Got a Light? Jeremy Ledbetter Trio feat. Larnell Lewis & Rich Brown

• 1 Amanecer 07:12
• 2 Got a Light? 04:04
• 3 Her New Wings 04:10
• 4 About Climbing Mountains 08:02
• 5 Mais Um 05:30
• 6 Suspirito 05:34
• 7 Gift Shop 03:42
• 8 The Pepper Drinker 05:22
• 9 The Tightrope Walker 06:52
• Total Runtime 50:28

Info for Got a Light?

The Jeremy Ledbetter Trio’s debut album, Got a Light?, is a controlled explosion of big musical ideas, stylistic variety, vivid colours and compelling musical storytelling. The new project features three Canadian virtuosos – pianist and bandleader Jeremy Ledbetter, drummer Larnell Lewis of Snarky Puppy fame, and bassist Rich Brown (Steve Coleman, Dapp Theory) – at the top of their game.

Ledbetter has a made a fine career so far out travelling to remote corners of the globe from Venezuela to Myanmar in search of musical inspirations. As the leader of acclaimed Caribbean jazz ensemble CaneFire and calypso legend David Rudder’s producer and musical director, Ledbetter is used to working with large bands and more rigorous definition. So it was a welcome change of pace not to have to leave his home city to create his first jazz trio record.

“Working with killers like Larnell and Rich, you don’t have to play it safe,” says Ledbetter. “They inspired me to really work without a net, and let my own compositional personality shine through. Whereas most of my music so far has been rooted by traditional music, this album is about painting my own pictures and creating a cinematic kind of atmosphere. It’s a contemporary jazz album that’s telling stories I hope anyone would be able to understand and relate to. This record is the first truly original representation of my own musical soul, and that’s a great feeling.”

Eight of the songs are Ledbetter’s original compositions, plus a cover of “Gift Shop” by the Tragically Hip as a tribute to the great Gord Downie, recorded a week after his passing. Venezuelan world-jazz diva Eliana Cuevas makes a guest appearance on “Her New Wings,” and the exquisite “Suspirito” features a duet between Ledbetter’s piano and Reimundo Sosa on Afro-Cuban batá drums.

Jeremy Ledbetter, piano, melodica
Rich Brown, bass
Larnell Lewis, drums
Eliana Cuevas, vocal (on track 3)
Leila Ledbetter, vocal (on track 3)
Reimundo Sosa, batá (on track 6)

Recorded and mixed by John Bailey at Rouge Valley Studios, Toronto, Canada

Jeremy Ledbetter
An engaging and fiery performer whose music knows no boundaries, Canadian pianist Jeremy Ledbetter has made a career from travelling the far-flung corners of the globe in search of the most fascinating and unique musical ideas out there, then seamlessly integrating them into his work as a pianist, composer, and producer. Jeremy is the driving force behind Caribbean Latin Jazz powerhouse CaneFire, and the longtime musical director and producer for calypso superstar David Rudder. Jeremy’s newest project, the Jeremy Ledbetter Trio, released their debut album “Got a Light?” in 2018. The Trio features Ledbetter’s unique sound at the piano alongside fellow Canadian jazz heavyweights Rich Brown (rinsethealgorithm) and Larnell Lewis (Snarky Puppy).

Originally trained as a classical pianist, Jeremy studied jazz performance in Toronto before embarking on over a decade of world travel that saw him work with some of the most prominent recording artists in Trinidad, Cuba, Brazil, and Venezuela. Upon his return to Canada, Jeremy formed the Caribbean jazz ensemble CaneFire to play the original music inspired by his travels. CaneFire has quickly risen to international recognition on the strength of two albums – “Kaiso Blue” (2005) and “Pandemonium” (2010), and their performances at jazz festivals the world over. Ledbetter features prominently in Canada’s jazz and world music scenes, performing regularly with Alexis Baro, Eliana Cuevas, CaneFire, and Mark Kelso’s Jazz Exiles, among others.

Jeremy’s expertise in a variety of musical cultures is most evident in his production work, which has seen him tackle ambitious projects in a wide range of genres. Jeremy has produced albums for latin, calypso, soca, jazz, and salsa artists in five different countries, including eight albums with David Rudder and two with CaneFire. Ledbetter’s most recent production, “Golpes y Flores” by Venezuelan songstress Eliana Cuevas, won him World Music Producer of the Year honours at the 2018 Independent Music Awards.

At the piano, Ledbetter’s playing features unrelenting energy and a playful spirit. He has worked with world-renowned artists from the worlds of jazz (Andy Narell, Jane Bunnett, Eliana Cuevas), salsa (Alfredo de la Fe, Changuito, Willie Torres, Adonis Puentes, Ralph Irizarry), calypso (David Rudder, Mighty Sparrow, Andre Tanker, Ralph MacDonald) and Brazilian music (Hermeto Pascoal, Celso Machado, Luanda Jones). Ledbetter is also an accomplished multi-instrumentalist who counts the steelpan, harmonica, mandolin, and didjeridu among his weapons of choice. Jeremy currently lives in and out of Toronto, Canada.

This album contains no booklet.