About
Bio
LEO COACH
Early in his career...
Leo studied harmony and composition with the noted Jazz arranger and author, Phil Rizzo. He has been involved with the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock, N.Y., with such artists as Anthony Braxton, Oliver Lake, Karl Berger and Carla Bley. He also studied with pianist Jaki Byard, formerly of the Charles Mingus group, at his studio in Hollis, N.Y.
Leo has performed solo and ensemble concerts at Indiana University, Ohio University, Marietta University and other concert and club performances throughout the Mid-West.
He was a member of Eneke Experimental Arts in Tucson, Arizona. Eneke, a performing arts ensemble, was the brainchild of Ajule Rutlin, co-founder of the Black Artists Group of St. Louis. With Eneke, he toured the Southwest in concerts featuring such artists as Henry Threadgill, Oliver Lake, Douglas Ewart and others.
After arriving in Cleveland
Leo founded The Contemporary Music Coalition and has done concerts at Kool Jazz Festival, The Tri-C Jazz Fest, the Eneke Festival and Stifel Arts Jazz Series.
Leo has been performing in Europe since 1991. Performance highlights include the Ljubljana Jazz Festival, the Jazz Lent Music Festival, a national radio simulcast performance from the Club Gajo in Slovenia; The Custard Factory Music Series in Birmingham, England and at Club 54 in Heidelberg, Germany.
Leo has been the recipient of major grants from The ArtsLink/Sorros Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, Ohio Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Slovenian Government for composing, performing, and special projects both in the U.S. and Europe.
Leo is currently Chair of the Music Department at Ursuline College. He is also adjunct faculty at Cleveland State University. His areas of specialization are Ethnomusicology/World Music and Jazz. He has lectured on those fields at:
The University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia, The Otto Presern Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia, Ohio University, Athens, OH, Indiana University, Indiana, PA, Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, OH, Pima Community College, Tucson, AZ, Stifel Arts Center, Wheeling, WV, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, and the Niagara Chapter of Ethnomusicology.
In addition, he has also composed and arranged scores for the theater works Exiles, Metamorphosis and Tales of the West Texas Marsupial Girl for the Cleveland State Theater Department.
PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS
North America
Eastern Tennesse State University 2011
Performed with the South Indian ensemble, The Carnatica Brothers in a concert of South Indian Classical and American Jazz fusion music.
World Peace Concert, Detroit Michigan 2009
Performed with musicians from South India
Inginuity Festival, Cleveland, OH 2009
Performed with Afro-Cuban ensembe, Latin Free Trade Band
Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, OH 2000
Live performance of CD “Lament for Raymond Carver”
Cain Park Jazz Series, Cleveland Hts., OH 1998
Featured performer for Sunday Jazz series.
Stifel Arts Center, Wheeling W.V. 1997
Featured performer at the Stifel Art Center Jazz Series.
Europe
Festival Lent Maribor, Slovenia. 1994, 1996 & 2001
This internationally acclaimed festival has featured everyone from Ray Charles, B.B. King to Dr. John, Joe Zwinual and Olodum. 2000 Composed, arranged, and performed three collaborative concerts with Slovene musicians broadcast over RTV Radio Slovenia.
Maribor & Ljubljana Slovenia 2000
Composed, arranged, and performed three different collaborative concerts with Slovene musicians broadcast over RTV Radio Slovenia.
Concert in Ljubljana 1996
Wrote, arranged, and performed music for poetry/music project in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Tour of 1996
Performed club dates in Maribor, Slovenia, Vienna, Austria, Birmingham, England.
Ljubljana Jazz Festival, Ljubljana, Slovenia 1992
Oldest Jazz Festival in Europe. Featured performers along with Geri Allen, Betty Carter and Gilberto Gill
Concert in Ljubljana 1991
Performed for the Slovene Independence day celebration
Lent Festival, Maribor, Slovenia 1994 & 2001
Featured performers on jazz stage at Lent Festival. Other featured performers, Ray Charles and Ray Brown
“Leo’s compositions can range from the hard bop sounds to the threshold of free jazz.
What are the critics saying about Leo's Music
What are the critics saying about Leo's Music
“CMC’s Unknown Beauty is a worthy album, with the promise of even better things ahead.”
Kevin Whitehead – Cadence Magazine
“Leo’s compositions can range from the hard bop sounds to the threshold of free jazz. Leo’s musical conception is closely aligned with some of the traditions espoused by Chicago’s AACM in that his music is liable to cover anyone of the facets of the entire jazz spectrum.”
Jazz Report – Cleveland, Ohio
“Well grounded in mainstream jazz, CMC seldom ventures out too far, but when they do, their ideas show inspiration from the AACM or BAG graduates and other practitioners of the avant garde style.”
Cleveland Free Times – Cleveland, Ohio
“We’re delighted to get Leo Coach and CMC back playing their own compositions. CMC promises an exciting blend of new sounds for the Jazz at the Stifel audience.”
Jazz at the Stifle Arts Center – Wheeling, West Virginia
“Leo Coach’s composition, Time and the Migration of Whales, proved to be a compelling work.”
Tucson Newsreel – Tucson, Arizona
“Well grounded in mainstream jazz, CMC seldom ventures out too far, but when they do, their ideas show inspiration from the AACM or BAG graduates and other practitioners of the avant garde style.”
Cleveland Free Times – Cleveland, Ohio
“Leo Coach’s ensemble, CMC is a fresh invigorating band”
The Cleveland Plain Dealer – Cleveland, Ohio
“Good performances by fine artists…worthy of your attention.”
New Alternatives Magazine
“CMC crafts thoughtful modern jazz, generating all the compositions within the band, flowing rather than jagged, layered with slick textures.”
What’s On Magazine
Birmingham, England
“For their first concert at Zbiljske Lake CMC was joined by Lado Jaksa and the results were magical.”
Rodna Gruda
Ljubljana, Slovenia