Tony Levin
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| https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7379855 |
Tony Levin en el escenario con Liquid Tension Experiment, Nearfest 2008.
De Lrheath - Trabajo propio, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7379855
Biografía, por Jason Ankeny
Famoso por su trabajo con Peter Gabriel y King Crimson, el virtuoso del bajo Tony Levin nació en Boston el 6 de junio de 1946. A los diez años, comenzó a estudiar contrabajo, aunque también tocaba tuba en su marching band de la escuela secundaria, e incluso formó su propio cuarteto barbershop. Como miembro de una orquesta juvenil local, Levin también actuó en la Casa Blanca para el presidente John F. Kennedy. Después de asistir a la Eastman School of Music, apareció con la Filarmónica de Rochester, pero con el tiempo se apartó de la música clásica para tocar rock y jazz, y se mudó a la ciudad de Nueva York en 1970 para unirse a Aha! y trabajar como teclista de Mothers of Invention.
Siguió una carrera de sesión ocupada, con un trabajo fluido y expresivo en discos LP clásicos, incluyendo el de Lou Reed Berlin, Kate & amp; El debut homónimo de Anna McGarrigle y Paul Simon's Still Crazy After All These Years. Después de colaborar con Peter Gabriel en su debut homónimo de 1977, Levin se unió a la banda de giras del ex líder de Genesis, tiempo durante el cual perfeccionó sus habilidades en el Chapman Stick, un instrumento único de 10 cuerdas en el que las cuerdas no se tocan sino como un proceso que le permite al individuo tocar notas con ambas manos y crear arreglos completos de varias partes.
En 1978, Levin se estableció en Woodstock, Nueva York, sirviendo en L'Image por corta duración; un año más tarde, tocó en la exposición individual de Robert Fripp, poco después aceptó unirse al guitarrista en una nueva encarnación de su revolucionaria unidad progresiva King Crimson, y se mantuvo como miembro del grupo durante más de dos décadas (su experiencia en la gira posteriormente produjo un libro de fotografías de 1984, Road Photos). Mientras trabajaba en el éxito de Gabriel en 1986, Levin desarrolló Funk Fingers, unas baquetas cortas diseñadas para tocar las cuerdas del bajo. Más tarde, también vendió Funk Fingers a través de su propio sello Papa Bear Records. Luego siguieron las sesiones con todos, desde Robbie Robertson (su debut solista homónimo en 1987) hasta Laurie Anderson (Strange Angels de 1989) o Yes (1991). En 1996, Levin finalmente hizo su debut solista con World Diary. From the Caves of the Iron Mountain, grabado con el maestro de flauta de bambú Steve Gorn y el baterista Jerry Marotta, apareció un año más tarde y en 1998, formó Bruford Levin Upper Extremities (BLUE) con el baterista de King Crimson Bill Bruford, el guitarrista David Torn, y El trompetista Chris Botti.
Waters of Eden, el debut de Levin en el sello Narada, siguió en la primavera de 2000. Pieces of the Sun se lanzó en 2001 (una edición ampliada salió un año más tarde en Pony Canyon), con muchas de las mismas canciones también incluidas en su registro de 2002 , Expreso doble. Prime Cuts, una recopilación de su trabajo en sesiones dirigidas por otros artistas en el sello Magna Carta durante los años 90, se publicó en 2005. Un nuevo lanzamiento en solitario, Resonator, siguió en 2006, con Levin como cantante y compositor, por primera vez, además de bajista.
https://tonylevin.com/
Anthony Frederick Levin, más conocido como Tony Levin, bajista y stickista (Chapman Stick) ha estado compartiendo sus experiencias en la carretera aquí (https://tonylevin.com/) desde 1996 (lo que parece bastante reciente, pero en el mundo de Internet no lo es. Incluso los términos weblog y blog se acuñaron en 1997 y 1999).
