not only stuck, but was integral in helping them reach their audience. “People really, really resonated with it,” Leonardis said.
Over the next year the group developed organically, as Leonardis described it. Other local musicians, those looking to play jazz music, joined the group, and they solidified their current lineup. None of the musicians are novice players, which undoubtedly lends to the group’s smooth sound. “We’ve been around a long time, there’s a lot of years of experience when you’re coming to hear us,” Leonaridis said. “Hopefully that’s expressed in the music.”
For over 30 years, Aiken worked as a music teacher of all grade levels for the Kelseyville Unified School District. He’s also an active harpsichord player with the Lake County Symphony, and though he’s a classical musician, his career has taken him down many different roads, including a tour with a rock and roll band.
As multi-instrumentalists, Baird and Siegel each play with a number of different groups around the area. Baird has mastered the trombone and trumpet and Seigel is accomplished on the dobro, steel guitar, mandolin, banjo and tiple. Though Siegel is a singer himself, he likes rock and roll and Latin tunes, while Baird takes the reins in the Rural Jazz Project. Leonardis called Baird the “star of the group,” adding, “If anything is going to be sung he’s going to sing it.”
Like the other members, Leonardis has been playing most of his life. He began his music career as a clarinetist in the seventh grade and quickly transitioned to the saxophone, which he’s barely put down since. Today, he plays three different types of saxophone.
While the saxophone is great for improvising, Leonardis had always had trouble playing the clarinet in the same way. That is until recently. He’s started performing with the instrument more, pulling it out regularly during shows with the Rural Jazz Project.
The five band members can probably all agree that they were drawn to their chosen instruments for the sound and feel of them. “I think everybody has a voice that suits them,” Leonardis said. “You have a voice that just kind of feels right for you.”
When attending a show, Leonardis encourages the crowd to put a dollar or two in the tip jar. What many people don’t realize, he said, is that most musicians are compensated by way of tips, because venues just don’t have the money to pay their performers handsomely, if at all. Musicians aren’t in the business for the money, but it’s always helpful to have an extra hundred bucks in the pocket. “Just a reminder for people to understand that the musicians are counting on you,” Leonardis said. “If you enjoy what you’re listing to then show your appreciation.”
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
