LMT - Artists

	Leslie Maclean , pianist, composer and vocalist, has been a professional musician since the age of 13. While in college, Leslie worked extensively with free jazz proponent Muhul Richard Abrams. Her imaginative and artistic performance at the Midwest Intercollegiate Jazz Festival in 1970 won her the esteemed American Music Foundation Award, given to the single outstanding instrumental soloist at the Festival. Leslie was deemed "the best" by a judging panel which included the legendary Marian McPartland, who presented the award. She has appeared as a warm-up act for jazz legend Stan Kenton, at many top Chicago jazz clubs and on television and radio. Leslie has also performed with guitarist Mundell Lowe and drummer Roy Burns. She cites as one of her main influences the music of the Big Bands, and enjoys bringing the ensemble-style articulations of the big band sound into her playing and her arrangements. Her piano style also owes much to her background in classical music and displays a satisfying depth of touch and sensitivity to the piano keyboard. Leslie’s original tunes reflect her wide-ranging musical interests and run the gamut from straight-ahead swing and well-crafted ballads to driving Latin rhythms and jazz fusion. She earned a Master of Music in piano performance at the Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University. Leslie is the accompanist for the Kansas City Women's Chorus and also contributes arrangements to their concert programs. This season (2009-2010), Leslie was named Artistic Director of the Treblemakers, a small ensemble made up of members of the Chorus.
	Jerry Pollock, drums/percussion, began his career as a professional musician at the age of 14, and has played all styles of music with symphonic orchestras, jazz bands and ensembles, and theater pit bands. Jerry has also been strongly influenced by the Big Band legacy in part due to his four years of experience with the Illinois State University Jazz Ensemble, and is an exceptionally musical drummer, adding invaluable imaginative touches to any music he performs. His deft brush work is reminiscent of Joe Morello and is a frequent feature of Trio arrangements. Jerry often takes a tuneful approach to his improvisation, combining the timbre of the drums with rhythm in such a way as to suggest the melody line. He studied with Chicago drummers Bob Tilles and Marshall Thompson. Jerry also serves as the Business Manager, and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago. Leslie and Jerry met in January of 1976, when Leslie was auditioning percussionists for her trio. Jerry’s immediate understanding of Leslie’s arrangements and compositions has led to a 27 year collaboration. Married in October of 1977, their obvious chemistry gives the Trio much of its individual sound and character.
	Bob Bowman is a native of Topeka, Kansas and came from a musical family. At age seven he began playing piano and took up the clarinet at age 10. After hearing a bass solo on a Pete Fountain album, Bob realized his true instrument was the bass. While a freshman in high school Bob won the Topeka Jazz Workshop Scholarship and attended the Stan Kenton Jazz Clinic in Redlands, CA. Bob later attended North Texas State University. In 1976 was invited to join the prestigious Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. He toured with them and recorded several albums including the Grammy Award winning, "Live At Munich." In 1979 Bob moved to Los Angeles and joined the highly innovative Toshiko Akiyoshi/Lew Tabakin Big Band and recorded many albums, both big band and smaller groups, several of which were nominated for Grammy Awards. In 1981 Bob toured South America and Japan with Carmen McRae. He then free-lanced in Los Angeles with such names as Bud Shank and Freddie Hubbard. Most recently Bob has toured extensively with Concord recording artist Karrin Allyson and is featured on many of her numerous recordings. While playing with the PBT Trio, Bob currently resides in Kansas City and teaches at the University of Missouri/Kansas City Conservatory of Music's School of Jazz Studies. In addition, he leads the critically acclaimed group, Interstring which includes guitarists Danny Embrey and Rod Fleeman, and drummer Todd Strait.