Después de 20 años, ¡parecía el momento adecuado para un cambio de imagen! Debido a la cantidad de contenido en el sitio, llevaría demasiado tiempo transferirlo todo, por lo que encontrará la mayoría de las cosas antiguas en los "Archivos".
Tenemos más de 400 páginas de visitas archivadas en el sitio (con aproximadamente 6,800 fotos) y estamos felices de haber recibido casi 5 millones de visitas.
Tony Levin - 1995 - World Diary
Notas
Recorded at Atlantic Star Hotel - Hamburg, Bill Bruford's House, Real World Studio - Bath, Master's Workshop - Toronto, Studio De La Grande Armée - Paris, Royal Moceau Hotel - Paris, Lydlab Studio - Oslo, Make Believe Ballroom - West Shokan
Line-up
- Tony Levin / Stick, bass, NS Electric Upright
- Shankar / violin & vocal
- Ayub Ogada / nyatiti & vocal
- Bendik / saxophone
- Nexus / percussion
- Brian Yamakoshi / koto
- Levon Minassian / doudouk
- Manu Katche / drums
- Jerry Marotta / drums
Bill Bruford / electronic percussion
Créditos
Engineer [Mix] – Tom Mark
Executive-Producer – Robbie Dupree
Graphics [Graphic Imaging] – Megan Denver
Mastered By – Greg Calbi
Photography By – Stephen Lovell-Davis, T. Levin
Producer – T. Levin
Listado de Temas:
01 - Chasms - 05:21 min.
Chapman Stick [Stick] – T.L.
Violin [Double Violin], Vocals – Shankar
Autor: Tony Levin
02 - The Train - 04:43 min.
Bass, Harmony Vocals – T.L.
Engineer – David Bottrill
Vocals, Performer [Nyatiti] – Ayub Ogada
Autor: Tony Levin
03 - We Stand In Sapphire Silence - 05:44 min.
Chapman Stick [Stick] – T.L.
Drums [Taos Drums] – Jerry Marotta
Engineer – Reptile, Tom Mark
Koto – Brian Yamakoshi
Autor: Tony Levin
04 - Smoke - 00:49 min.
Chapman Stick [Stick] – T.L.
Engineer – Ulf Holand
Tenor Saxophone – Bendik
Autor: Tony Levin
05 - Etude In The Key Of Guildford - 03:12 min.
Chapman Stick [Stick] – T.L.
Electronic Drums – Bill Bruford
Engineer – Michele Russotto
Autores: Bill Bruford, Tony Levin
06 - Espresso & The Bed Of Nails - 04:45 min.
Chapman Stick [Stick] – T.L.
Engineer – Mark Wright
Percussion – Nexus
Autor: Tony Levin
07 - Mingled Roots - 03:49 min.
Duduk – Levon Minassian
Electric Bass – T.L.
Autores: Tony Levin, Lévon Minassian
08 - Nyatiti - 04:18 min.
Bass – T.L.
Engineer – David Bottrill
Vocals, Performer [Nyatiti] – Ayub Ogada
Autor: Tony Levin
09 - Jewels - 03:47 min.
Chapman Stick [Stick] – T.L.
Electronic Drums – Bill Bruford
Engineer – Michele Russotto
Autores: Bill Bruford, Tony Levin
10 - La Tristesse Amoureuse De La Nuit - 04:55 min.
Drums – Manu Katché
Duduk – Levon Minassian
Electric Bass – T.L.
Engineer – Reptile
Autores: Tony Levin, Lévon Minassian
11 - Heat - 06:31 min.
Chapman Stick [Stick] – T.L.
Engineer – Mark Wright
Percussion – Nexus
Autor: Tony Levin
12 - I Cry To The Dolphined Sea - 05:39 min.
Chapman Stick [Stick] – T.L.
Drums – Jerry Marotta
Engineer – Tom Mark, Ulf Holand
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Bendik
Autor: Tony Levin
13 - The Sound Of Goodbye - 03:15 min.
Chapman Stick [Stick] – T.L.
