The Rancho Mirage Library & Observatory is my favorite library in the Coachella Valley. They have a great selection of books, the Book Nook is always fun to visit, and the Chihuly glass on display adds something special to the experience. There is also a quiet reading room where I spent time studying for the CCM exam, and they consistently offer a wide range of free programming for the community. Now that I am working in Rancho Mirage, it is even easier for me to stop by and take advantage of their evening events.
A few weeks ago, I noticed they were hosting a band called LP And The Vinyl. They looked fun, and I was immediately interested. The band was scheduled to perform two shows that day, so we headed over after work. From the moment they started playing, I was hooked. The energy was incredible, their chemistry was seamless, and the way they worked together felt effortless.
I was so impressed that I reached out for an interview. Pianist Danny Green responded, we hit it off right away, and I got to work learning more about the band. What followed was a deep dive into a group of talented musicians, and the entire experience was an absolute blast.
I hope they make it back to the Coachella Valley soon. In the meantime, I encourage you to turn on their music while you read this interview.
It is my pleasure to introduce you to LP And The Vinyl.
For those who may be discovering LP And The Vinyl for the first time, tell me a little about the band and how it all came together.
We’re all jazz musicians on the San Diego scene, and we had all played together in various configurations prior to the formation of the band. In fact, Justin, Julien, and I played extensively as a trio, dating back to 2010. Around 2013, I began working with our booking agent, Marian Liebowitz. She mostly booked my trio for local concerts and outreach activities, but the ultimate goal was to get us on the road. We got some tour dates, but overall, Marian was finding that the performing art centers were looking for something more familiar to audiences than original jazz, which is what we were doing with the trio, and so she came up with the idea of pairing us together with vocalist Leonard Patton. We did our first show together in 2015 at the Museum of Making Music, and over time we started developing our repertoire and our approach, which in a nutshell is playing songs that we love, mostly from the 60s-90s, and applying our own jazz twist to them.
I have to ask about the name first. LP And The Vinyl is such a great name. Where did it come from?
It took us quite some time to come up with this name. At first, we were the Leonard Patton / Danny Green Quartet, but that was way too lengthy, and not catchy at all. After months of throwing around ideas, Justin came up with the name. It’s a play on words with LP and vinyl, but at the heart of it, LP is Leonard Patton’s initials.
You spell out “and” instead of using an ampersand. Was that intentional? What’s the story behind that choice?
I figured it would be easier to use the word “and” for websites and social media handles, so that’s why I chose to use it.
With a name like LP And The Vinyl, I assume there are some serious record collections in the group. Does everyone in the band collect vinyl records at home?
We all love music and listen to it all the time, but other than Justin, none of us have record collections.
You received the Winter 2023 Jazz Road Tours grant in support of your Florida and Georgia tour. Congratulations. Tell me more about that program and how that support helped make the tour possible.
Winning the Jazz Road Tours grant was huge for us. We already had the tour planned prior to applying for the grant. In fact, it’s a requirement to already have a tour planned. The main goals of South Arts in giving out the grant are to help make it possible for jazz bands to tour (in other words, make it financially feasible to go out on the road), and to provide the bands with the resources to ensure successful shows so that venues are motivated to continue programming jazz. Another big focus is bringing jazz to rural communities. Our tour took place in venues across Florida and Georgia. We were able to use some of our budget from the grant to promote the shows, which proved to be extremely helpful in both bringing people out to our shows, as well as building our social media following. South Arts also encouraged all the winners of the grant to think of ways to level up their careers, so while we were on the road, we spent a lot of time talking about our goals for the band.
Let’s talk about your debut album Heard And Seen. What inspired the project and what did you hope listeners would take away from it?
We recorded Heard And Seen in 2019 at Tritone Recording in Los Angeles. Prior to recording the album, we had already gone on several of tours throughout the US and developed a set of songs. We felt like we were already starting to gain traction with our live shows and that recording an album would be our next step in taking our band to the next level. Some of the songs on the album were pieces that we had been playing already, and a few of the pieces were brand new. As far as what we hoped for with listener reactions, we just wanted to create something that they would enjoy, and something that best represents our approach to making music. Unfortunately, the album was released in April 2020, which was exactly at the time when the world shut down for COVID, so we weren’t able to put on CD release events in the way that we wanted to. That being said, we figured out a way to celebrate the release on a live broadcast, and ever since, we’ve been selling the album out our shows.
What was it like working with Origin Records?
