Join
now to receive all the new
music
MoonJune Records releases,
including
186 back-catalog items,
delivered instantly to you via the Bandcamp app for iOS and Android.
You’ll also get access to
supporter-only
exclusives.
Learn more.
The most recent of my organ trio albums, this was recorded in 2010 with two of my favorite players, guitarist Dave Stryker and drummer Lenny White. In addition, percussionist Manolo Badrena joined us for some tracks. The trio did several live gigs around the greater NYC area and did two European tours. The tours were done pretty much “old-school” – mostly in clubs, taking turns driving the rented van. At the time of the recording, Dave’s reputation was just starting to build. In the last 10 years, he’s released several albums as a leader and become quite well-known - quite deservedly so, he’s a marvelous player. Lenny is, of course, an iconic drummer. We’ve been friends since the early 70s, when we met on a Gil Evans gig. During that time, we’ve worked together on countless recording projects.
The music is a mixture of my originals and covers. Thought on the tracks: My favorite original here is the uptempo “Exclamation!” Dave took a blistering solo that had everyone in the studio going “damn!!” One of the covers is a textural reimagining of the jazz standard “Little Sunflower” done in 7/4 time. More recently, that same arrangement is now in the set list for the Levin Brothers Quartet. Another, the classic “Alone Together” is a nod to one of my mentors, clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre. In concert years ago, Jimmy called the tune. Hundreds of people looked on while we tactfully tried to tell Jimmy that we didn’t know the song. Not hearing us, he went ahead and played a 10 minute version acapella. As on several of my albums, there’s a wild-card track, kind of like an encore. Here, it’s a straight-ahead version of the classic “Honeysuckle Rose” with two old friends, legendary guitarist Joe Beck and drummer Danny Gottlieb.
Trivia: The song “Jump!” was intended to be a simple, straight-ahead blues with a structural twist, a pause in the last 2 measures. It was planned as an optional track to be added at the end of the album if there wasn’t enough material. When we recorded it, Lenny, unprompted, came up with an infectious broken funk groove that completely changed the character of the piece and took it to a new level. Consequently, Jump! was moved to the track #1 position and the album was named for it. The moral: Put great players in the studio, don’t tell them what to do, and magic will happen.
Between 1964 and 2020 Pete Levin has recorded and/or performed live with artists & groups, including:
Gary Anderson, Michael Allman, Ron Aprea, Nikki Armstrong, Nanny Assis, Jennifer Aylmer, Aztec Two Step, Larry Baeder, Rene Bailey, Dave Bargeron, Joe Beck, Jeff Berlin, Pat Bianco, Marc Black, Terrance Blanchard, Carla Bley, Rosalinde Block, Blood Sweat & Tears, The Blues Farm, GI Blythe, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Dean Bowman, Beki Brindle, Broadside Brass Bed Band, Hugh Brodie, Brubeck Brothers Quartet, Cliff Brucker, Hiram Bullock, Butterfield Blues Band, Donald Byrd, Don Byron, Rennie Cantine, Rob Carlson, Rondi Charleston, Hillary Chase, Jay Chattaway, Tommy Chong, Jeff Ciampa, The City Boys All-Stars, The Clams, John Clark, Jay Clayton, Jimmy Cobb, D.A. Cole, Judy Collins, Willie Colon, Commander Cody, Gene Cornish, Murali Coryell, Cray & Dempsey, Albert Cummings, David Darling, Kal David, Betty Davis, Miles Davis, Andrea Dawn, Debbie Deane, Mike DeMicco, Angela Deniro, Kenwood Dennard, Jacque DeShetler, Dog Knows, Danny Draher, Robbie Dupree, Bill Edwards, Mark Egan, Don Elliott, Doug Elliott, Ryan Endris, Jimmy Eppard, Joey Eppard, Eric Erickson, Gil Evans, Miles Evans, Fania All-Stars, Rachelle Farelle, Patricia Fennell, Five Satins, 52nd Street, Bryan Ferry, Matt Finck, Alex Foster, Al Franken, Peter Furlan, Letizia Gambi, Chrissy Gardner, Don Gardner, Jimmy Giuffre, Leila