Introducing Ed Leonard

As most of you know by now, Stillpointe bass player Mark Espe passed away late May. Ed Leonard has accepted the band's unanimous invitation to join us in Mark's place, We wanted to give Ed a chance to introduce himself to you. Here he is in his words:

Greetings Stillpointe fans!

My name is Ed Leonard and I have recently joined the band to play bass guitar. It has been a lot of fun and a steep learning curve for me, but I have enjoyed the challenge. I look forward to meeting you in the future.

I have come late to playing music. I started playing bass guitar when I was 33, starting to learn from a friend at a church I went to in San Jose while I lived in California. I am mostly self taught but have been eager to continue to improve. I have not had any major influences for my bass playing, but I can say I have developed an eclectic interest in music! I started out listening to Motown and Stax and moved over to R&B from the 80’s. I went to college in Chicago, so I got my first taste and love for blues music there. I also got into pop, new age, some rock and house music (think thumping beats!). Currently I still enjoy the blues, as well as jazz (including smooth jazz) and more instrumental music.

With all these different musical interests, I have some favorite artists that have stayed constant over the years. My favorite artists are James Brown, The Temptations, The Isley Brothers, Patrice Rushen, Sting, Rick Braun and Boney James. My favorite bassists are Marcus Miller and Sting.

When I am not working or playing music I enjoy tinkering with cars, model building and traveling.