Leith McLeod is a recording and production student from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania at the Lamont School of Music, where he studies jazz bass with a minor in German.
“Jazz Fusion is fun to play, and folk is lyrical songwriting, and bedroom pop is easy and fun to make,” said McLeod.
When McLeod learned to play the saxophone in elementary school, he wasn’t a huge music fan despite being raised in a musical household. He started getting into music by hearing the song Jack and Diane, listening to the top hits of the radio on KISS F.M.
He grew up taking lessons at American Music, a family-owned music education business, learning under his instructor, a man who McLeod remembers as “a metal dude with a rat tail beard.”
McLeod didn’t like learning just any songs though. He liked learning songs that he was passionate about. His instructor gave him the freedom to make those decisions for himself, eventually leading him to enjoy jazz fusion, indie folk and bedroom pop.
He began playing bass guitar after hearing the song “Under Pressure” by Queen. McLeod also learned from Chris Maclasier, who was a music director for a theater called Stage Right. He played bass for musical theater shows, where the mentorship helped him read music dynamics and explore theory in practice.
“I was 17, and he would choose me to play bass over 40-year-olds that have been doing music for years. He gave me a lot of opportunities to practice,” McLeod said.
McLeod began producing music in high school, downloading beats to produce comedic tracks that were instructive, but lacking in the quality his work would eventually assume. Two months before the application at DU was submitted, he started learning how to make music in FL studio.
“I didn’t want to go to school just to play bass. I can play bass on my own. I wanted to go to school to learn a skill set more than just play the bass,” said McLeod.
Recently, Mcleod won the Downbeat award for releasing his song, “PseudoJazz.”
“The song came from a breakup last fall. It’s the best song I released because everything else was done in my bedroom, and this song is in Lamont’s studio. It’s a fast-paced song, and it blurs the line between jazz fusion and rock,” according to McLeod.
Mcleod uses the tools that he learned from all of his experiences to change his style from the Chili Peppers vibe to funk and fusion. As he continues performing and producing, he will continue to excel at his craft.