Engineer – Reptile
Koto – Brian Yamakoshi
Autor: Tony Levin
13 Temas - Tiempo Total: 00:56:48
flac @ 634 - 283,94 MB
Rippeado Por:
http://intotherhyth.blogspot.com
Tony Levin - 2002 - Pieces Of The Sun
With California Guitar Trio
LineUp:
Larry Fast: Synthesizer
Jesse Gress: Electric Guitar
Tony Levin: Basses, Stick
Jerry Marotta: Drums
California Guitar Trio -> Bert Lams, Hideyo Moriya & Paul Richards: Acoustic Guitars
Listado de Temas:
01 - Apollo - 06:50 min.
Tony Levin
02 - Geronimo - 03:12 min.
Larry Fast, Jesse Gress, Tony Levin, Jerry Marotta
03 - Aquafin - 05:14 min.
Tony Levin
04 - Dog One - 05:15 min.
Peter Gabriel
05 - Tequila - 05:20 min.
Tony Levin, Chuck Rio
06 - Pieces Of The Sun - 07:20 min.
Tony Levin, Jerry Marotta
07 - Phobos - 07:09 min.
Larry Fast
08 - Ooze - 04:16 min.
Tony Levin
09 - Blue Nude Reclining - 03:09 min.
Larry Fast, Jesse Gress, Tony Levin, Jerry Marotta
10 - The Fifth Man - 05:48 min.
Tony Levin
11 - Ever The Sun Will Rise - 09:08 min.
Tony Levin
12 - Silhouette - 04:38 min.
Tony Levin
12 Temas - Tiempo Total: 01:07:19
ogg @ 317 - 150,80 MB
Tony Levin - 2005 - Prime Cuts
Notes:
Sello: Irond – IROND CD 08-DD575, Dark Division – IROND CD 08-DD575
Formato: CD, Album, Compilation
Género: Jazz, Rock - Estilo: Prog Rock, Progressive Metal, Jazz-Rock
Personnel:
Tony Levin (cello, upright bass);
Tony Levin (double bass, bass guitar);
Wayne Gardner (guitar, guitars, bass guitar);
John Petrucci, Steve Stevens (guitar, guitars);
Joe Franco (drums, percussion);
Trent Gardner (vocals, keyboards);
Jordan Rudess (keyboards);
Mike Portnoy (drums, percussion);
Terry Bozzio (drums).
Audio Remixer: Mark Gage.
Listado de Temas:
01 - Liquid Tension Experiment - Kindred Spirits - 06:33 min.
02 - Bozzio Levin Stevens - T & T Vignette - 02:30 min.
03 - Liquid Tension Experiment - Another Dimension - 09:53 min.
04 - Bozzio Levin Stevens - Dark Corners - 10:35 min.
05 - Magellan - Brother’s Keeper - 09:17 min.
06 - Bozzio Levin Stevens - Endless - 10:09 min.
6 Temas - Tiempo Total: 00:48:57
flac @ 1069 - 336,76 MB
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Reseñas:
Tony
Levin - 1995 - World Diary
This is the first of my solo excursions, the music was recorded on the road, in various hotels, houses, and even an occasional studio. It features duets, trios and more, with some very special musicians I've been honored to hook up with. The booklet has my diaries of the days of recording (sometimes on hotel stationery or whatever was handy) and photos. The self-designed package features my hand tinted photos as artwork (I was so fussy about the terra cotta background color, ended up scanning an actual tile for it) and no-plastic packaging (which is a limited edition - when they're gone (which we will notify) future copies will be in a conventional jewel box.)
