International Archives For The Jazz Organ (IAJO) - The Jazz Organ Scene USA

Leon Michels

Leon (* 1982 in New York, NY) is a music producer, record executive, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. His professional career began as a teenager in the late 1990s. He got his start playing in the high school funk band The Mighty Imperials. At age sixteen, Leon joined Desco's house band The Soul Providers and toured internationally as part of Sharon Jones' band.

When Desco folded in 1999, The Mighty Imperials became the house band for Phillip Lehman's Soul Fire Records. When Lehman decided to leave the music industry in 2003, he helped Leon found retro-soul label Truth & Soul Records. This label was active from 2004 until 2016 as both a label and production team.

During the time of founding Truth & Soul, Leon left Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, with whom he had toured with for seven years and released two studio albums, and began leading his own project, El Michels Affair. El Michels Affair released its debut album in 2005. In 2007, Leon helped found the Thomas Brenneck-led Menahan Street Band.

In 2009, Leon produced the first Lee Field & The Expressions' album My World. The album got the attention of The Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach, who recruited Leon to tour with the band. He worked with Auerbach as a songwriter and session musician for a few years before co-founding The Arcs.

Following the closure of Truth & Soul in 2016, Leon co-founded Big Crown Records. Since then, he has produced a majority of the albums from the labels roster including Lee Fields, Lady Wray, Paul & The Tall Trees, and Liam Bailey. Leon has also produced records for The Carters, Hanni El Khatib, Chicano Batman, Marco Benevento, and Don Toliver. He maintains two recording studios under the name The Diamond Mine, one in Rhinebeck, NY and one in Long Island City, NY with Thomas Brenneck, Nick Movshon, and Homer Steinweiss. from Wikipedia

Make The Road By Walking Dunham DUN-1000 recorded in Brooklyn, NY/USA	Leon Michels, tenor sax, flute, organ, piano, congas Aaron Johnson, trombone Dave Guy, trumpet Cochemea Gastelum, flute Thomas Brenneck, guitar, organ, piano, vibes, bass, drums Michael Deller, piano, organ Toby Pazner, vibes Bosco Mann, bass Nick Movshon, bass, drums Homer Steinweiss, drums
Enter The 37th Chamber Fat Beats FB-5127-2 recorded in Brooklyn, NY/USA	Leon Michels, sax, piano, organ Aaron Johnson, trombone Michael Leonhart, trumpet Thomas Brenneck, guitar Toby Pazner, piano, organ Rachel Garb, violin Garo Yellin, cello Nick Movshon, bass Homer Steinweiss, drums
No Time For Dreaming Dunham DUN-1001 recorded in Brooklyn, NY/USA	Charles Bradley, vocals Leon Michels, tenor sax, organ, piano Dave Guy, trumpet Thomas Brenneck, guitar, organ, piano, bass, drums, vibes Victor Axelrod, organ, glockenspiel Bosco Mann, organ, bass, congas Mike Deller, piano Toby Pazner, vibes Daniel Foder, bass Nick Movshon, bass Homer Steinweiss, drums Fernando Velez, congas
The Crossing Dunham DUN-1003 recorded in Brooklyn, NY/USA	Leon Michels, tenor sax, organ Jared Tankel, baritone sax Dave Guy, trumpet Cochemea Gastelum, flute Thomas Brenneck, guitar, piano, synthesizer, autoharp, bass Victor Axelrod, organ Mike Deller, piano The Bushwick Philharmonic Nick Movshon, bass, drums Homer Steinweiss, drums Bobby Chupete, congas
Faithful Man Truth & Soul TS018-CD recorded in Brooklyn, NY/USA	Lee Fields, vocals Leon Michels, tenor sax, baritone sax, guitar, organ, piano, bass Aaron Johnson, trombone Dave Guy, trumpet Thomas Brenneck, guitar Joe Crispiano, guitar Michael Leonhart, sitar Vincent John, piano, bass Toby Pazner, organ, piano, vibes, bass string section Nick Movshon, bass, drums Rudy Petschauer, drums Brian Floody, timpani Nicole Wray, vocals
Changes Dunham DUN-1005 recorded in Brooklyn, NY/USA	Charles Bradley, vocals David Guy, trumpet Ray Mason, trombone Joe Harrison, flute, vibes Thomas Brenneck, guitar, bass, organ, percussion Will Schalda, organ, piano Michael Deller, organ Raynier Jacildo, organ Victor Axelrod, piano, vibes Leon Michels, organ, sax Nick Movshon, bass Homer Steinweiss, drums The Gospel Queens, vocals Saun & Starr, vocals
Black Velvet Dunham DUN-1007	Charles Bradley, vocals, organ Leon Michels, tenor sax, organ, piano Freddy DeBoe, baritone sax Aaron Johnson, trombone Billy Aukstik, trumpet Dave Guy, trumpet Thomas Brenneck, guitar, organ, piano, vibes, bass, drums, percussion Mike Deller, piano, organ Victor Axelrod, piano Nick Movshon, bass Homer Steinweiss, drums Mickey Post, drums Nick Movshon, drums, percussion Fernando, congas Dave Guy, tambourine
The Angels In Heaven Done Signed My Name Easy Eye Sound EES-007 recorded in Nashville, TN/USA	Leo Welch, guitar, vocals Dan Auerbach, guitar, piano, bass, drums, percussion Russ Pahl, guitar Leon Michels, organ, piano, synthesizer Ray Jacildo, organ, piano, synthesizer, harpsichord, percussion Dave Roe, bass Richard Swift, drums, percussion
The Exciting Sounds Of Menahan Street Band Dunham DUN-1008 recorded in Long Island City, NY and Hollywood, CA/USA	Leon Michels, tenor sax, organ, percussion Ray Mason, trombone Dave Guy, trumpet, guitar, tambourine Thomas Brenneck, guitar, organ, piano, synthesizer, bass, percussion Mike Deller, Farfisa organ Daniel Foder, bass Bosco Mann, bass Nick Movshon, bass, drums Brian Profilio, drums Homer Steinweiss, drums Elizabeth Pupo-Walker, congas
Visions Blue Note 00602458671445	Norah Jones, guitar, organ, piano, synthesizer, vocals Leon Michels, tenor sax, baritone sax, organ, bass, drums, percussion Dave Guy, trumpet Jesse Murphy, bass Brian Blade, drums Homer Steinweiss, drums

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