Orlando le Fleming

A British bassist and former cricket player, Orlando le Fleming is known for his sophisticated modern creative jazz and post-bop albums. Following his early years in London, Le Fleming garnered wider attention in New York with singer Jane Monheit before issuing his own adventurous albums, like 2010's From Brooklyn with Love and 2020's Romantic Funk: The Unfamiliar, the second eponymous outing from his adventurous jazz-funk ensemble. Along with appearing on records by Seamus Blake, Iain Ballamy, and Ari Hoenig, he co-leads the OWL Trio with Will Vinson and Lage Lund, issuing Life of the Party with singer Kurt Elling in 2021. Also that year, Le Fleming explored the music of Led Zeppelin on Whole Lotta Love, and he recorded with drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts and saxophonist Mark Turner for 2022's Misterioso. Born in Birmingham, England, Le Fleming grew up in Exeter, Devon, with his mother, a cellist, and father, a composer. He played music from a young age, eventually taking up the electric bass and studying with noted musicians like Dave Bowen and Craig Milverton. At the same time, he also excelled at cricket, and in 1992, at age 15, made his professional debut with Devon. For the next five years, he played for the club, competing in 24 Minor Counties Championships. During his final year, he was accepted into London's Royal Academy of Music and decided to pursue his long-brewing passion for jazz. He soon established himself as an in-demand touring and studio performer, working with artists like Jason Rebello, Julian Joseph, Iain Ballamy, and Guy Barker, among others. In 2003, Le Fleming relocated to the United States, where he eventually joined Jane Monheit's group, touring and recording with the singer for several years. Work followed, including opportunities with a bevy of notable artists, such as Jimmy Cobb, Seamus Blake, and Joey Calderazzo, to name a few. As a leader, Le Fleming debuted in 2010 with From Brooklyn with Love, an acoustic post-bop outing featuring his group with saxophonist Will Vinson, guitarist Lage Lund, and drummer Antonio Sanchez. Three years later, he debuted his OWL Trio, also with Vinson and Lund. In 2020, Le Fleming debuted his kinetic jazz funk ensemble Romantic Funk, working with Vinson, saxophonist Seamus Blake, drummer Ari Hoenig, and others. That same year, he was back with OWL Trio for Life of the Party. A second album with his romantic funk band, Romantic Funk: The Unfamiliar, also appeared in 2020 and featured contributions by saxophonist Vinson, trumpeter Philip Dizack, and keyboardist Sean Wayland, as well as drummers Kush Abadey and Kneebody's Nate Wood. In 2021, he joined forces with Obed Calvaire, Bob Franceshini, and Kevin Hays for the rock covers project Whole Lotta Love: The Music of Led Zeppelin. A year later, Le Fleming and OWL Trio collaborated with vocalist Kurt Elling on Life of the Party. That same year, he joined drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts and saxophonist Mark Turner for the trio album Misterioso.
© Matt Collar /TiVo