AllMusic Review by Rick Anderson
Fans know Tony Levin primarily as the bassist for King Crimson and Peter Gabriel, but his career has always been far more complex than that -- he's played all over the world with musicians from diverse cultures and backgrounds, and given his status as both a bass virtuoso and as one of the very few players of the Chapman Stick (a 12-stringed instrument designed to be played simultaneously as a bass and as a guitar), he's constantly in demand. This album was the first release on his own Papa Bear label, and it documents a number of privately recorded collaborations and experimental jam sessions with various musicians recorded during his travels around the world. The results vary significantly in style and tone, but the quality is consistently high. The album opens with a lovely duo improvisation between Levin (on Stick) and Indian violinist L.Shankar (on his trademark double-necked electric violin) and proceeds through similar collaborations with the Kenyan musician Ayub Ogada, koto player Brian Yamakoshi, duduk player Levon Minassian and others. Perhaps the most lovely piece is "We Stand in Sapphire Silence," an improvisation between Levin, Yamakoshi and drummer Jerry Marotta, on which Levin and Yamakoshi take turns setting the mood. There's an overall sweetness of spirit in evidence here that is, ultimately, almost as rewarding as the music itself. Wonderful.
Tony
Levin - 2002 - Pieces Of The Sun
Muy en la "estela" de lo hecho con anterioridad, y mostrando influencias de todo su pasado,
no se trata de un paso hacia adelante, pero el disco se deja escuchar fácilmente y podemos disfrutar de la "eficiencia" de sus músicos.
Enjoy It!
California Guitar Trio features
Paul Richards of Salt Lake City, Utah, Bert Lams of Brussels, Belgium, and Hideyo Moriya of Tokyo, Japan.
The band first met in England at Guitar Craft Courses hosted by Robert Fripp in the late 80s.
Richards, Lams, and Moriya attended several of these intensive Fripp classes before touring worldwide with Fripp‘s League of Crafty Guitarists.
Formal inception of The California Guitar Trio occurred in 1991.
AllMusic Review by Jonathan Widran
Best known as a legendary sideman behind such rock greats as John Lennon, James Taylor, and Paul Simon -- as well as a member of King Crimson and the Peter Gabriel band -- the bassist has brought his throbbing bass genius into a solo, neo-fusion context. While touring with his band in 2000, Levin wowed audiences around the country, and fans clamored for an album with the group. This is the result: an intense, highly dynamic, and mood-swinging (read: eclectic) group of tunes à la Crimson to contemporary instrumental to soundscapes of galactic proportions as only Levin could imagine. In its seven-minute span, the opening track introduces the concept of highs and lows; the first few minutes may remind the listener of Jimi Hendrix on speed, but then the tune takes a folksy, acoustic guitar-driven detour; it's schizophrenic but loads of fun. "Geronimo" is a densely percussive mix of blistering fusion and melodic corporate rock. "Aquafin" is lighthearted and folksy, with a Celtic lilt, while the previously unreleased, Gabriel-written "Dog One" returns listeners to experimental art rock with a vocal chant counting dogs behind a wall of guitar and bass. Some pieces get a little longwinded in their attempt to be esoteric, such as the title track, which varies tempos and moods throughout even as the powerful drumbeats drive the tune along. Best enjoyed by hardcore rockers and fusion-lovers, and of course musicians who worship great energy and technique
Tony Levin - 2005 - Prime Cuts
This release contains a 16 minute audio interview with Tony Levin. Now before you get all excited thinking that Prime Cuts by Tony Levin is a career-spanning retrospective of the bass great's long-and-winding recording career, the truth is it's a six-track compilation of Levin's work on the Magna Carta label. The label is known primarily for uniting prog rock musicians and seeing what they can come up with, and Prime Cuts certainly features it's fair share of prog bombast, including Levin playing alongside three/fifths of Dream Theater on "Kindred Spirits" and "Another Dimension" (under the moniker Liquid Tension Experiment). Also included are a pair of moody tracks as part of collaborations with drummer Terry Bozzio -- "T & T Vignette" and "Endless" (the latter of which also includes Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens), as well as a track credited to Magellan, "Brother's Keeper," which features an often key-ingredient for all things prog -- some very pretentious lyrics. While not an adequate representation of the vast variety of artists Levin has played with over the years, Prime Cuts features some of the better prog-based tracks that Levin has appeared on via his Magna Carta recordings.
