By Norm Harris
A one-two power punch is what its all about, and Glenn Leslie, a resident of Bayside since the fourth grade, knows that better than your average Joe. When it comes to understanding the proverbial ropes of the music industry in addition to — as strange as it may seem — the sweet science of pugilism, some say he’s the man.
Leslie, whose physical presence brings to mind a boxing heavyweight, revealed himself not only as a serious contender in the tough-to-make-it-happen music promotion and management business, but also as a sought-after boxing teacher.
Leslie is a man with a sagacious and eclectic involvement in the history of music and actual promotion of musical talent. Having spent the majority of his life being involved in music, he’s currently continuing his efforts to expose the fans to what he feels are some exceptionally talented artists, who have been labeled — for good or for bad — as the current “avant-garde” of their art form.
Labeling is often a blind attempt by much of the listening public to, perhaps unintentionally, present themselves as being astute about a specific artist, type of music or style of musicianship, Leslie said.
He said that this practice “for the sake of differentiation” may be a damaging blow to the attempts of a struggling artist or his management trying to get the artist’s sound heard.
“People’s listening tastes for the most part, are not that sophisticated, and as result, they just don’t get it because they fail to really give an extended listen to a particular artist and allow their musical gift a chance,” said Leslie.
Perhaps the first artist that came to mind on this topic was the case of the currently revered and celebrated “avant-garde” jazz musician Ornette Coleman, who was for many years a victim of that same mentality.
It has been said that early in his career, Coleman was short-changed in his attempts to get major gigs because his level of creativity and presentation of jazz music was very complex, more often than not misunderstood by an ignorant listening public. At times he was berated by one or more of the so-called “successful” critics and/or performing artists involved in the same or related musical genre.
So when asked why he had such a deep involvement in such a “hard to place artist,” Leslie explained by delving into his own musical background.
As a young man he took drum lessons and later sang in a band. He had been bitten by the music bug in 1965 while, as a 9-year-old, he sat in a seat just behind first base in Shea Stadium enjoying the Beatles in concert. Years later he took some music courses at Queensborough Community College and at the Manhattan College of Music, but his early “training” came primarily from seeing as many of the bands he admired as he could.
According to Leslie, the Beatles experience spawned an interest in Frank Zappa, who at the time was producing the Alice Cooper band. He saw Alice Cooper in 1970 as part of a show called the “Mid Summer’s Night Rock Concert,” which was the very first event of its type simulcast on television and radio. This concert originating in Cincinnati also included groups like Mountain, Traffic, Grand Funk Railroad and Iggy Pop and the Stooges, he said.
Leslie said the Alice Cooper band, which played “Science Fiction Rock,” impressed him so profoundly because “they were very sharp musicians that could stop on a dime.” He said with heightened enthusiasm in his voice that, “imitators like Kiss and Marilyn Manson borrowed the Alice Cooper band’s theatrical over-the-top attire and on stage presence. They were the ultimate ‘Punk Anthem’ group, because they were highly accomplished musicians who were so technically skillful and tight that they could, at will, throw in pieces of musical compositions from well-known mainstream composers like Rodgers and Hammerstein.”
As the years progressed, so did Leslie’s involvement in management, promotion and other related aspects of the music business. Leslie said he has had the opportunity to have worn many hats during his life-long seasoning in the music business, which he feels has helped him develop a very keen insight and knowledge about how various people operate, grow artistically, succeed and or fail in the industry.
Some of his earlier work experience included being a tour coordinator while in Europe, and a personal assistant/road manager (and at times security person) for such luminaries as David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Cyndi Lauper, Robert Fripp and King Crimson, Rock-A-Billy singer Robert Gordon and session specialist/guitarist Chris Spedding of Roxy Music, to name just a few.
His involvement and appreciation of British progressive rock artists led him to admire American black jazz improvisational artists, and to become associated with some of the acts he currently manages, such as Richard Sinclair of Caravan, Robert Fripp and King Crimson.
