Orlando Le Fleming

Acoustic Bass icon Acoustic Bass

49 age

July 7, 1976 Birthday

Birmingham, England, U.K. Birthplace

www.orlandolefleming.com Website

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About

Orlando Le Fleming is a contemporary jazz bassist, composer and educator. His career started in London, where he quickly became a first-call bassist. In 2003, he moved to the United States and soon after joined Jane Monheit's band. Over the years, he has collaborated with an impressive array of musicians including Jimmy Cobb, Branford Marsalis, Ari Hoenig, Jeff Tain Watts, and Kurt Rosenwinkel. He has recorded several albums with his own groups which include a traditional quartet, the highly regarded drum-less OWL Trio and the fusion ensemble Romantic Funk. He is adept on both the acoustic and electric bass, allowing him to explore diverse genres of music and making him a sought after collaborator. Additionally, Le Fleming is a skilled educator who provides online courses, authored a book on bass technique, and teaches at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Trivia

Orlando Le Fleming has worked with drummer Jeff Tain Watts and considers him a mentor. At age 15, Orlando Le Fleming was the second youngest cricket player ever to turn out for Devon. Orlando Le Fleming occasionally plays with Chris Martin of Cold Play.

Early Life

Orlando Le Fleming was born in Birmingham, England in 1976 to a family of classical musicians. His mother was a cellist, and his father was a composer. As a child, Le Fleming reluctantly studied the piano and violin, but his interest in the bass was piqued after seeing the British band Level 42 perform. At age 10, he started playing the electric bass, inspired by jazz fusion groups like The Weather Report. Alongside his musical pursuits, Le Fleming was also an accomplished cricket player, playing professionally as a teenager. However, when he was accepted into the jazz program at London's Royal Academy of Music, he shifted his focus to his music career and began playing the upright bass.