website article_title background instrument genre origin name occupation
-lsb- http://carlsonnyleyland.com carl sonny leyland -rsb- carl sonny leyland
 non_vocal_instrumentalist piano boogie-woogie , jazz , blues near southampton , england carl sonny leyland pianist , songwriter , producer
carl sonny leyland

carl sonny leyland is a boogie woogie , blues and jazz pianist .
he was born in 1965 near southampton , england , but as a child was drawn to american music .
at age 15 , he discovered boogie woogie , and was inspired to make the piano his career .
he came to new orleans in 1988 , and built a reputation in the clubs there for the next nine years .
in 1997 he relocated to california , where he joined big sandy & his flyrite boys , a rockabilly and western swing group , touring with them for three years .
since then his repertoire has included ragtime and early jazz .
he formed the carl sonny leyland trio in 2003 with hal smith on drums -lrb- later replaced by jeff hamilton -rrb- and marty eggers on bass .
the trio plays primarily boogie woogie and traditional jazz .
it has recorded seven cds and performs regularly in festivals .
leyland is regarded highly by critics and considered to be one of the top attractions at jazz festivals -lrb- `` we can not heap enough praise on carl sonny leyland .
not only is he a great solo pianist , he is an asset to any band and amazes other musicians ... '' -rrb-
