![]() ![]() According to music essayist and yodel expert Bart Plantenga, he combined scat singing, vocalese techniques from African tradition, and a unique approach to yodeling, "performing ritualistic vocals infused by spiritual quests, soul music, and Pygmy yodeling techniques." Thomas's extension of the anthropological "verbal energy"-"whenever his Pygmy-yodel-scat erupted from the opening at the top of his larynx"-returns the listener back to "Pygmy yodeling not only via ethnomusicological investigation but via ur-soul, or back-to-Africa spiritual pilgrimage", Plantenga said. Thomas has been called the "John Coltrane of jazz vocalists". On May 8, 1999, Thomas died of heart failure, resulting from leukemia, at a Bronx hospital near his home. During the late 90's, Thomas toured the US and Europe with a band named Blueswing, led by Music Director/Guitarist Kevin McNeal, Billy Kaye on Drums, Ian McDonald/piano and Hilliard Greene/stick double bass. ĭuring the 1990s, Thomas's recordings of spiritually- and African-influenced soul jazz resurfaced among record collectors and club deejays, becoming known as "kosmigroov" music. In the mid-1970s, he adopted "Leon" as his middle name. He later appeared on recordings with saxophonist Gary Bartz and singer Jeri Brown. Through the 1970s, Thomas recorded a series of critically acclaimed records for Flying Dutchman, and performed with the bands of trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and guitarist Carlos Santana, touring as a member of the Santana band in 1973. How the blazes can you ignore what is happening?" Thomas saw music as a means of social commentary during this period, saying, "You just have to be more than an entertainer. Some of the vocal style is classified as 'jive singing'. He said in an interview that he developed this style after he fell and broke his teeth before an important show. This style has influenced singers James Moody, Tim Buckley and Bobby McFerrin. Thomas's most distinctive device was that he often broke out into yodeling in the middle of a vocal. Thomas became best known for his work with Sanders, particularly the 1969 song "The Creator Has a Master Plan" from Sanders' Karma album. In 1969, he released his first solo album for Bob Thiele's Flying Dutchman label. Thomas was discharged from the army in the late 1960s and resumed his music career, first working with avant-garde jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders. In 1961, he joined the Count Basie Orchestra but soon left after being conscripted into the army. Thomas moved to New York City in 1959, singing at the Apollo Theater as a vocalist for acts such as jazz ensemble The Jazz Messengers and singer Dakota Staton. His musical development at this time was shaped in part by seeing saxophonist John Coltrane perform in trumpeter Miles Davis's sextet during the late 1950s. At the time of his studies, he had begun a singing career as a guest vocalist for the jazz bands of percussionist Armando Peraza, saxophonist Jimmy Forrest, and guitarist Grant Green. He studied music at Tennessee State University. Louis, Illinois, and known for his bellowing glottal-stop style of free jazz singing in the late 1960s and 1970s. (Octo– May 8, 1999), known professionally as Leon Thomas, was an American jazz and blues vocalist, born in East St. He is a main character on Victorious (2010), in the role of André, which premiered on Nickelodeon on March 27, 2010.Amos Leon Thomas Jr. He also appeared as Harper in the iCarly (2007) episode "iCarly Saves TV" and was featured on The Naked Brothers Band (2007) Christmas special. Thomas has also guest-starred on Jack's Big Music Show (2005) and Just Jordan (2007). In 2007, he appeared alongside Robin Williams and Terrence Howard in the film August Rush (2007) as Arthur, in which he performed the song "La Bamba," and he was the singing voice of Tyrone in The Backyardigans (2004). ![]() Thomas also performed in the Broadway production of the musical version of Alice Walker's The Color Purple (1985). In 2004, he appeared as Jackie Thibodeaux in the original Broadway cast of Tony Kushner's "Caroline, or Change." He also toured with the company during its five-month run in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Thomas was born in Brooklyn, New York, but moved to Los Angeles, California, and now resides there.Īt age 10 he made his Broadway debut in 2003 as Young Simba in the Broadway production of The Lion King (1994). ![]()
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