For 40-plus years, Pete and Tony
Levin have performed and
recorded with some of the
biggest names in jazz and rock,
but Levin Brothers
(Lazy Bones) is their first-ever
co-led album. They had one
shared goal in mind for the
recording; to recreate "cool
jazz" in the mold of their
heroes, Oscar Pettiford, Julius
Watkins and Miles Davis.
In preparation for the release,
the Levins contacted a prominent
jazz manager to help them
navigate today's market.
"When this manager saw the album
cover, he said, 'This screams
jazz!'" Tony recalls. "We
looked at each other and
thought, 'Great!' But the
manager said, 'No, no. That's
terrible! That's the worst thing
you can do! Nowadays you
have to not look like a jazz
group.' We were shocked.
That's an unfortunate statement
for the industry, but it's funny
to us. We're thinking, 'If
it screams jazz - no problem!'
We're proud of that.
Oops!"
The 16 songs on Levin
Brothers capture the
graceful swing of such classic
Pettiford-Watkins releases as
The New Oscar Pettiford
Sextet (Debut, 1953) and
Julius Watkins Sextet
(Blue Note, 1955). Accompanied
by Jeff Siegel and Steve Gadd
(drums), David Spinozza (guitar)
and Erik Lawrence (tenor
saxophone), with Pete on grand
piano and Tony on upright bass
and cello, the sibling duo finds
that brotherly love can run
absolutely cool when necessary.
DownBeat: This album is your
tribute to "cool jazz" in
general and, specifically, the
music of Oscar Pettiford and
Julius Watkins, right?
Pete Levin:
Yeah, I am unembarrassed to
express my admiration for the
writers of that period. We
tried to write in that style -
but without copying their songs
- by keeping the songs concise,
very melodic and holding the
solos down. I never got
fatigued by their solos.
Each guy played his best stuff,
sometimes only half a verse,
then he made way for the next
soloist.
What makes "cool jazz"?
Tony Levin:
A more compositional approach
and maybe a more laid-back style
as opposed to hard-grooving bop.
PL: And it's less
intensely on top of the time
than a more New York rhythm
section kind of playing, which I
have done plenty of. This
is a little more laid-back and
simpler chord structure.
CONTINUE |
How did you write and record the
material?
TL:
We worked on the tunes together.
Pete changed the chords on a lot
of my melodies, and I suggested
form changes on some of his
tunes. Also, we wore suits
and ties at the sessions.
That's the way they did it then,
so that's how we went to the
studio every day. Look at
those late-'50s albums - you see
the guys huddled around a chart
and they all have suits and ties
on. That's how you went to
work in the '50s
PL: As we tried stuff and
worked on arrangements, more
often than not we cut them down
to size. We were thinking
vinyl, 1950s, shorter songs,
less than 3 minutes. We
were playing compositions rather
than stretching out for long
solos.
Did you play the songs at gigs
before recording them?
PL:
We did one live gig at Dave's
Coffee House in Saugerties, New
York. The word got around
and there was a huge line for
the gig. Damn! We
should have charged a cover!
Where can you go as sibling
musicians that you can't with
other musicians?
PL:
Tony and I come from the same
discipline of being trained in
classical, and we've also been
sidemen. We're both used
to adapting and finding a way to
make the music as good as it can
be. With this situation,
we know the music and we knew
how to proceed individually and
get together on it. The
experience of creating music and
working together with other
musicians is common to us.
Some contemporary jazz is
complex; this record is the
opposite of that. How do
you think it will fare?
PL:
The music business changes every
couple of months. You make
an album and wonder, "How are we
going to sell it?" But
people are responding to what
was one of our goals; to write
songs and melodies that are
retainable. It's like
you're composing a melody every
time you solo. Who wants
to hear a three-part symphony in
every solo? Keep it short!
What do you hope listeners take
away from Levin Brothers?
PL:
I've always felt that if you do
something good, the industry
will make a space for you.
But you have to feel really good
about what you did, and we do.
It's not cutting-edge, but
that's OK. People are
responding to it. That
makes us feel good.
TL: When I began
practicing the older music on
cello, I called Pete and
realized that we both remember
all those songs and all of the
solos. That is a testament
to the music. It's deep
inside of me, as is Oscar
Pettiford's playing and style.
I can't do it at that level, but
we tried to write music that
could make people feel that way.
Isn't that a worthwhile aim for
a band and an album?
--- Ken
Micallef |