Arthur has spent decades performing prolifically with many musical projects, both nationally and internationally. He has worked with innumerable artists, including:
Kae Tempest, Kylie Minogue, Frazey Ford, Beth Rowley, Soweto Kinch, The Puppini Sisters, MC Solaar, Lizzie Emeh, Bradley Walsh, Angélique Kidjo, Beardyman, ‘Mikey J’ Asante, SK Shlomo, Mark Hart (Crowded House), Dizraeli, Akala, Hollie McNish, John Helliwell (Supertramp), Zhenya Strigalev, Pete Wareham and many others.
Concurrently a lifetime of community music making has taken Arthur from London’s 2012 Paralympic Games opening ceremony to the role of Musical Director for the United Nations UN75.
Arthur's first taste of rock n roll came playing North American baseball stadiums on school band tours. By 2001 he was at London’s Royal Academy Of Music studying Jazz Piano, where he met Berlin saxophonist Peter Ehwald, forming contemporary quartet Paragon - ‘Jazz that's being reborn in the 21st century' (Jazzwise).
In 2005 Arthur joined Supertramp star John Helliwell’s sextet, featuring Mark Hart (Crowded House) and UK guitar legend Mike Walker. Other original projects included songwriting trio RdA - ‘Warm fuzzy harmonies and excellent musicianship' (Clash Magazine), Latin American explorations with multi-instrumentalist Matias Marcipar in Argentina, and intricate cerebral grooves with Seb Pipe’s Life Experience - ‘good stuff’ (BBC Radio 3).
Since 2008 Arthur has played keys for Tongue Fu - ‘The best poetry night in London’ (writeoutloud.net), featuring a vast range of spoken word stars (Kae Tempest, Soweto Kinch, Hollie McNish), countless London & UK shows (Roundhouse, Glastonbury Festival), and international residencies (South Africa, Romania, Republic of Ireland).
London jazz collaborations have included Kristian Borring - ‘marriage of piano and guitar...an art form' (thisisoxfordshire.co.uk), ‘The Way That You Do It’ piano trio with Henrik Jensen and Pete Ibbetson, and various features with Acoustic Ladyland’s Pete Wareham, Zhenya Stragalev, Billy Jenkins and Oren Marshall.
From 2012 Arthur produced and hosted singer songwriter showcase Smile Acoustic in East London for several years, creating early performances for pop acts NAO and Lola Young, among others. Arthur’s long time musical associates also featured, such as learning disabilities champion Lizzie Emeh, and Melissa James - ‘Best current British blues singer I know’ (BBC Radio 6).
‘Wandering Story’, Arthur’s first solo EP, was recorded in 2012 in Tennessee following three months of travel in the USA, reaching the roots of everything musical from zydeco to bluegrass. An eclectic Londoner’s stream of jazz, soul and Americana has followed since, subsequent records ranging from Bootleg Brass reshaping Led Zeppelin’s ‘Black Dog’, to lights out piano ballads - ‘Goodnight Moonlight’. Shows have ranged from Shoreditch hotspots to underground jazz dens to Danish Jazz Festival tours.
A long time member of New Orleans inspired band The Coalminers, ‘Professor’ Arthur Lea helped create their 2020 tribute to Allen Toussaint - ‘Old Records’, along with countless live shows throughout the UK and Europe - ‘The sound they have put down is perfect’ (Craig Charles, BBC Radio 2).
Arthur has a long working relationship with several music minded charities, notably The Spitz, supporting those in care settings, and Heart N Soul, working with learning disability and autistic people. Through the pandemic Arthur played and wrote songs with residents at Bridgeside Lodge nursing home, and continued making ‘way funky’ records with synth funk trio Too Hot For Candy.
Arthur has been a regular performer for the Royal Albert Hall’s outreach programme, serenading older patrons with solo shows, and leading ensembles playing ‘Jazz For Kids’. He has also taught music locally with a passion in many settings throughout his career.
In 2021 Arthur helped re-ignite post lockdown shows at the iconic Ronnie Scott’s upstairs bar with a popular monthly duo residency. Meanwhile his Bootleg Trio returned as a regular outfit on the London gig scene.
Arthur has written songs for his two children, who asked that Alexa be able to play them. Arthur dutifully recorded all the instruments on the EP ‘Born Out Of Love’.
This 2024 release, along with new album ‘Pieces Of A Piano Man’, marks his recent relocation to the San Francisco Bay Area.