Trumpeter/producer Michael Leonhart and emcee JSWISS culminate two years of working remotely throughout a pandemic with the release of their debut duo album “Bona Fide”. The two were brought together in the summer of 2019 when Leonhart was looking for a rapper to make a guest appearance during a performance with his orchestra at the popular New York City club Jazz Standard, which led to several more shows together over the next 6 months.

On the album, Leonhart handles all production duties and plays multiple instruments. The only samples on the record actually come from an album from Leonhart’s own Michael Leonhart Orchestra, “The Normyn Suites.” JSWISS handles all lyrical duties, covering a variety of topics including love, Black excellence, and a string of songs inspired by themes from Brazilian author Paulo Coelho’s book “Manuscript Found In Accra” (Tracks 5 through 8).