Post by bexface on Mar 22, 2003 0:53:00 GMT -5
If there is ever an all-encompassing studio musician who has worked with such an exotic range of bands and other musicians, there would be one name on my lips that describes this man. If I was to put together my “ultimate band,” this guy would be penciled in for bass player, numero uno.
I refer to Tony Levin. His bass prowess is unmatched over the length of time that he has been out there, doing a little of this, doing a lot of that, leading into a lot more of this other thing. He is now touring with a multi-talented task force that collectively combine for many years spent playing together. And it shows. They communicate silently but with facial expressions here and there (more subdued than between Tori and Matt). Talents are wide-ranging amongst the bunch. The drummer, Jerry Marotta, fills in extra parts willingly. At one point, he was playing the remote-miked sax in the audience, giving Lee a taste of the music. The guitarist, a relative-unknown, Jesse Gress, put in some searing moments. Larry Fast is still Mr. Synergizer, putting out the synth sounds. One of the tunes (“Phobos?”) was a resurrected one from his 70s days. Tony broke in many times between tunes, modestly talking about this or that reference. He was happy that we had decided to come out (despite the war) and mentioned it. That is was all about the music. “Peter Gunn” had a beautiful exchange of the lead melody line between the guitarist, bassist, and keyboards near its conclusion. He preached something called “circulating,” a musical exchange theory that they were only putting into practise. But I was really stunned by the range of music pumped out. They were really into it, despite the small turnout.
Here is a rough set list (not really in the right order) cobbled after listening to their 2-cd live album “Double Espresso” (which is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED):
Sleepless
Ooze
Belle
Geronimo
Silhouette
Pieces of the Sun
Give Peace a Chance
Peter Gunn
Phobos
Back in NYC
Utopia
*******
Black Dog
Elephant Talk
It was such a small turnout, maybe about 50 people pretty much sitting at the tables. We really rocked towards the end. I was right at the edge of the stage, Tony grooving out only a few feet in front of me. “Black Dog,” totally unexpected, blew me away. And “Elephant Talk” also provided more ballistic opportunities. He noted my t-shirt and mentioned getting it signed. I ended up getting not the setlist but one of the two promotion posters stuck on the front window. All of them signed it, along with the “Waters of Eden” CD cover I had brought to get signed. You can bring great musicians together but sometimes they don’t gel. And as Lee stated afterwards, that is because their egos don’t get in the ways. They all count each other as equals. This leads to some awesome music.
Well, anyway, probably not everyone’s cup of tea. Still some great stuff that they do and if you like King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, dreamy music, or just plain good rocking, then the Tony Levin Band comes highly recommended.
Bexface rating: 9.0 out of 10.0
I refer to Tony Levin. His bass prowess is unmatched over the length of time that he has been out there, doing a little of this, doing a lot of that, leading into a lot more of this other thing. He is now touring with a multi-talented task force that collectively combine for many years spent playing together. And it shows. They communicate silently but with facial expressions here and there (more subdued than between Tori and Matt). Talents are wide-ranging amongst the bunch. The drummer, Jerry Marotta, fills in extra parts willingly. At one point, he was playing the remote-miked sax in the audience, giving Lee a taste of the music. The guitarist, a relative-unknown, Jesse Gress, put in some searing moments. Larry Fast is still Mr. Synergizer, putting out the synth sounds. One of the tunes (“Phobos?”) was a resurrected one from his 70s days. Tony broke in many times between tunes, modestly talking about this or that reference. He was happy that we had decided to come out (despite the war) and mentioned it. That is was all about the music. “Peter Gunn” had a beautiful exchange of the lead melody line between the guitarist, bassist, and keyboards near its conclusion. He preached something called “circulating,” a musical exchange theory that they were only putting into practise. But I was really stunned by the range of music pumped out. They were really into it, despite the small turnout.
Here is a rough set list (not really in the right order) cobbled after listening to their 2-cd live album “Double Espresso” (which is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED):
Sleepless
Ooze
Belle
Geronimo
Silhouette
Pieces of the Sun
Give Peace a Chance
Peter Gunn
Phobos
Back in NYC
Utopia
*******
Black Dog
Elephant Talk
It was such a small turnout, maybe about 50 people pretty much sitting at the tables. We really rocked towards the end. I was right at the edge of the stage, Tony grooving out only a few feet in front of me. “Black Dog,” totally unexpected, blew me away. And “Elephant Talk” also provided more ballistic opportunities. He noted my t-shirt and mentioned getting it signed. I ended up getting not the setlist but one of the two promotion posters stuck on the front window. All of them signed it, along with the “Waters of Eden” CD cover I had brought to get signed. You can bring great musicians together but sometimes they don’t gel. And as Lee stated afterwards, that is because their egos don’t get in the ways. They all count each other as equals. This leads to some awesome music.
Well, anyway, probably not everyone’s cup of tea. Still some great stuff that they do and if you like King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, dreamy music, or just plain good rocking, then the Tony Levin Band comes highly recommended.
Bexface rating: 9.0 out of 10.0