~ Greg Prato
TONY LEVIN - Prime Cuts
It really hurts to have to write a not so great review for a Tony Levin CD. Levin is without the least doubt the world's most versatile bass guitarist. Nearly 60 years old, the moustachioed bald-headed bass player was a prominent member of the Peter Gabriel Band, and also helped King Crimson from the Eighties on to define a contemporary progressive sound.
Prime Cuts is a new series of album by Magna Carta Records, where they exhibit their most interesting recording artists on a single CD. What worked wonderfully with drum wunderkind Terry Bozzio fails with Levin, and that only because Levin has only been involved in a couple of Magna Carta albums, notably the instrumental Liquid Tension Experiment (Levin together with Dream Theater members) and Bozzio Levin Stevens (Levin with previous Prime Cutter Bozzio and Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens), as well as on the Gardner brothers' Magellan, the latter being somewhat out of place on this nearly instrumental album. That's why there are only six, mostly long, tracks on the album, where three are really great (twice LTE, once BLS), Magellan is ok but works better on an entire album, plus there is a not so cool remix and an unreleased track recorded with Terry Bozzio that is mostly uninteresting because it's way too experimental.
Maybe starting with an album by the Tony Levin Band is a better way to get introduced to this truly amazing artist, but essentially you should go out and buy some of the records he is involved with: Liquid Tension Experiment, Bozzio Levin Stevens as the stuff he did for Magna Carta, and of course everything he did with King Crimson. Prime Cuts itself would be more interesting if at least it were released as a special priced album. Now I am just wondering what CD will come next. How about the prolific Gardner brothers?
By JOHN KELMAN, Published: April 22, 2005
A pre-eminent bassist and proponent of that oddly-tapped guitar/bass hybrid called the Stick, Tony Levin began his musical life in the late '60s as an in-the-pocket jazzer, playing with artists including vibraphonist Gary Burton and early incarnations of the groove-centric band Stuff. But he's since moved on to become one of the most in-demand session players in genres including rock, pop, and progressive rock... many of the various subgenres that have emerged over the past 35 years, in fact. He is likely best known for his ongoing work with various incarnations of King Crimson, as well as being Peter Gabriel's recording and touring bassist of choice since the start of his solo career.
But what has made Levin such a respected and often called-upon player has been his innate sense of groove, and his ability to find it, regardless of the context—sometimes in spite of it. While he clearly possesses monster chops, he's always placed the music first, consequently becoming an integral part of virtually every musical context with which he's been involved, while at the same time never precisely standing out. That, after all, is what good ensemble playing is all about: sacrifice in service of the song.
Which makes Magna Carta's recent release, Prime Cuts, all the more curious. Fans of the kind of progressive rock-with-a-metal-edge that characterizes Magna Carta releases will find Levin, as always, moulding himself perfectly into the musical contexts presented. And bass players looking to understand the role of the supporting bassist would do well to listen to these six tracks. But the fact is that while Levin's role on each track is nothing short of essential, it's in the way he integrates, not how he dominates. And so one has to wonder why these specific tracks—taken from his two Liquid Tension Experiment projects, the Bozzio/Levin/Stevens albums Black Light and Situation, and the Magellan release Hundred Year Flood—were chosen out of the three dozen or so that are available.
Despite Levin's essential contribution to the groove of every track, this is not an album for listeners wanting to hear him in the spotlight. More to the point, it will appeal most to fans of shredding guitarists like John Petrucci, Steve Stevens, and Wayne Gardner, and those disposed to demonstrative displays of blinding technique by drummers Terry Bozzio, Mike Portnoy, and Joe Franco.
This is not fusion; jazz harmonies and contexts are completely absent. There are enough solos to satiate the most discerning of fist-pumping metal heads; there's even a vocal track, "Brother's Keeper, to break up the largely instrumental proceedings. But if you're looking to hear Tony Levin at his best, you'd be better off checking out his more significant and, frankly, vivid work with Peter Gabriel and King Crimson. Levin has, in fact, recently rejoined Crimson to replace the departed Trey Gunn, so there will hopefully be a new album in the cards that will be a greater demonstration of his unquestionable and inestimable talents.
