Soon playing the restaurant piano became part of Leonard\u2019s regular routine.\n<\/p>\n
In early 2024, a friend encouraged him to record himself playing the old instrument and post the videos online<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n The series, \u201cPutting the Chinese restaurant on to jams,\u201d featured Leonard performing R&B, funk and soul covers in the restaurant and interacting with customers. Before long, the videos found an audience online.\n<\/p>\n Leonard made one thing clear: It was never about building a following; it was about having peace.\n <\/p>\n As more videos were posted, he invited his friend to join him. In every live stream, viewers suggested adding more instruments and upgrading the sound system, which he initially thought was ridiculous.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe started bringing speakers. We started to make music. We started to remix music,\u201d he said. \u201cWe pretty much treated it as a public studio at that point.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Word continued to spread of Leonard\u2019s music and the Chinese restaurant where he played. Drummers, bass players, saxophonists and singers began making their way to the restaurant, transforming an ordinary neighborhood takeout spot into an open jam session where no two performances were ever the same.\n<\/p>\n \u201cEverything is bliss. So it\u2019s not planned. We just show up,\u201d he said. \u201cI may start a groove \u2014 and usually it\u2019s like R&B, gospel, funk, soul, somewhere in that vein \u2014 and then it takes off, because the drummer may have a way that he wants to add to the groove. We all just feed off of each other, and then we create something. It\u2019s almost like magic.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Audiences became part of the performance. Some sang along. Others danced. Many pulled out their phones to capture the moment. Customers who stopped in for dinner often stayed long after their food was ready.\n<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll have some people come in, maybe to order food, and then they\u2019ll forget that they\u2019re in a restaurant because of everything that is happening,\u201d he said. \u201cThey may order food and then stick around for maybe 10 to 15 minutes and then leave.\u201d\n<\/p>\n For Leonard, the biggest change wasn\u2019t the growing audience or the recognition. It was rediscovering the confidence he thought he had lost.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I picked up the \u2026 DoorDash at the Chinese restaurant, that piano was my reminder of leaning more towards my creative side and not really pushing it all the way to the side,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n \u201cMe being able to bring things to life in a Chinese restaurant with a piano, able to reach a lot of people from across the globe, it definitely built my spirit back up.\u201d As the jam sessions grew, Leonard realized they were becoming something larger than just music.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThe piano being out of tune and not really in good shape \u2026 I actually thought it\u2026 would actually push more people away from it,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n Instead, the opposite happened.\n<\/p>\n Leonard said he believes the piano\u2019s imperfections are what made the phenomenon possible. Because the instrument is out of tune, musicians have to adapt to it and to one another, creating a sense of collaboration and shared purpose.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe can still make it adhesive if we all agree to be in tune with the piano,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n He hopes people leave the restaurant with more than a memorable performance.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI hope they feel recharged,\u201d he said. \u201cThey leave that restaurant feeling great, and they feel like they can do whatever they want to do. No matter what goes on in the world.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The jam sessions have also introduced Leonard to opportunities he never imagined, connecting him with other artists and collaborators. He has even produced a couple of songs with British singer-songwriter, rapper and producer KWN<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, I just hope it grows in a direction where it needs to,\u201d Leonard said. \u201cI\u2019m just following God at this point, because I mean, to me, a year ago, I didn\u2019t really see this happening. But it just happened.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Leonard said he hopes to continue creating music similar to his jam sessions, curating spaces where strangers become collaborators and where art feels accessible to anyone.\n <\/p>\n
\nNew Number One Chinese Food restaurant in Newark, Del., is home to a jam session that is streamed worldwide. (Kimberly Paynter\/WHYY)\n<\/p>\nAn imperfect piano; a perfect community<\/h2>\n