Leonard Harold Breau (1941-1984) was born in Maine to musician parents and spent his early life surrounded by the country/western music that they performed. As a teenager, Lenny’s natural musical ability allowed him to figure out the licks of his favorite guitarists including Chet Atkins and Django Reinhardt, as well as jazz greats of the day like Tal Farlow, Barney Kessel, and pianist Bill Evans.
Lenny Breau - Episode 1
Lenny's ability to mix country, jazz, and flamenco styles along with his ability to play the guitar like a piano made him one of the great innovators, yet sadly forgotten today by those outside the music community. On this show we will examine some of his influences as well as his first recordings.
| Composition | Artist | Album | Year |
| I've Been Working on the Guitar | Chet Atkins | | 1950 |
| Mountain Melody | Chet Atkins | | 1951 |
| Les Yeux Noirs | Django Reinhardt | | 1947 |
| Mean to Me | Barney Kessel | With the Poll Winners | 1957 |
| Lover | Tal Farlow Quartet | | 1954 |
| Out of Nowhere | Lenny Breau | Boy Wonder | 1957 |
| Blues in Extension | Lenny Breau | Boy Wonder | 1957 |
| Speedy Jazz | Lenny Breau | Boy Wonder | 1957 |
Lenny Breau - Episode 2
On the podcast we will listen to his first important recording session, sometimes referred to as the Hallmark Sessions (Hallmark Studios, Toronto). This is where Lenny introduced “spanjazz” which is a combination of the flashy and highly technical flamenco style mixed with jazz. Here he displays the assimilation of his many influences into a recognizable and original approach to playing the guitar.
| Composition | Artist | Album | Year |
| I'll Remember April | Lenny Breau | Hallmark Sessions | 1961 |
| Oscar's Blues | Lenny Breau | Hallmark Sessions | 1961 |
| Undecided | Lenny Breau | Hallmark Sessions | 1961 |
| Solea | Lenny Breau | Hallmark Sessions | 1961 |
| Arabian Fantasy | Lenny Breau | Hallmark Sessions | 1961 |
Lenny Breau - Episode 3
In 1968 Lenny made his first commercially successful recording on the RCA record label in Nashville produced by Chet Atkins. The selections reflect a good cross-section of popular music from the mid to late 1960’s mixed with some jazz standards. He spent quite a bit of time in Los Angeles in mid-1969 recording with his trio and performed in a number of famous jazz clubs. These live recordings provide an accurate representation of his guitar playing at this time.
| Composition | Artist | Album | Year |
| King of the Road | Lenny Breau | Guitar Sounds of Lenny Breau | 1968 |
| Taranta | Lenny Breau | Guitar Sounds of Lenny Breau | 1968 |
| Georgia | Lenny Breau | Guitar Sounds of Lenny Breau | 1968 |
| There is No Greater Love | Lenny Breau | The Velvet Touch: Live at Shelly's Manhole | 1969 |
| The Claw | Lenny Breau | The Velvet Touch: Live at Shelly's Manhole | 1969 |
| Mercy, Mercy, Mercy | Lenny Breau | The Velvet Touch: Live at Shelly's Manhole | 1969 |