Chicago jazz duo Pat Leary & Tom Kelleher aka Then announce single Hey Jude
Happy Bandcamp Friday! Chicago pianist Pat Leary is sharing music as a duo with his good friend since middle school, jazz guitarist Thomas Kelleher. After sharing their covers of Charlie Parker’s “Orinthology” and Bill Evans’ “Interplay” last month, they’re reinterpreting “Hey Jude” ahead of their duo record, THEN, which will later be followed by a record of all original improvisations called NOW.
As the titles suggest, THEN shows the duo reinterpreting “standards” in the Great American Songbook and in pop music, as a way to rediscover improvisation between the two artists. On the other hand, NOW will show how their expressions as musicians have evolved. Both records were recorded live with minimal alterations by Caleb Willitz at Midnight Tea out of the historic Fine Arts Building in downtown Chicago.
Here’s the link to the songs on Bandcamp and here’s the DISCO link (has the option to download the audio file).
Leary said, “this was another track recorded in one take. We quickly outlined an arrangement just before recording and left the rest to the muses. Tom and I both have an affinity for the Beatles, so this fits in smoothly with the rest of the more jazz-oriented tunes.”
Pat previously shared solo piano music with Vol. 1 and Live At Midnight Tea, and the electric TRIO with two close collaborators, Alex Santilli (Thee Sacred Souls) and Jeff Wheaton (Isaiah Collier, Angel Bat Dawid). Chicago Reader wrote of TRIO, “it would’ve fit in fine on the Blue Note roster in the late 60s,” Chicago Public Radio said his solo works are “sure to soothe the soul,” and DownBeat profiled Leary, writing his music “reflects the melting pot of influences he absorbed when returning to the keyboard.”
Pat Leary and Thomas Kelleher will be releasing more from THEN this summer, along with original music with NOW later this year. After Bandcamp Friday, these songs will later be uploaded to streaming platforms (dates TBD).
Please give me a shout if you’d be interested in sharing their music or hearing more from the duo!
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