|
contents | blues | |||||||||||||
| Pete Levin's Debut CD Motema Music announces keyboard wizard Pete Levin's debut for the label, Deacon Blues. Pete Levin re-emerges in 2007 as a bandleader and master of reinvention, embracing his roots and first love, the Hammond B-3. Working with a group of top sidemen (Joe Beck, Danny Gottlieb, Tony Levin, Mike DeMicco) Levin and company demonstrate an uncanny chemistry that is immediate and infectious. In a diverse music career spanning several decades, keyboardist/arranger Levin has performed and recorded with hundreds of jazz and pop artists - including Paul Simon, Annie Lennox, Miles Davis, David Sanborn, Lenny White, Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius, Robbie Robertson and John Scofield - receiving critical accolades for his work during a 15-year association with the legendary Gil Evans, and his 8-year stint with jazz icon Jimmy Giuffre. While playing French Horn with the Gil Evans Orchestra in the early '70s, Levin brought a Moog Synthesizer to a gig at New York's Village Vanguard. Already known as a "go to" synthesizer specialist, Pete was at the vanguard of that technology. Gil loved it and Levin's role was permanently changed as the band transformed itself into the electric/acoustic hybrid ensemble that captivated audiences worldwide for years, earning two Grammy awards along the way. An in-demand New York session keyboardist, Levin has also created music for hundreds of TV commercials, dramatic series, and feature films. With Deacon Blues, Levin returns to the cutting edge as a bandleader, while tipping his hat to his mainstream jazz roots. Expanding on the traditional organ trio format, his innovative arrangements are flavored with soul, samba and hip-hop grooves. The set mixes four Levin originals with his unique treatments of familiar classics, including Steely Dan's Deacon Blues, Ralph Towner's Icarus, the Beach Boys' Sail On Sailor and Erik Satie's First Gymnopedie. The album features outstanding performances by bassist Tony Levin, guitarist Mike DeMicco, percussionists Ken Lovelett and Carlos Valdez, legendary jazz guitarist Joe Beck, and drummer, Danny Gottlieb. For Levin, this recording was a labor of love. "The Hammond Organ has such a rich history. There's really no other sound quite like it. Even the best synth simulations fall short. You crank up the motor, you hit a note, and it sings to you. It's like the soul of every organ player is being breathed out from the instrument", he declares. Always on the cutting edge and looking for new challenges, Pete currently tours playing piano and organ with The Tony Levin Band, his brother's high octane Progressive Rock quintet that plays worldwide to sold out houses. Plans are in the works for double bill concerts with Pete's trio opening for the Tony's band in a historic pairing that aims to fire up legions of crossover music fans, as Tony's fiery progressive rock is paired with Pete's contemporary, improvisational jazz. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |