TONY LEVIN

Those long gnarly fingers get the ball rolling on the percolating, brass-infected groove of the opener and title track, setting the mood and the standard to follow. With Manu Katche handling the kit, Tony has a partner he knows well. The axe solo by Dominic Miller sets a fire under the smoking arrangement, with a burly organ rant from his brother Peter, both of whom know Tony well. An Alex Foster sax flurry finishes off the show. Jazzier realms on the lullaby spotlight "Me and My Axe" where the bald man shows that a bass can lead the waltz without skipping a beat, and when Steve Hunter (another pal from way back, when rain drops fell on a blue car) suavely partners his six sexy strings with a bluesy approach, actually dueting back and forth, while the organ slithers along like a jealous lover. Larry Fast and Jerry Marotta also keep the musical umbrella handy. Life on the long road has been no problem for Tony as he has enjoyed his travels immensely, being a photographer and keeping a diary, according to interviews I read, but "Road Dogs" quickly veers into a long, effortless prog groove before switching to a nasty, growling the title endlessly. 'You wanna rock n roll? ', get down greasy and bark at the moon? Okay then!

Tony gets funky as well as "sticky" on the appropriately titled "Uncle Funster", displaying a dazzling whirlwind of notes on both the Chapman and his usual implement, with the tremendous Vinnie Colaiuta bashing away on his kit like the madman that he is. The atmosphere gets the roof raised on the loud and proud "Boston Rocks" with Gary Husband on the keys and Mike Portnoy on the drums, bashing along in a frenzy before unexplainably, landing in an ethereal pool of soft voice and serene sounds. The punkoid guitar of Earl Slick sears like a chainsaw in delectable intransigeance before settling into meditation. "Espressoville" winks at an earlier Italian coffee named solo album, a perfectly timed return for the brassy jazzy rock the man is good at. The legendary Steve Gadd is on drums, the only musician I can think of who may have an even longer resume, while Joe Caro torches his fiery guitar like his life depended on it. A bluesy, rock n roll ditty with an uncommon purchase: Its not jello, it's a cello, as the man tells the story. "Give the Cello Some" is fun, fun, fun, brother Peter unleashing a gusty and lusty keyboard assault. The two Levins have played together forever, still having joy to express is priceless.

The basso profundo master (as Gabriel once described him in concert) likes to show his experimental side, as all that time with the Fripp should rub off on anyone. "Beyond the Bass Clef" is a sheer delight, a both calm and tortuous promenade on the neck that is exalting, with L. Shankar's violin and Colin Gatwood's oboe and horn also getting spotlight features. Things get elastique, athletique and diabolique on the cleverly named "Bungie Bass", a track that has a definite KC feel, as there is a ton of mayhem going on with the oblique guitar of David Torn and Pat Mastelotto's usual jungle pulse doing a fair amount of ear damage. But what Levin does to his coiling bass is just plain incredible, and the cello solo, invincible! A killer track. Another change of pace on the sorrowful "Fire Cross the Sky", a respectfully hushed homage to a recently departed musician (John Lennon?), a sensitive solo voice and stick as the only accompaniment. A noteworthy twinkle twinkle little star sensation.

Frippertronics arrive on "Floating in Dark Waters", Tony's fingers travelling along the bass giraffe's neck like a snake searching for a higher altitude. Rubbery brilliance, moody atmospherics with a tinge of omen in the background. Experimenting in spectral sounds. "On the Drums" is a hyper cute vocal introduction of a long list of drummers Levin has played with, most if not all known to me, so I felt in comfortable surround sound. The way he repeats Marotta and Bruford in particular is funny and highly entertaining. As I had mentioned at the outset, he is classically taught, so why not lower the curtain with a delightful "Coda", a bass and piano (also cited prior) symbiosis that does the entire album justice as it's a perfect and brief finale.

Just plain wonderful, a treat in every sense of the term. 5 low-end elevators

As it was in the time of Tony Levin's "Pieces of the Sun" solo album, it's normal and expected that ten songs were from that album (of twelve), plus three songs from 2002 "Waters of Eden" ("Pillar of Fire", "Utopia", "Belle"). The rest are covers of some expected (and unexpected) material. "Elephant Talk" (from "Discipline" 1981) and "Sleepless" (from "Three of a Perfect Pair" 1984) of King Crimson, "Back in N.Y.C." (from "The Lamb Lies down on Broadway" 1974) of Genesis, instrumental version of "Black Dog" (from "Led Zeppelin IV" 1970), rare "Dog One" written by Peter Gabriel and played live in 1982), Chuck Rio's 1958 "Tequila" of The Champs, Henry Mancini's "Peter Gunn" with members of California Guitar Trio, and as surprise, a Italian singing Tony Levin in "L'abito della sposa" ballad (from Ivano Fossati "Macram'" 1996, where Tony Levin was co-author). Two of mentioned covers are on "Pieces of the Sun" album ("Tequila" and "Dog One").

Neither "masterpiece" nor "excellent addition to prog collection", but unpretentious and a very good concert recording for enjoyment in good musicianship and controlling of abilities, to benefit of audience and home hi-fi listeners. On positive impressions by this album, I would seek out for his two aforementioned solo albums. Just to add that once I was lucky to attend a concert when Tony Levin was in backing band, on Peter Gabriel 2013 Back to Front tour, when album "So" was played in its entirety.

Recommended listen. Oh, and don't forget to make a double espresso!

'Bone & Flesh' starts out as a nice atmospheric piece with shades of experimental and lush tones. About halfway through, it changes to a lilting world dance style with a heavy beat and a distinct melody, then ends with the soft sounds again.

'Waters of Eden' uses a violin and piano as backing to Levin's bass plucking out a nice melody. He later adds electric cello which takes over the melody. The California Guitar Trio guests on this track adding acoustic guitar later on in the track.

'Icarus' has a more mysterious edge to it with a sax taking the melody which is later shadowed with bass. The foundation of the song is good enough, but it sounds like a Kenny G melody, to 'smooth jazz' sounding for my taste.

'Gecko Walk' has a mid-tempo beat provided mostly by programmed percussion. The bass takes the melody again shadowed later with electric guitar. The main melody isn't very interesting, and overall the track falls flat with hardly any improvising at all, just a repeating of the main melody and very little variation.

'Belle' is a slow ballad with bass and piano providing the melody. It sounds like something you would hear in an elevator that probably would have been a big hit in New Age circles. It sounds very dated. You can sum it up in one word'.'Ugh!'

'Pillar of Fire' has a good driving rhythm and bass riff with electric guitar providing the main melody. The percussion has that world beat again like in track 1. Unfortunately, the 'Fire' gets doused at the 2 minute mark. The beat comes back about a minute later, and this pattern continues without a lot of variation again. At least it starts to get more intense towards the last part, but then when you think it might get good, it really does something stupid; it fades out.

'Boulevard of Dreams' has more of an improvised feel, the piano and bass creating a nice real jazz flavor, it is slow jazz, but at least it's not so New Age-y this time. It's actually a great track and has what most of the rest of the album lacks and so desperately needs: improvisation. Very nice.

'Opal Road' lets the acoustic guitar take the lead again with the bass shadowing later. It returns to that new age feel again. There's too much structure where looseness would have made things better. The repetitiveness just gets to boring.

'Utopia' is the final and also longest track on the album. At least you hope for a nice, rousing finale. It starts with a meandering bass melody with shimmering synths providing a feeling that something amazing is about to happen. When it does, it's just a mid tempo beat with a melodic bass playing a melody that is supposed to sound heroic. It just slogs on for 8 minutes, then fades out.

This is mostly a very frustrating album. Tony composed these tracks, but unfortunately only comes close to hitting the mark you expect in 3 of them. There is no doubt that Tony is an accomplished instrumentalist as he has proven over and over, so why he chose to make this more melody based so that it sounds like a New Age album instead of allowing for more improvisation from the talented musicians involved here is beyond me. It would have made more sense to release this kind of music in 1990, but in the year 2000, this even sounded dated. As much as I want to love Levin's solo albums, I end up coming away just feeling frustrated. I'm sorry to say this, but you are better off just leaving this one alone.

Tony Levin is best known for being part of King Crimson in the 80's and 90's, but he has also played with Peter Gabriel, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, and others. Here he is performing live with his own band, The Tony Levin Band, the line-up of which also includes Jerry Marotta on drums, Jesse Gress on guitars, and Larry Fast on synthesizers. The latter is perhaps best known for his work with Nektar and for his own project Synergy, but Fast has also previously worked with Levin in Peter Gabriel's solo band. Leven himself plays bass and the Chapman Stick (among other instruments).

The set list featured on this double live album draws heavily from the then current Levin solo album Pieces Of The Sun, on which Fast, Gress, and Marotta all played. The Fifth Man, Phobos, Ever The Sun Will Rise, Apollo, Ooze, Tequila, Dog One, Silhouette, Geronimo, and the title track are all from that album. Personally I prefer the studio versions of most of these songs. This is especially true of Apollo which is an excellent composition but that sounded better on the studio disc. But these live versions are enjoyable too. Utopia and Pillar Of Fire are from Levin's previous solo record Waters Of Eden.

To represent Levin's days with King Crimson, they perform two songs that he co-wrote and performed with that band. These selections are Elephant Talk from 1981's Discipline and Sleepless from 1984's Three Of A Perfect Pair. While Sleepless is alright I have never been able to enjoy the annoying Elephant Talk, and this version does not change that.

A couple of covers are included in Genesis' Back in N.Y.C. and Led Zeppelin's Black Dog. They also play a version of Peter Gunn (also performed by Emerson Lake & Palmer) on which the California Guitar Trio appear as guests. Finally, L'Abito della Sposa is a song that (according to the spoken introduction) Levin co- wrote with an Italian musician. Apparently, Levin himself sings this one in Italian language! The second disc also includes a studio track called Belle.

Overall, this is an interesting and mostly enjoyable live album, but it is generally not as good as the Pieces Of The Sun studio album.

Three different kind of musicians working as a whole. Levin, precise and funky as usual, Torn sometimes is Beck sometimes is Fripp and sometimes is just simply him, but the real surprise here is White. I think someone misspelled his name in the cover, It should say: Terry Bozzio because is exactly how powerful and quirky He sounds.

An excellent record who gives me hope of the way the music is going into the future. I just wish They keep working together.

For those who read my reviews and know me will not come as a surprise that this album is hard for me to 'swallow'. It's always like that in the Jazz Fusion Prog Instrumental world for me. Bands and musicians that try too hard to show off their abilities in their instruments but forget the melodies are always in my black list.

Levin Torn White (2011) was released by Tony Levin label Lazy Bones Records in September 2011. The digital album was sent to me by their manager, and this was a good thing, I guess, I hate to listen to albums to review in MP3, but some albums? well, they would not be listened again anyway. So, MP3 it is. To be honest with you Levin Torn White (2011) isn't all bad, but it's one of that albums that you listen when it's released and then gets lost in the shadows of time? deservedly.

Actually it's really great to hear White in a trio format. And like with Yes, Alan does sound a little like Bill. I've always found White's work with Yes was not to be too much of a standout and thought that was the main reason Bruford had to move on. In the trio White really gets the space to make more of a prescence. Thankfully Tony has elected not sing on this album. Not that he's a bad vocalist, it's just better when he sings through the bass. Torn brings in his rich cloud of guitar, atmospheric at times and earthy at others.

The trio lets loose and delivers fourteen instrumental tracks. Mostly on the heavy side. Vocals would get in the way of this sonic tapestry.

Be sure to wear your ultra mullett with the brain tatoo underneath when attending the prom night of the centipedes.

When musicians of this quality gather for a new project, one cannot help but listen to it, knowing that it would have something interesting to share. I know it is not good to have prejudices, but if you hear the names of Tony Levin, David Torn and Alan White, you cannot expect anything but a pleasant listening. And I was right, the album did not let me down at all. But be careful because this is an instrumental album that is not for everyone, so if you are a pure vocal lover, this might not be for you, otherwise you will have a great time.

The Levin-Torn-White album saw the light of day this year (2011) via Lazy Bones Recordings, and comprises fourteen songs that make a total time of 55 minutes, worth of every listen, as you can imagine. The songs are not really long, oscillating from 1:30 to 5:30 minutes. The references to King Crimson or Yes may be obvious due to the musicians in this project, and it does have some moments that will remind you of them, however, the sound is not really what you would think. Here the experimental side of Torn's guitars produces rich textures that give the music a different style and direction.

The album kicks off with "No Warning Lights" which is a two minute introductory track, with some explosive moments and chaotic tunes. "Ultra Mullet" has that wonderful stick that Levin always provides, this is one of those moments that reminds us to King Crimson, however, the song changes and that experimental and even noisy side of guitars adds its grain of sand, giving the track a new direction.

"White Noise" actually sounds like the title suggest, or at least I could relate the music to that metaphoric name, which could also be related to the drummer's playing style, which is always clean, constant and challenging. "The Hood Fell" is a quirky and accomplished track, with cool guitars and great musicianship that creates a high amount of textures and nuances.

With "Monkey Mind" you can close your eyes and transport yourself to another realm and create your own story. It has at first a soft and atmospheric sound, which later morphs into a tense and even chaotic tune. This is a track I like a lot. And what I like most is that the song that follows is"Cheese it, the Corpse", which happens to be another of my favorite moments, so this particular two-song combo is probably my best loved part of the album. This track perfectly sums up this Levin-Torn-White sound, with an eclectic and experimental side that should please fans of progressive rock.

"Convergence" is another wonderful track. More atmospheric, relaxing but at the same time tense. The music flows but not only on this track, but on the whole album, so even though you understand when a new song begins, all of them are part of a puzzle - so it is like a 55- minute track divided into 14 pieces. "Pillowful of Dark" as you can imagine has that obscure sound, like being in an unknown place and being worried about the road you will take because you are afraid of being wrong. Well, the music is a matter of subjectivity, so I imagine other people have quite different mind representations.

"The Eggman Cometh" is the sorter track that sounds like pure improvisations with cool drums, atmospheric guitars and nice bass notes. On the other hand, "Sleeping Horse" is the longest one, with a richness of elements, cool guitars, dreamy atmospheres and electronic devices. The whole track continues with the same structure, but the great thing here is that if you have good headphones, you will better appreciate the new elements that are being added through the minutes.

"Prom Night of the Centipedes" has once again that atmospheric scheme, but perfectly complemented by those rock and experimental tunes. "Crunch Time" has a pretty cool bass sound that is actually addictive. The diversity in the guitar sound along with the great drums makes it a very strong and excellent track from the first to the last second.

"Brain Tattoo" is an explosive theme whose diversity of colors and textures makes it really rich. Here I really like what Torn does with his guitars, implementing different styles and sounds during the whole track. And finally "Lights Out", which begins with a softer and mellower sound, however, it is gradually progressing until it reaches a climax. This is a great song that closes this great album.

Well, so having a Tony Levin, David Torn and Alan White project is something delicious that you should not miss. I've had a great time while listening to it, so I strongly recommend it. Four stars.

Enjoy it!

Tony Levin is well known as a bass virtuoso in progressive music. Whether it's his insane work with King Crimson, his great work with Peter Gabriel, or his genius contributions to the more recent supergroup Liquid Tension Experiment, Levin has certainly left his mark as one of the more influential bassists today. Another addition to his impressive resume is his prolific solo career, whether it is with his 'band,' his side project 'Stick Men,' or any of his other bass-heavy projects. On this album, Pieces of the Sun, Levin exemplifies the eclectic style he has shown throughout all of his various bands and projects, with each song featuring a different flair of his unique career. From the dark to the peppy to the jazzy to the funky, the album contains a huge blend of great features.

The most obvious characteristic that stands out about this album is the eclectic blend of styles Levin uses to craft his songs. Whether it's the almost metallic yet upbeat and jazzy opener 'Apollo' or the pop inspired but still dark 'Dog One' (which is taken from a Peter Gabriel session he played in), the album has a huge blend of styles to make this album truly unique. The album has an overall very jazzy feel, with his obvious fusion influence, inspired by his various jazzy projects such as Bruford Levin Upper Extremities and others, really shine through to give it a nice funky feel.

Musically, the album truly shows that Levin knows his stuff. His masterful control over melody, harmony and overall communicatory instrumentation is truly fantastic all over the album. His use of a wide variety of instruments, from an acoustic guitar trio to his numerous basses to numerous stringed and synthesized instruments really adds a nice harmonious touch to the music. I find it great how he incorporates so many of his influences into each individual track, from funk in 'Tequila' to eclectic rock like his days in King Crimson into 'Blue Nude Reclining' (which I believe is a reference to his side project BLUE as well). Overall, his mastery of the music he plays truly makes this album a gem, with cinematic touches adding an exciting flair and melodic grace truly accenting the album to make it a great progressive jazz showing.

My absolute favorite track on the album and probably one of my favorite jazz rock tracks is the title track of this album, which is actually how I found this album (thank you YouTube). Musically, this is easily the most genius track on the album. Highly syncopated, the rhythms compliment the melody in an almost dissonant way, as a tribal feel rotates around screeching guitar solos and pulsing bass lines (in which he uses his epic 'funk fingers,' which are essentials drumsticks he attaches to his fingers). The song is a slow build, and when it releases, it transforms into a LTE-esque funk marathon, with bass exploding forth from the speakers and the whole band conforming around him to make a truly amazing song.

Overall, this album is truly great. With fantastic instrumental performance (well, the whole thing is basically instrumental) and a superb mastery of an eclectic style, Levin has output a fine album, full of memorable tracks and wonderful moments. In the end, this is truly a gem of jazz rock music. 4 stars.