Being born in Chicago in '37 and listening to the music of the 40's as a kid,I was taken with the Boogie Woogie sound and appreciated the work of greats such as Pete Johnson and Albert Ammons who influenced the direction I took as a musician. From my father's favorite, Fats Waller, I learned to appreciate the stride sound for which he was known. It was the sound and feel of that music that caught my ear as a youth. And even though my taste has evolved and expanded to other types of music I never tire of listening to these musicians and those like them. In the late '50's I bought a cheap guitar-$13.00-Stella-and was trying to play some Blues licks as well as Rock 'n' Roll even though I never gave the idea of becoming a musician any serious thought. I was almost 21 (by today's standards I was ancient) and in the Army when I met an impressive guitarist from New York that set me on the path of jazz, and so began my career as a guitarist. I started piano much the same as I did guitar, Blues licks, but with the musical knowledge of chord changes from standard tunes. When tendonitis began to interfere with my guitar chops I took up piano and keyboards in earnest and began composing and recording original tunes. This CD of 12 original tunes reflects some of the influences and ideas I have collected. It was recorded live without the use of head phones or separation between the instruments. The support of Greg Peterson on upright bass, Damon Daniel and Frank Padilla on drums and percusion respectively provides the perfect compliment to the piano. The addition of guitar and percussion is used on selected tunes. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I did writing and recording it. Mike Leland Be sure and check out NIGHT VISION by Mike Leland also on CD Baby.