I have had a long standing relationship with Origin Records, dating back to my trio’s 2014 release, After The Calm. They’ve been awesome to work with and extremely helpful in terms of taking care of everything from artwork and distribution to radio and press promo. Origin Records is run by drummer John Bishop, and just recently we had him fill in on drums for a show we did in Tacoma. That being said, by now it feels like we’re part of a family being on the Origin label.
The album cover for Heard And Seen is awesome! Tell me more about that image and what it represents in the context of the music on the record.
I think first and foremost, I just liked the colors in the photo, and all the open space lent itself to the text. The album title, Heard And Seen, comes from the lyrics of one of our original pieces, entitled “The Lonely Band.” The boat in the middle of the water makes me think of somebody out in the middle of all this open water, maybe feeling lonely and wanting to be heard and seen.
You perform music made famous by artists like The Beatles and Oasis. When covering songs like that, do you need permission from those artists to perform or record their music?
There’s a collection agency called Harry Fox Agency and that’s where you go to pay for the rights to record songs by other composers.
I had the pleasure of seeing you perform at the Rancho Mirage Library & Observatory a few weeks ago. It was only an hour set, but the room was packed and the energy was incredible. How did that performance come about?
Our booking agent, Marian Liebowitz lives in the area and has developed a wonderful relationship with Rancho Mirage Library. She has booked us there several times over the years, as well as other wonderful artists on her roster. We played there a year ago and I think around 30 people were turned away because the room was full, so for this year we ended up playing a matinee show as well as an evening show.
One thing that really stood out to me during that show was the variety of styles you play. You move seamlessly from ballads and funk to jazz and R&B. Do you change the setlist every night or do you generally stick to a consistent show?
Over the last few months, we’ve been mainly sticking to the same set list, but we’ll modify it a bit depending on if we’re playing two sets or one long set. Leonard owns a jazz club in San Diego called The Jazz Lounge, and last spring and summer, we started playing there once a month, coming up with completely new sets for each show. Each show had a theme, such as songs from the 80s, or the Brian Wilson influence. The set that you saw was a mix of some of our older favorites, as well as our favorite songs from those themed shows.
There are so many great songs out there. How do you decide which songs to cover and bring into your repertoire?
There certainly are so many great songs out there. In general, we try to pick songs that we have a personal connection with, as well as songs that can lend themselves to jazz. The latter can be pretty broad, and we’ve managed to add our jazz thing to songs by artists including Guns N’ Roses, Queen, Oasis, and Stone Temple Pilots – all of whom are not typically covered by jazz bands. That being said, there have been plenty of times where I tried working with a song, and I just couldn’t find a way to make it work for us.
Out of all the cover songs you perform, is there one that is the band’s favorite?
That’s a tough question, and I’m not sure if we’d all have the same favorite cover, but for me, I’d probably say “A Day In The Life” by The Beatles. That song takes such a fun and epic journey and I love the mix of improvised moments as well as arranged moments.
You also played an original song in Rancho Mirage that I absolutely loved. Are you working on more original music, and if so, when might we hear the next single?
So glad to know that you loved it. I think that was “Night Waltz,” which I wrote, and had lyrics written by Stephen Papaleo. I have a few other original pieces that could use some lyrics, so it’s quite possible that we’ll get some new music sometime soon, but nothing definitely planned for now in terms of releasing a next single.
The double bass is such a unique instrument. Tell me more about its role in the band and the different sounds it can create both on stage and in the studio.
The double bass sure is an awesome instrument and we’re fortunate to have such a wonderful bassist. Whether it’s acoustic or electric, the two main functions of the bass are to provide the roots of all the chords, and along with the drums, to provide groove. I love the rich sound that comes from an acoustic bass. For the most part, Justin plays pizzicato (plucking the strings), but he occasionally uses the bow as well. A lot of the time, he’s creating his own bass lines based on the harmonic progressions of the music, but there are also plenty of moments where he’ll play a line that’s specifically written, and a lot of times, I’ll double those lines on piano. Another role of the bass is soloing, and since we’re a small band with no horns or guitar, Justin gets to take quite a few solos.
Members of LP And The Vinyl hold faculty positions at some prestigious schools in Southern California. Tell me more about the work you’re doing in the classroom.
Justin and Leonard both teach at the University of San Diego, and Justin also teaches at Grossmont Community College, and at the Young Lions Jazz Conservatory. Their classes include jazz ensembles, music appreciation, and music theory. All four of us also teach privately, and I also have a grant supported program through the La Jolla Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in which we teach elementary students about jazz.
In addition to teaching, you’re also involved in education outreach. What does that program look like and why is it important to you?
