Levin, Pete - Deacon Blues

Year of Release: 2007
Label: Motema
Catalog Number: MTM-0008
Format: CD
Total Time: 67:05:00

Pete Levin, for those who don't know, is brother to Tony Levin. Though that should not be his claim to fame, and isn't. Pete Levin has played with hundreds of folks, at least if the list on his website is any guide. That list includes Gil Evans, Paul Simon, Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter and Annie Lennox among others. In fact, he was a member of Evans' Gil Evans Orchestra from 1973 to 1988 (when Evans passed away). So he is not a "newcomer," not by any means, nor even newly coming into his own as a leader. But, this is a slight departure from our usual review fare.

Deacon Blues is Levin's 11th album as leader, among some hundred or so albums that he has co-led or contributed to. This album starts out with a jumping, organ driven version of the title track - a cover of the Steely Dan classic. It is recognizable, but Levin gives it his own stamp. Organ might be the lead instrument, but the drums and percussion of Danny Gottlieb have a prominent role; his touch here is light and airy, yet energetic. It'd have to be to keep up with Levin's active playing. Levin steps aside momentarily for a noodlely guitar solo from Joe Beck.

Levin has surrounded himself with top notch players, making this album thoroughly enjoyable. Those players are: Beck and Mike DeMicco on guitars (but not on the same tracks); Gottlieb, Ken Lovelett and Carlos Valdez on drums and/or percussion; and Tony Levin on bass. The performances are tight, nuanced, and they sound as if they had a great time bringing this program to life. I find that it is music you listen to, absorb, but don't think too much about - that is, you experience it not analyze it; you get attuned to which ever instrument is taking lead and follow along, but if you stop to think about what notes are being played, or how they're being played, you lose the magic of the whole.

Seven of the album's tracks are renditions of others' compositions; three of the remaining four were composed by Levin, including the sophisticated "Uptown." This is Manhattan on a warm, busy night, lit by magical amber glow of streetlights and illuminated restaurants and shops. It brings forth an idealized vision of the city at night, but does it so convincingly that you believe it to be true. "Once Lost" is another up-tempo piece with some great guitar soloing from DeMicco, at times edging this piece towards jazz rock. There's a sense that what was "once lost" has been found, a sense of joy permeating throughout. "Might Have Been" is romantic yet sentimental without being sappy or overly wistful; it features searing, emotive solo lines from Beck, the kind that hit you right there (heart and/or gut), and crying stabs of organ that serve to drive the heartache-y feeling home.

The one neither a cover nor a Levin tune is the crystalline and shimmery "Eclipse," composed by DeMicco. You might think that a tune composed by a guitarist would put guitar front and center throughout, but rather it is still Levin's organ here that plays co-lead for a good portion of this track, beneath which we hear a bouncy interplay between drums and bass. DeMicco takes over a third of the way in and picks up on the bouncy rhythm the drums and bass established; Levin's organ intertwines while percussion tinkles in hushed tones of shattering glass. As a result organ and guitar trade lead roles more than once.

Among the other "covers" here, there's a silkily moody take on the Beach Boys' "Sail On Sailor," with Mike DeMicco picking out a bluesy solo over Levin's throaty organ; the contrastingly conservative Erik Satie's "First Gymnopedie," a piece that starts out mellow and intimate, but builds to something a bit more? jazzy (how close to the original it is, I can't say); a very shimmery take on Ralph Towner's "Icarus," filled with lots of percussion from chimes, symbols, shakers, all over the swinging guitar work of Beck; Jimmy Giuffre's "Sad Truth," a dark and gloomy piece, played sparse and moodily with Tony Levin's bass, a fretless, more prominent here, carrying the melody; Giuffre's "Dragonfly" is also rendered, heavy and dark, a hint of menace at first (as dragonflies have been viewed in some cultures), but then tacking right to much lighter climes; it moves swiftly, though unlike the titular dragonfly, it's a smooth flow; however, in its rhythms you can imagine the darting, investigative flight path as the music sets the scene.* The set closes with the easy-going "Mean To Me" (by Fred Ahlert and Roy Turk); the trio of Beck, Levin and Gottlieb play this breezily and easily, like a strident stroll down the boulevard full of confidence, which actually contrasts against the lyrics, although this is an all instrumental rendering here. The lyrics ask at first "why are you mean to me?" and end with "what you mean to me" (not exact quotes here, just the gist). Of course, that kind of "wordplay" I quite like, and in, fact, wondered whether the "mean" of the title meant the former - unkind - or the latter - affection. So perhaps what we have here is outwardly confidence and inner doubt.

Production wise, there is a lot of depth to this recording, each layer of instrumentation clearly heard. And the accompanying booklet gives you a brief bio of Levin, a note from Levin, and takes you through each track - using the "language of jazz" that I haven't yet mastered - e.g., referring to "Uptown" as a boogaloo. I may not know those words (in context), but these I do: great, enjoyable, masterful, rich, vibrant? And one other: highly recommended.

*about the picture of the dragonfly; this lovely fellow was attached to my antennae -- well, my car's antennae actually (I keep mine hidden from view) -- and stayed there long enough for me to dart back into the house and snap a few pictures at varying distances and angles. If my research is correct, this is a Ruby Meadowhawk dragonfly. Whilst not definitive, or perhaps even accurate, there's an article on the Wikipedia about dragonflies.

Tracklisting:
Deacon Blues (6:21) / Uptown (6:49) / Sail On Sailor (6:37) / First Gymnopedie (6:00) / Once Lost (3:59) / Icarus (6:39) / Sad Truth (3:59) / Eclipse (7:06) / Might Have Been (5:42) / Dragonfly (8:33) / Mean To Me (5:56)

Musicians:
Pete Levin - organ
Joe Beck - guitar (1, 2, 6, 9, 11)
Mike DeMicco - guitar (3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10)
Danny Gottlieb - drums (1 - 4, 6, 8-11)
Tony Levin - bass (3, 4, 6, 7)
Ken Lovelett - drums (5, 7)
Carlos Valdez - percussion (1, 2, 6)

Discography:
Selected

Music For The Dybbuk (1974/1996)
Party In The Basement (1990)
Masters In This Hall: The New Age Of Christmas II (1990)
A Solitary Man (1991)
Harmony (1998)
Crystals (2000)
Meditations (w/Ali Ryerson) (2001)
Masters In This Hall 2001 (2001)
Rhyhtm Of The Spirit (2002)
Icarus (2006)
Deacon Blues (2007)

see a more complete discography at Levin's site

Genre: Jazz-Trad. Jazz

Origin US

Added: October 7th 2007
Reviewer: Stephanie Sollow
Score:
Artist website: www.petelevin.com
Hits: 2804
Language: english