About
Steve Raleigh, guitarist, composer, arranger, producer, and educator, makes his home in New York’s Hudson Valley where he teaches music at his home studio in New Paltz NY, as an adjunct music professor at Bard College, at SUNY New Paltz, and at SUNY Dutchess County. He is also owner and operator of LWR Productions Recording Studio.
Throughout his career he has worked and toured with many groups including the Steve Raleigh trio, his quintet Inner Door, Judi Silvano, October Project, Evelyn Blakey, Nick Brignola, Darmond Meader (New York Voices), Clint Holmes, Pete Levin, Ira Coleman, Adam Nussbaum, and Tony Martin, as well as opening for Chuck Mangione, and Tommy James to name a few. Steve has been credited as assistant producer on two CD releases on the Evidence record label which featured Pharaoh Sanders and Sam Rivers, and produced numerous records including 2 Charles Lyonhart CD's on his own LWR Productions label. Steve has also had one of his solo guitar arrangements published in Just Jazz Guitar Magazine (Feb 2001), released his third solo CD Collage in 2001, released his 4th with his Jazz Quartet "inner Door" in 2003, a collection of 7 original compositions, the holiday CD "A Christmas Present" in 2005, and a live CD with his band The Llama Dollies in 2007. Steve is also an endorser of D'Addario strings and accessories.
Of his first release The Steve Raleigh Band, Recording Magazine’s Michael Laskow wrote "This track is great......Loved it". In the national publication Guitar World Magazine his guitar playing was described by columnist Mike Varney as "...a more fusiony Jeff Beck....brilliant sense of melody." George Fletcher of the Poughkeepsie Journal wrote "...Steve’s use of melodies and clean, classy rhythms ...is the stuff of the big boys and just plain on the mark.....fiery guitaring...terrific.." His playing has been described as "...reminiscent of George Benson or Wes Montgomery....an exciting soloist...rock solid..."; Michael Ralff, Kingston Daily Freeman. His music has "...exciting emotional depth...soulful and scintillating..."; Stephen Israel, Times Herald Record.
His experience also includes studying under John Scofield, Bill Connors, Arthur Rhames, Jack Wilkins, and Barry Galbraith; and also attending the Creative Music Studio, Woodstock, N.Y., in 1980. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in Music Performance from SUNY New Paltz in 1981, and with a Masters in Music from Boston University in 2011.
Steve has worked and taught extensively in the New York tri-state area, and has performed in such places as Eisenhower Hall at West Point, the first Storm King Art Center Jazz Festival, and some of New York's legendary clubs like the Rainbow Room, Glen Island Casino, and the Joyous Lake, as well as many other jazz clubs, nightspots, college and radio appearances.
