Orlando le Fleming

Orlando le Fleming, a bassist from Britain with a background as a cricket player, has earned acclaim for his polished albums rooted in contemporary creative jazz and post-bop. After his initial period based in London, he drew greater notice in New York through his association with vocalist Jane Monheit, prior to releasing his exploratory recordings such as From Brooklyn with Love in 2010 and Romantic Funk: The Unfamiliar in 2020, the latter representing the second self-titled release by his jazz-funk collective. In addition to contributing to projects by Seamus Blake, Iain Ballamy, and Ari Hoenig, he shares leadership of the OWL Trio alongside Will Vinson and Lage Lund, which issued Life of the Party in 2021 with singer Kurt Elling. During the same year, Le Fleming examined the catalog of Led Zeppelin on Whole Lotta Love, and he later teamed with drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts and saxophonist Mark Turner for the 2022 album Misterioso.

Born in Birmingham, England, Le Fleming was raised in Exeter, Devon, alongside his mother, a cellist, and his father, a composer. He engaged with music early on, eventually adopting the electric bass and receiving instruction from figures including Dave Bowen and Craig Milverton. Concurrently he distinguished himself in cricket, securing a professional debut with Devon in 1992 at age 15. Over the ensuing five years he competed for the club across 24 Minor Counties Championships. In his final season there he gained admission to London's Royal Academy of Music and chose to follow his established interest in jazz. He quickly became a sought-after session and touring musician, collaborating with artists such as Jason Rebello, Julian Joseph, Iain Ballamy, and Guy Barker.

Le Fleming moved to the United States in 2003 and eventually joined Jane Monheit's ensemble, performing and recording with the singer across multiple years. Subsequent engagements included work with musicians such as Jimmy Cobb, Seamus Blake, and Joey Calderazzo. As a bandleader he introduced From Brooklyn with Love in 2010, an acoustic post-bop set featuring saxophonist Will Vinson, guitarist Lage Lund, and drummer Antonio Sanchez. Three years afterward he launched the OWL Trio, again with Vinson and Lund.

In 2020 Le Fleming introduced his high-energy jazz-funk outfit Romantic Funk, enlisting Vinson, saxophonist Seamus Blake, drummer Ari Hoenig, and additional players. That year he also reunited with the OWL Trio for Life of the Party. A further Romantic Funk release, Romantic Funk: The Unfamiliar, likewise surfaced in 2020 and incorporated contributions from saxophonist Vinson, trumpeter Philip Dizack, keyboardist Sean Wayland, and drummers Kush Abadey and Kneebody's Nate Wood. In 2021 he united with Obed Calvaire, Bob Franceshini, and Kevin Hays for the rock-covers endeavor Whole Lotta Love: The Music of Led Zeppelin. The following year Le Fleming and the OWL Trio partnered with vocalist Kurt Elling on Life of the Party. During that same period he recorded the trio album Misterioso with drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts and saxophonist Mark Turner.