Visit Tony Levin on the web
http://www.tonylevin.com/
Personnel: Tony Levin (bass, stick, NS upright bass, Chapman stick, cello), John Petrucci (guitar on Kindred Spirits, Another Dimension ), Mike Portnoy (drums on Kindred Spirits, Another Dimension ), Jordan Rudess (keyboards on Kindred Spirits, Another Dimension ), Terry Bozzio (drums on T&T Vignette, Dark Corners, Endless ), Steve Stevens ( Dark Corners, Endless ), Trent Gardner (vocals and keyboards on Brother s Keeper ), Wayne Gardner (guitars and bass on Brother s Keeper ), Joe Franco (drums and orchestral percussion on Brother s Keeper )
Record Label: Magna Carta Records
Style: Beyond Jazz
Tony Levin – Prime Cuts AllMusic Review by Greg Prato
Now before you get all excited thinking that Prime Cuts by Tony Levin is a career-spanning retrospective of the bass great's long-and-winding recording career, the truth is it's a six-track compilation of Levin's work on the Magna Carta label. The label is known primarily for uniting prog rock musicians and seeing what they can come up with, and Prime Cuts certainly features it's fair share of prog bombast, including Levin playing alongside three/fifths of Dream Theater on "Kindred Spirits" and "Another Dimension" (under the moniker Liquid Tension Experiment). Also included are a pair of moody tracks as part of collaborations with drummer Terry Bozzio -- "T & T Vignette" and "Endless" (the latter of which also includes Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens), as well as a track credited to Magellan, "Brother's Keeper," which features an often key-ingredient for all things prog -- some very pretentious lyrics. While not an adequate representation of the vast variety of artists Levin has played with over the years, Prime Cuts features some of the better prog-based tracks that Levin has appeared on via his Magna Carta recordings.
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Tony Levin
 |
| https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7379855 |
Tony Levin onstage with
Liquid Tension Experiment, Nearfest 2008.
Background information
Born June 6, 1946 (1946-06-06) (age 64) in Boston, Massachusetts, US
Genres Progressive rock, progressive metal, experimental rock, pop, jazz fusion
Occupations Musician, songwriter, vocalist
Instruments Bass, Chapman Stick, double bass, synthesizer, vocals
Years active 1970–present
Labels Papa Bear Records
Associated acts King Crimson, Liquid Tension Experiment, Peter Gabriel, Bruford Levin Upper Extremities, Head, Bozzio Levin Stevens, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
Notable instruments: Chapman Stick, Music Man, Stingray
Tony Levin (born June 6, 1946, Boston, Massachusetts) is an American rock musician, specializing in bass guitar, Chapman Stick and upright bass (although he also sings and plays tuba and synthesizer).
Levin is best-known for his work with progressive rock pioneers King Crimson and Peter Gabriel. He has also been a member of Liquid Tension Experiment; the King Crimson-related bands Bruford Levin Upper Extremities, ProjeKct One and ProjeKct Four; and currently leads his own Tony Levin Band.
A prolific session musician since the 1970s, Levin has played on five hundred albums, including those of Cher, Alice Cooper, John Lennon, Sarah McLachlan, Stevie Nicks, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed, Tom Waits, Buddy Rich, The Roches, Todd Rundgren, Seal, Yes and Warren Zevon. Additionally, he has toured with artists including Paul Simon (with whom Tony appeared in Simon's 1980 film One Trick Pony), Gary Burton, James Taylor, Herbie Mann, Judy Collins, Carly Simon, Peter Frampton, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, Peter Gabriel, Tim Finn, Richie Sambora, and Claudio Baglioni.
Levin helped to popularize the Chapman Stick and the NS upright bass. He also created "funk fingers", modified drumsticks attached to fingers used to hit the bass guitar strings (which sounds similar to slap style bass).
