Page 54 - The Bite Magazine - Spring Summer 2013

“I mean you play this style of
music here and people like it,
but there’s a lot more folk and
reggae, more worldly stuff
instead of strict soul.”
classical music and for jazz, but for me,
blues is true guitar music. The mind-set
in listening to different instruments and
then trying to play instead of listening
to cliché guitar stuff, you find yourself
copying licks, which also has its place in
learning the instrument, but what I love
about it is that every instrument will
have a different mind-set, and different
ideas would come about, taking on these
other attributes from others instruments
is a good thing.”
Having moved down to Devon to be
part of the Mama Stones family in
2008, Leigh can easily testify
that not many musicians feel
or dig his genre of music.
“I mean you play this style
of music here and people
like it, but there’s a lot
more folk and reggae, more
worldly stuff instead of
strict soul.” So from
a town that may
never ever see
a soul band
playing there
to exper-
iencing the
busy and
b u s t l i n g
l i f e s t y l e
of London
where jazz and
soul is widely
accepted, Leigh
feels more at
home. “London
really accommodates
jazz and soul more than
they do in Devon at times.
But who knows, Devon soul
could be a new genre.”
I had the privilege of seeing
Leigh perform at 606 in London’s
Chelsea, where this humble
singer-songwriter with acute
jazz and soul touches resonated
well with his audience. Even the
Godmother of Miami Soul, the
legendary Betty Wright who claimed
recognition in the 1970s for hits such
as ‘Clean Up Woman’ and ‘Tonight Is
The Night’ has taken a shine to this
British-born talented artist. Leigh in
turn describes recording with the
legendary soul singer in Miami as one
of the highlights of his career so far.
With his EP entitled It Is What It Is
currently out, Leigh recounts how he
met and came to work with Jonathan
Joseph who produced the EP, “I was
on a Jazz degree in Cornwall when I
first met Jonathan. The course didn’t
cover singing and I wanted to do more
of that. And in wanting that, I accidentally
bitemusic