Carolyn Leonhart

Carolyn Leonhart (born July 10, 1971) is a jazz singer, daughter of jazz bassist Jay Leonhart, and sister of the trumpeter Michael Leonhart. She has performed as a back-up vocalist for Steely Dan on several tours and recordings.

Childhood and education Leonhart was born in New York City on 10 July 1971, daughter of bassist and composer Jay Leonhart and vocalist Donna Leonhart. She was exposed to music from a very early age, attending her father's gigs where she saw him accompany famous singers such as Sarah Vaughan, Mel Tormé, and Peggy Lee.

In the following years Leonhart performed with a variety of musicians, including The Real Live Show, a hip-hop group, and Wax Poetic. In 1998 she recorded an album with the Swiss Percussion Ensemble, a group of four classical percussionists whose instruments were mainly made of glass. In 2000, Leonhart released the album Steal The Moon, a collaborative project with pianist and composer Rob Bargad. Since then she began performing regularly with her own group at the Smoke jazz club in New York City, at Steamers and The Vic in California, and at other clubs on the east coast. As of 2020, they are no longer married.

Leonhart studied Contemporary Commercial Music Vocal Pedagogy Institute at Shenandoah University. She has been an assistant professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, and has taught at the Jazz Academy. Her goal as a teacher is to help vocal students gain an awareness of their instrument, their voice, avoid mistakes and learn better, freer vocal function.

Style Leonhart has said that she does not consider herself a jazz singer, just a singer, and she has performed with ensembles covering a wide range of musical styles. She was deeply influenced by her father and by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker of Steely Dan. She says that other influences include Wayne Shorter, Woody Shaw, Ahmad Jamal, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis and John Coltrane.