Check Out Eric & Leah Letta’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric & Leah Letta

Hi Eric & Leah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We have been married for ten years, but friends for much longer. We’re both from Akron, Ohio, and used to follow each other’s musical careers. After we both ended up in Los Angeles, we were performing together and separately all around town. We moved to Atwater Village, and just by chance, walked into Oeno Vino wine shop one day, which had a separate music venue downstairs. We asked the manager if we could start booking jazz there, and he agreed. That is how Jazz Under Ground was born.

The main goal of our series from the start has always been to provide an experience for the musicians that is different from the classic bar/club scene with owners who want to take a huge cut and treat the musicians poorly. In fact, for the first 2 years, we gave the band 100% of the door cover.

Also, we’ve always made it our priority to present a show for the audience that is straight-ahead, mainstream jazz. We curate the bands and select what we feel best represents that genre.

After Oeno Vino was sold to new owners, we found a new home at The Stowaway, which is located in downtown LA. Our series is about to enter its 7th year.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
For the most part, it has been an extreme joy to put on this series, meet new, incredible musicians, and hear amazing, innovative music. With all things in life worth doing, there have of course been some obstacles.

Firstly, the pandemic forced us to put the series on hold in 2020. But the musicians were itching to get back. So we were able to re-launch Jazz Under Ground in 2021 with even more success than before. Our numbers were through the roof up to the end of 2023.

The second major setback was when we found out in December of 2023 that the wine shop was being sold to a new owner who had a different vision for what the spaced would be used for. After six months of searching, we landed on The Stowaway for our new venue.

Our first show at the Stowaway in July brought in nearly 100 people!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Eric Letta is a professional saxophonist. He has released two full-length albums, the latest of which, “So Far”, came out this past May. He has been a member of The Disneyland Band since 2015. He also teaches music and Spanish, and writes and arranges for other artists.

Leah Ashton is a professional singer. Her most recent of many album releases came out in December, and is entitled “sad girl silver bells.” She sings and records professionally around town with numerous acts including DC6, which was featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the Red Letter Players, and the Sunset Singers. She also teaches voice and piano.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Eric’s favorite childhood memory is piling in the front seat of his dad’s truck with his mom and brother, and driving to Doylestown, OH to cut down a Christmas tree. They would listen to cassette tapes of Christmas music along the way. Once the tree was cut down, they would go inside the shop to pick out an ornament for the tree and drink hot chocolate.

Leah’s favorite childhood memory is going each summer to Ocean Isle Beach, NC with the entire extended family. They would swim in the ocean all day, and play games and put on talent shows with all the cousins at night.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://leahashton.com
• Instagram: @jazz_under_ground
• Facebook: @jazzundergroundatoenovino
• Other: https://ericletta.com