Gobi, Danny Gottlieb, Government Mule, Sarah Greene, Janice Hardgrove, Nicole Hart, Richie Hart, Maiko Hata, Jonas Helborg, Joan Henry, Kurt Henry, Deborah Henson-Conant, Jana Herzen, Gregory Hines, Erin Hobson, Clint Holmes, Nick Holmes, Helen Hooke, Lillie Howard, Freddie Hubbard, Nick Humez, Chris Hunter, Kathy Ingraham, Mike Jackson, Howard Johnson, Meg Johnson, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Band, Raven Kane, Toshihiko Kankawa, Tim Kapeluck, Randy Kaye, Mamadou Kelly, Roman Klun, Charlie Kniceley, David Laks, La La, Wayne Lammers, Arnie Lawrence, Erik Lawrence, Annie Lennox, Ray LeVier, Tony Levin, Levin Brothers Band, PJ Lorenz, Ken Lovelett, Charles Lyonhart, Betty MacDonald, Rod MacDonald, Al MacDowell, Machan, Peter Mack, Mike Mainieri, David Malachowski, Tom Malone, Melissa Manchester, Chuck Mangione, Gap Mangione, Manhattan Project, Lou Marini, Keith Marks, Janet Marlowe, Lee Marvin, Lisa Maxwell, Cynthia McCorkindale, David McGough, Mariann Megna, Jane Meryll, Bucky Milam, Don Miller, Liza Minnelli, Charles Mingus, Chris Mitchell, Tommy Mitchell, Monday Night Band, Sam Morrison, Gerry Mulligan, Amina Claudine Myers, Native Vibe, Jeremy Nesse, Carol Nethen, Olivia Newton-John, New York Mary, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Bob Nieske, Alwin Nikolais, Odd Couple Quintet, Old Dogs New Tricks, Eileen O'Hare, Shunzo Ohno, Ola Onabule, Al Orlo, Ted Orr & Blue Food, Jeff Oster, Rob Paparozzi, Jon Paris, Gil Parris, Chris Pasin, Vincent Pasternak, Jaco Pastorius, Pamela Pentony, Roxy Perry, Eric Person, Scott Petito, Vito Petroccitto, Simon Phillips, Pieces Of A Dream, Monika Piotrowska, Lorenza Ponce, Kitt Potter, Jim Pugh/Dave Taylor, Tony Purrone, Python Soup, Genya Ravan, Baron Raymonde, Billy Reed, Reelin' In The Years, Athena Reich, The Retro Rockets, Nicki Richards, Amy Rogell, Robbie Robertson, Sonny Rock, Teri Roiger, Jonny Rosch, Andy Rothstein, Katrin Roush, Steve Rowell, Raphael Rudd, Bobby Rydell, Ali Ryerson, Emily Saaen, Paul Sachs, Salt 'N Pepa, David Sanborn, Dario Saraceno, Ellie Sarty, Steve Satten, Sari Schorr, Steve Schultz, John Scofield, Mark Sganga, Marlene Shaw, Ben Sher, Wayne Shorter, Siegel/Syracuse Duo, Carly Simon, Paul Simon, Marilyn Sokol, Lew Soloff, Melvyn Sparks, Spirited, Straight Ahead, Roseann Sureda, Gani Tamir, Peter Thomakos, Vaneese Thomas, Andy Toomey, Artie Traum, Happy Traum, John Tropea, Barbara Truex, Elijah Tucker, Joe Lynn Turner, Uncle Funk, Michal Urbaniak, Michael Veitch, Willa Vincitore, Jimmy Vivino, Lou Volpe, Filippo Voltaggio, Voyceboxing, Joe Louis Walker, Corbett Wall, Lynette Washington, Ernie Watts, Jim Weider, Peter Welker, Westchester All-Stars, Wet Paint, Lenny White, White Flag, Vanessa Williams, Curtis Winchester, Deborah Winters, Woodstock All-Stars, Gary Wofsey, Chris Zaloom, Ling Zhang, Zuice
credits
released September 28, 2010
Pete Levin: organ (tracks 1-10)
Dave Stryker: guitar (tracks 1-9)
Joe Beck: guitar (track 10)
Lenny White: drums (tracks 1-9)
Manolo Badrena: percussion (tracks 1,3,4,7,8)
Danny Gottlieb: drums (track 10)
Produced by Pete Levin
Recorded by Roman Klun, Manfred Knoop, Pete Levin and Joe Beck
Recorded at The Schoolhouse, Woodstock, NY and at Knoop Studio, River Edge, NJ
Mixed by Alan Meyerson at Studio M at Remote Control Productions, Santa Monica, CA
Lenny White plays Innovation drums, Istanbul Agop "Epoch" cymbals, Vic Firth signature sticks & Remo drumheads
Dave Stryker appears courtesy of SteepleChase Music
Pete’s Hammond is an RT3, restored and chopped by Mike Torsone,
played through a 122 Leslie restored by Goff Professional and John Weisner.
CD package design by Pete Levin
Cover Photo by Roberto Scorta
Indonesian guitar icon DEWA BUDJANA, with TONY LEVIN, GARY HUSBAND, JACK DEJOHNETTE, and special guests TIM GARLAND, GUTHRIE GOWAN, DANNY MARKOVITCH. PETE LEVIN
This is an amazing recording both musically and technically capturing some amazing musicians playing together to leave us something of wonder daveappleton