Levin is also one of the first bloggers, as he began sharing his tour experiences in a diary way as early as in 1996, one year before the terms "weblog" and "blog" were coined.
Early life and education
Levin was born in Boston, Massachusetts and grew up in the suburb of Brookline. He began playing double bass at 10 years old, primarily studying classical music. In high school, he learned tuba, soloing with the concert band, and also started a barbershop quartet.
After high school, he attended the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY and played in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Also at Eastman, he studied with drummer Steve Gadd. He traded in his Ampeg electric upright "Baby Bass" for a Fender Precision Bass, his first bass amplifier on early days was an Ampeg Portaflex B-15.
Tony's brother, Pete Levin, is a New York keyboardist and writer who is best known for his work with Gil Evans. In the 1970s, Tony and Pete collaborated with Steve Gadd in the comedy band The Clams. Levin has stated that some of the Clams's material may eventually be released.
1970s-1980s
In 1970, Levin moved to New York City, joined a band called Aha, the Attack of the Green Slime Beast, with Don Preston of The Mothers of Invention. Soon after, he began working as a session musician, and through the 1970s he played bass on many albums, including Buddy Rich's big band jazz album, The Roar of '74.
In 1976, Levin joined with Steve Gadd on drums to create the lush textures the two created on Andy Pratt's critically acclaimed "Resolution" album that included other A-list studio musicians like Arif Mardin, Andy Newmark, Hugh McDonald, Luther Vandross and others. Allmusic.com and Rolling Stone Magazine rated this album as one of the best singer/songwriter albums of the 1970s.
In the late '70s, Tony joined Peter Gabriel's band. He had met Gabriel through producer Bob Ezrin (with whom Tony had recorded Alice Cooper's Welcome to My Nightmare, and Lou Reed's Berlin). Levin has been Gabriel's bass player of choice ever since, both on the road and in the studio. On Gabriel's first solo album, Levin played tuba as well as bass, and directed a short barbershop quartet version of a song.
In these early years with Gabriel, Levin developed his playing of the Chapman Stick. In 1986, the song "Big Time", from Gabriel's So album, inspired the development of funk fingers, which are chopped off drumsticks used to hammer on the bass strings. Levin credits Gabriel with the idea, and Andy Moore, his tech at the time, with actually making them workable.
In 1978, Levin moved to Woodstock, New York, to join the band L'Image, which included his old friend Steve Gadd, as well as Mike Mainieri and Warren Bernhardt. The band broke up after a year, and Tony stayed in Woodstock, where he still lives. While recording and touring Peter Gabriel's first album Levin became acquainted with Robert Fripp - in 1980, after having played on Fripp's solo album Exposure, he became a member of the '80s incarnation of King Crimson. He also played all of the bass guitar and Chapman Stick parts on Pink Floyd's 1987 album A Momentary Lapse of Reason (as a session player).
In 1989 Bruford asked Levin to play in Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, a splinter group of the band Yes. Because of the obvious emphasis on this being a band of former Yes members, Levin was never invited to become an official member, but played on ABWH's eponymous album (as well as the accompanying tour), and also on Yes' 1991 album Union.
In 1984 Tony released Road Photos, a collection of black & white photos taken during his travels with Crimson, Gabriel, Simon and others. Another book of photos focusing on King Crimson's travels in the 1980s, The Crimson Chronicles volume 1, was released in 2004. There has been no word yet on the release of volume 2, which will cover the 1990s and possibly 2000s versions of the band. Levin has also written a book of career anecdotes and road stories called Beyond the Bass Clef.
Tony was part of King Crimson up until the mid-1990s breakup of the "Double Trio" line-up of the band which consisted of Tony Levin, Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Trey Gunn, Pat Mastelotto and Bill Bruford. Fripp then reformed King Crimson as a quartet, without Levin and Bruford. Levin also took part in two of the post-breakup experimental sub-groups, ProjeKct One (1997) and ProjeKct Four (1998).
