Anna de Leon leads a life full of music, writing, painting,
sculpture, and what she thinks of as "justice work".
She has lived the life of an artist, defying simple categories.
She has owned and operated three music venues. She has always sung,
always been involved in music. She has written poetry and prose.
She was a well known ceramic sculptor until she became allergic to materials,
then went to law school and became a civil rights lawyer. 
She has been a partner, a wife, a mother, a godmother and a good friend.
She calls herself a “Project Girl” - a girl from the projects
putting her heart and soul into a project!
And she will always tell you, “I came to sing!”

"Anna de Leon is one of the more beguiling – and moving storytellers I’ve heard
in a good many years. ... From the first track of 'The Sweet Bittersweet,'
it’s clear how Anna de Leon exemplifies what will keep jazz alive:
so long as there are musicians who have the life experience
to answer Duke Ellington’s song, 'What Am I Here For?'
They knew why, as Anna de Leon does, and now you can share her stories."

—from Liner Notes, "The Sweet Bittersweet",
Premier jazz critic Nat Hentoff, New York City, 2005