Ira Gonzalez

Ira Gonzalez was introduced to music through family and church. The youngest child of Filipino immigrants, his mother was the cantor, grandmother the organist, and he and his four older siblings sang in the choir. As years passed, their house filled with second-hand instruments and thus began Ira's journey as a self-taught instrumentalist. His first love was the drums, but later gained a reputation as a bassist which earned him work in the nightclubs and bars of Washington DC while finishing high school. It wasn't long before Ira established himself as a band leader for private events throughout the east coast from NY to Miami.

Ira found himself mesmerized by the world of Brazilian Jazz, he began training as a guitarist and found himself as a regular fixture at five-star venues like The Ritz Carlton, Mandarin Oriental and at the Kennedy Center welcoming audiences for the Washington Ballet and National Symphony Orchestra. Ira moved to California in 2010 to pursue his passion for surfing, but also found work as a band leader in Los Angeles. He leads ensembles for Katy Perry, Robin Thicke, The Coasters, Diana Ross and most recently David Foster.

He performs regularly with Leah Zeger in their husband-wife duo project Leah and I in the greater Los Angeles area where they currently reside.

Gonzalez finds intimate solo performances the most fulfilling and true to the music he loves.