In addition to being a well established pianist/artist in the music industry, Leavell is also a published author, long time tree farmer, co-founder of the popular website The Mother Nature Network, and keeps busy with his advocacy work on behalf of the environment. He has just completed two episodes of America’s Forests With Chuck Leavell for PBS.  At the age of 13, Chuck got the opportunity to see Ray Charles in concert. He recalls, “Ray and the band played an incredible show, and it had such an impact on me that I made up my mind there and then that that was what I wanted to do. I decided that night what I wanted as my career.”

    Leavell’s most recent solo endeavor, Chuck Gets Big, will make its world debut at the 2018 Savannah Jazz Festival.  As he describes this new album and body of work,

    “In 2011, I had the pleasure of doing a concert with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, a 17-piece brass orchestra of some of the finest musicians in Germany. Three talented arrangers created charts for some twelve songs I had chosen from my works with the Allman Brothers Band; Sea Level and  the Rolling Stones, as well as my own compositions. “Chuck Gets Big” is the result of this experience, and is my latest release on BMG records. Now, we are proud to bring this to Savannah for the Savanah Jazz Festival with the amazing Savannah Jazz Orchestra to present it live on September 29, 2018. This will be a unique presentation that will only happen once in a lifetime. Don’t miss it…”

Venue