.The bluesy haunt and jazzy lilt of Jerry Eubanks’ flute gave the Marshall Tucker Band a trademark sound like no other. That’s the same distinctive musical touch that Dianne Leonardi brings to Ted Riser’s “Long Hard Ride.”
Dianne's earliest inspiration was her dad, who would take her to see Duke Ellington and Count Basie whenever they came to town. Her first influential moment on the journey to becoming a flutist came in the late 1960’s when she saw Andy Kulberg perform “Flute Thing” with the New York Blues Project in Cleveland. Her other major influences have been Yusef Lateef, Herbie Mann, Johnny Almond, Ian Anderson, Hubert Laws, and, of course, Jerry Eubanks himself.
Over the years, she’s brought that blues-and-jazz dimension to a number of rock bands, including Pig Iron, Hessler Court, Hot Knife, Sunrise Time Machine, and Vicious Cycle. She met Ted in August 2003 at a one-night jam session and soon began performing regularly in one of his bands. Now, she’s an integral element in the amazingly true-to-the-core Marshall Tucker portion of the Triple Tribute performance, bringing her soulful trills and flourishes to the Southern rock music she loves so much.