We have several different types of outreach programs we do, and we do our best to tailor our programs to the attendees. In some cases, we’ll work with students who are in a jazz ensemble. We give them feedback on their playing, play some of our music for them, have them sit in with us, and break out into instrument sections. For school assemblies, we perform our music, talk about basic music concepts, and then we talk about what jazz music is, how it’s played, and a little overview on the history. We love getting students involved, and always make time for some call and response singing on the blues.
Let’s talk about the creative chemistry in the group. How did you all meet, and when did you realize you had something special as a band?
I met Justin back in 2007. I got called to sub with a band that he was in. Pretty soon after meeting him, I started calling him for my gigs. We had a different drummer back then, but I was on the lookout for a different drummer. In 2010, I met Julien at a rehearsal for another band, and loved his playing. I started calling him for my gigs and Justin, Julien, and I became a steady unit. We recorded four albums together, and toured all over the country. I’m not sure when I first met Leonard, but I remember seeing him play back when I was in college. It’s common in jazz scenes to work with a ton of different musicians, so at some point well before the beginning of LP And The Vinyl, we started playing together. We formed the group in 2015 and it didn’t take long at all for us to realize that we had something special together. Justin, Julien, and I already had our own chemistry from years of playing together as a trio, and Leonard fit right in, bringing his great voice, and ability for making great things happen in the moment.
That photo of you all leaning against the gray wall on your website is fantastic. Everyone looks so happy. Where was that photo taken and how many shots did it take to get those smiles just right?
We spend several hours walking through the streets of downtown San Diego with photographer Darci Fontenot, and we love the work she did. That particular photo was taken at San Diego City College. All I remember is that we were joking around quite a bit on the photo session, so Darci must have caught us in a funny moment.
Performing live can be unpredictable. Do you ever get nervous before going on stage?
I don’t think any of us get nervous at this point. We’ve been doing it so long, and we love being on stage and sharing our music with others. For me, as long as I feel prepared, there’s nothing to fear. I know that we all have each other’s backs, so if anything goes wrong, we can easily recover.
And when mistakes happen during a performance, how do you handle them in the moment?
Mistakes certainly do happen, and at least on my end, they happen every performance. I suppose in a nutshell, I try not to dwell on the mistake and just play on. One type of mistake is playing a wrong note. Sometimes, it’s possible to turn it into something that can musically work, and sometimes it is what it is and I move on. Another type of mistake is losing track of where I am in the form, or where beat 1 is. In those situations, it’s important to listen closely to the rest of the band, and communicate with the other band members.
You’ve performed at some incredible venues including the Telluride Jazz Festival and the Museum of Making Music. Are there any upcoming shows this summer we should have on our radar?
We’ll be on a hiatus this summer since our vocalist will be on tour with jazz legend Pat Metheny. We’ll be back on the road again in 2027. So far we have shows in NorCal and Oregon, but we’re not ready to announce specific dates yet.
I noticed you’re very active on Facebook and Instagram. Who is managing all that content? There’s some great footage being shared.
I’ve been doing all the social media posting as well as putting together the videos.
If someone reading this interview wants to start playing an instrument, maybe guitar or piano, where should they begin?
Taking lessons is always a great way to get started. You can find teachers online, or if you see someone playing a local gig, you can ask them if they teach. There’s also so many great online resources for learning instruments, but I think in person instruction is the best way to go if possible.
What advice would you give someone trying to find a good music teacher? What should they be looking for?
Find a teacher that you connect well with and who can inspire and motivate you.
If someone wanted to book LP And The Vinyl for a private event, what does that process look like?
They can reach out to our booking agent – marianliebowitz.com.
Where is the best place for people to stay in touch and learn more about the band? Is there a newsletter we can sign up for, so we don’t miss a beat?
We love keeping in touch with our fans. I have a newsletter, which I put out once every month or two. You can sign up on lpandthevinyl.com or dannygreen.net. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Lastly, you can find all our videos on YouTube.
We’ve covered a lot today. What have we missed that you’d like readers to know about LP And The Vinyl?
I think we covered quite a bit here! We love doing what we do and feel so fortunate to be able to travel as much as we do and share our music.
What’s next for the band?
We’re excited for our upcoming tours in 2027, and we’ve been talking about recording some of our newer arrangements.
Thanks for doing this. I really enjoyed it. In all of the interviews I do, I always give the artist the last word. Go.
Thanks so much for your interest in LP And The Vinyl and all the great questions and best wishes to you and all your readers!
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