Seven original songs that live at the intersection of smooth jazz and funk. The Distinguished Gentlemen of Smooth Jazz return with their most personal record yet.
Jonathan teaches guitar at Hands 4 Hope Youth Organization — giving young people access to music as a path forward. Private instruction also available.
Get tour dates and performance announcements first.
The Story
Jonathan Leslie
Jonathan Leslie is a musician, author, and educator who has spent four decades building something rare — a body of work that refuses to stay in one lane.
As one half of J.S. Floyd — The Distinguished Gentlemen of Smooth Jazz — alongside his brother Stafford, Jonathan has amassed a catalog of 225 songs, founded VAP Records in 1978, and collaborated with legends including Holland-Dozier-Holland, The Supremes, Force MD's, Jon B., Al B. Sure, and the Black Rock Coalition.
Beyond music, he is the author of 13 books on Amazon KDP spanning entrepreneurship, personal development, teen mindset, and fiction — and an ASCAP-registered, MLC-enrolled independent artist operating entirely on his own terms.
Music
VAP Records · Est. 1978 ASCAP Registered · MLC Enrolled 225 Songs in Catalog J.S. Floyd — Smooth Jazz/Funk Duo Collaborations with Holland-Dozier-Holland, The Supremes, Force MD's, Jon B., Al B. Sure
Literature
13 Books on Amazon KDP Entrepreneurship · Personal Development Teen Mindset · Sci-Fi Fiction Kindle · Paperback · Audiobook ACX Audiobook Producer
Education
Guitar Instructor Hands 4 Hope Youth Organization Free Information Network (FIN) Knowledge without paywalls Private Instruction Available
Philosophy
The FIN Way
The Free Information Network — sharing knowledge freely, without paywalls or funnels. If it helps someone, it gets shared.
FIN is a philosophy, not a product. Information that helps people should flow freely — no paywalls, no funnels, no gatekeeping.
The Free Information Network started with a simple observation: the people who need knowledge most are often the ones least able to pay for it. Courses behind paywalls. Books priced out of reach. Wisdom hoarded by those who could monetize it.
Jonathan Leslie built his platform around the opposite principle. If something is worth knowing, it gets shared. Music theory, entrepreneurship, mindset, creativity — these aren't premium goods. They're tools. And tools should be in people's hands.
FIN isn't anti-commerce. It's pro-access. The work still gets sold. The records still get made. But the knowledge that underlies all of it — that flows freely, to anyone who wants it.
Principle 01
Information that helps people should be free. Paywalls are barriers. Knowledge is a right, not a luxury product.
Principle 02
Share what you know. The more freely knowledge moves, the more value it creates for everyone — including the one sharing it.
Principle 03
Access is not charity. Removing barriers to knowledge is not generosity — it's basic decency. No one should be priced out of learning.
Principle 04
The art and the knowledge are separate things. Sell the record. Share the music theory. Sell the book. Share the ideas.
FIN Community
Join the Network
Free resources, ideas, and updates. No cost. No catch.
Get in Touch
Let's Talk
Booking, press, lessons, licensing, or just to connect. Jonathan reads every message.
