Kahn, Leo (1909-1996)

Violinist who recorded with many of the great jazz artists, back in the day. Some of his earliest recordings can be heard on The Ballad Artistry of Milt Jackson and Bill Evans’s Finest Hour.

In 1964, he was in the studio with Tony Bennett, laying down tracks for Who Can I Turn To, which was subsequently released on CD in 1995. He then joined the string section on HerbieMann’s mid-‘60s release, Impressions of the Middle East. In the late ‘60s, he recorded on a pair of David Newman albums, Bigger and Better and The Many Facets of David Newman. He rounded out the decade with Tony Bennett on Something, Roberta Flack on Chapter Two, and Phil Woods on Round Trip.

In 1970, he changed direction on Bill Evans’ From Left to Right. He eased from jazz to R&B effortlessly on Stanley Turrentine’s Salt Song and Grover Washington, Jr.’s Inner City Blues, released in 1971. In 1973, he came Full Circle with Leon Thomas and joined T-Bone Walker in the recording studio for tracks that would eventually appear on Very Rare – T-Bone Walker. He even worked on Broadway as a violinist in the production of Ulysses in Nighttown, which enjoyed a modest run of about three months in 1974.

It did not slow his recording career, however, which included The Baddest Turrentine, Leon Redbone’s On the Track, David Sanborn’s Taking Off, and The New Phil Woods Album. In 1976, he was a cog in The Mean Machine of Jimmy McGriff. His late-‘70s recordings include Deodato’sKnights of Fantasy, Ralph MacDonald’s Counterpoint, Frank Sinatra’s Trilogy, and Art Webb’s Mr. Flute. In 1980, he got Naughty with Chaka Khan, offered nocturnal string support on Earl Klugh’s Late Night Guitar, and even performed on the soundtrack of Fame.

A couple of his latter-day recordings include Esther Phillips’ From a Whisper to a Scream and Luther Vandross’s Forever, For Always, For Love.

Frank Sinatra recordings
That’s What God Looks Like To Me (Stan Irvin/Lan O’Kun)
Reprise RPS 49233 (XNY2101S) (US 45)

Theme from “New York, New York” (Fred Ebb/John Kander)
Reprise RPS49233 (XNY 2103 S) (US 45)

Here is Roberta Flack and “Gone Away” from Chapter Two which Leo performs on…

Sources:

Kahn, Leo (1909-1996)

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