Leslie said he originally liked Zappa’s style and realized over time that Zappa dug the jazz sax icons John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy. He had heard that other artists he enjoyed, including members of the British progressive group Soft Machine, were huge fans of Coltrane and trumpet iconoclast Miles Davis. Consequently, he found that “perhaps through osmosis,” he began to get hip to what they were already saying with their Coltrane-, Dolphy-, and Davis-inspired creations, and over time he found himself growing in his appreciation and understanding of these jazz cats and their unique musical gifts.
Leslie’s interests in other musical genres blossomed as an outgrowth of his expanding knowledge of certain seminal artistic musical approaches and his evolving practical experiences in the industry.
“After 20 years of traveling back and forth across North America and to Europe, and booking many acts in world class venues like The Blue Note, the Saratoga Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz at the Muse D’art, Toronto Jazz Festival, BAM, The Knitting Factory and the Walter Reed theater of Lincoln Center, I want to continue my dedication toward talent exposure and development by lining up more record deals, putting together larger tours, and booking and promoting the extremely talented, versatile under appreciated esoteric artists out there,” Leslie said.
Some of the artists he is currently managing are saxophonist Andrew Lamb from Brooklyn, vocalist/actor Shelley Hirsch, the Bern Nix Trio, Gary Lucas and The Golem, and the new hard rock trio Bouchard, Dunaway and Smith (Joe Bouchard of Blue Oyster Cult, along with Dennis Dunaway and Neil Smith of the Alice Cooper band).
“It’s hard to get agents to book these types of acts and they need someone with my wherewithal, acquired skills and years of experience to work on their behalf,” Leslie said.
Leslie also said that in the immediate future he would like to combine the exceptional talents of Gary Lucas and Shelley Hirsch in a show called “A Night of New Jewish Cultural Performances.” As the current manager of a young band from the area called Whitestone, he’s also looking for a suitable venue for their developing act.
Leslie is also looking for corporate and cultural sponsorship to help put on the first New York “New Music and Jazz Festival,” to take place in all five boroughs and on Long Island, he said.
When Leslie isn’t working on getting some meaningful gigs or record deals for his artists, you might find him doing that other thing he does with equal fervor.
He has, for many years, been a fan and participant inside the ropes as an actual boxer and teacher of the fine art. You might find him at a local gym or in a private residence giving one-to-one boxing lessons to the average person or to experts in the Martial Arts who seek him out for pointers on how to avoid getting a bloodied nose in hand-to-hand competitions, he said.
Leslie, a bachelor now in his 40s, said in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s his idols were both Muhammad Ali and Jimi Hendrix — both champions and at the same instant, true iconoclasts in their own right.
He said that as a young man during the mid-‘70s he found himself hanging out at the world-renowned Gleason’s Gym (originally near Madison Square Garden). It was there that he became friends with, received boxing lessons from and learned all he knows about its techniques from Boxing Hall of Fame members Eusebio Pedroza, and Pipino Cuevas.
Leslie recently caught up with one of his mentors, the renowned boxing trainer and television announcer Gil Clancy, who paid him a great honor by complimenting Leslie on his awesome boxing acumen.
His unwavering dedication to the art and business of music, spanning some 35 years, and his equally important personal involvement in the science of pugilism for about 25 years (teaching others for 15 years), is in part what makes Leslie a uniquely interesting person.
His life-long development, rich involvement and hard-earned practical experiences in the music scene are certainly eclectic and vast in range and depth as anyone can possibly imagine.
Art Rock Management, Glenn Leslie’s music promotion, and booking company, can be reached at 718-465-1661, by fax at 718-465-3882, or by mail at P.O. Box 650326, Fresh Meadows, NY 11365.
Bayside music agent and boxing instructor Glenn Leslie is looking for corporate and cultural sponsorship in order to put on the first New York “New Music and Jazz Festival,” to take place in the five boroughs and on Long Island.