1990s-2000s
In 1998, Levin and Bruford formed Bruford Levin Upper Extremities with trumpeter Chris Botti and guitarist David Torn; the group released albums in 1998 and 2000. Levin also continued producing albums with his own band, the Tony Levin Band. This band consists of Jerry Marotta, Jesse Gress, Larry Fast and his brother, Pete Levin.
In 1997, Levin teamed up with Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci, members of Dream Theater, as well as future Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess, for a project called Liquid Tension Experiment. The combo released two albums, Liquid Tension Experiment and Liquid Tension Experiment 2 in 1998 and 1999 respectively, as well as playing short tours in 1998 and 2008. There have also been two CDs of material released under the name Liquid Trio Experiment; the first composed of studio jams from the LTE2 sessions sans Petrucci (Spontaneous Combustion), released for the band's tenth anniversary, and a live recording from a 2008 Chicago gig where Rudess's rig crashed and the other three covered for it with a nearly hour-long improvisation (When the Keyboard Breaks).
Levin also regularly plays live and occasionally records with the California Guitar Trio when schedules permit.
In 2004 Trey Gunn left King Crimson, and Fripp reinstated Levin as the bassist, although the band remained inactive until 2008. In 2006, Levin released Resonator an album which features long time band mates Jerry Marotta, Jesse Gress, Larry Fast, with the addition of his brother Pete Levin. The album is the first to feature Levin's singing.
2007 saw the release of Stick Man, an album of pieces recorded on the Chapman Stick, which was followed up in the winter of 2008-09 with a tour also including King Crimson drummer Pat Mastelotto and fellow Chapman Stick player Michael Bernier. This group, under the name Stick Men, toured Europe in late 2009[3] and America in May 2010. To coincide with the tour, Stick Men's first album Soup was released on May 9, 2010. Meanwhile, they have released a limited edition CD billed as a preview of the upcoming album, which was sold only during their autumn
2009 tour with Porcupine Tree.
A re-formed King Crimson played eleven live dates in August 2008, but no further plans have been announced.
In 2010 Levin toured with HoBoLeMa, a super group consisting of Allan Holdsworth on guitar, Levin on bass, and Pat Mastelotto and Terry Bozzio on drums. They performed sets completely of improvisation with no prewritten music.
Selected discography
Levin has played on about five hundred records as session musician or guest artist. The following records are those on which he is credited as a fully-contributing band member or composer.
* Discipline (1981) — King Crimson
* Beat (1982) — King Crimson
* Three of a Perfect Pair (1984) — King Crimson
* Cloud About Mercury (1986) — David Torn
* Spin 1ne 2wo (1993) — Spin 1ne 2wo
* THRAK (1995) — King Crimson
* World Diary (1995) — solo
* Black Light Syndrome (1997) — Bozzio Levin Stevens
* From the Caves of the Iron Mountain (1997) — Gorn, Levin, Marotta
* Liquid Tension Experiment (1998) — Liquid Tension Experiment
* Bruford Levin Upper Extremities (1998) — Bruford Levin Upper Extremities
* Liquid Tension Experiment 2 (1999) — Liquid Tension Experiment
* Waters of Eden (2000) — solo
* Situation Dangerous (2000) — Bozzio Levin Stevens
* B.L.U.E. Nights (2000) — Bruford Levin Upper Extremities
* Pieces of the Sun (2002) — solo
* Double Espresso (2002) — solo
* Resonator (2006) — solo
* Stick Man (2007) — solo
* Spontaneous Combustion (2007) - Liquid Trio Experiment
* When the Keyboard Breaks: Live in Chicago (2009) - Liquid Trio Experiment 2
Soup (2010) - Stick Men
https://www.allmusic.com/album/pieces-of-the-sun-mw0000212423
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tony-levin-p98056/biography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Levin
https://www.allmusic.com/album/prime-cuts-mw0000448986
http://www.disagreement.net/reviews/tonylevin_primecuts.html
http://freetexthost.com/ditntkwxaa
