Adam Levy

Born on November 27, 1966, in Encino, California, Adam Levy grew up in a musically rich environment: his grandfather, George Wyle, served as music director for television variety shows like The Andy Williams Show and The Flip Wilson Show. Young Levy was exposed early to the values of songwriting, musicianship and studio work through his grandfather’s sessions.

After high school, he studied at the Dick Grove School of Music in Los Angeles under influential teachers such as Ted Greene and Jimmy Wyble — absorbing a deep sense of harmonic nuance and accompaniment technique rather than just soloing.

In 1990 Levy moved to San Francisco to establish himself as a working studio and gig guitarist. He made his mark on major label recordings in the mid-1990s, including a memorable blues-inflected solo on Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason”.

Breakout with Norah Jones & Sideman Career

Levy’s name became more widely known when he relocated to New York City and became a featured guitarist in Norah Jones’s band, playing on her Grammy-winning debut Come Away with Me (2002) and the follow-up Feels Like Home (2004). During this period he not only provided elegant, supportive guitar work, but also contributed his own songwriting — e.g., the track “In the Morning” for Jones’ Feels Like Home.

Beyond that, his sideman and session résumé runs deep and eclectic, including credits with Allen Toussaint, Vulfpeck, Ani DiFranco, Meshell Ndegeocello, Gaby Moreno and others.

Leader, Composer & Educator

While his work alongside major vocalists brought him recognition, Levy has also steadily cultivated his own voice as a leader and composer. He’s released more than two dozen albums as a band-leader, ranging from vocal-song-writer outings to purely instrumental jazz trio and quartet formats.

His most recent instrumental trio album, Spry, features bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Joey Baron and highlights Levy’s lean, blues-inflected guitar lines and spacious harmonic palette.

Levy is also well known as an educator and author: he has taught at institutions including NYU and USC, created online guitar courses, contributed articles to Guitar Player, Acoustic Guitar and Fretboard Journal, and hosts a popular YouTube series on guitar tips.

Artistic Voice & Approach

Levy’s playing is characterized by a thoughtful restraint — a commitment to melody, space and touch, rather than bombastic display. As he puts it: “The guitar could float, be a foil. It didn’t have to duplicate what those other instruments were doing.” His early jazz education emphasized chords built from melodies, and that philosophy underpins the warmth and lyricism of his guitar voice.

Lizz Wright: Shadow

by Chris May
April 19, 2024

The singer Lizz Wright made a brief stopover in London in March 2024, on a tour previewing Shadow. She appeared for one night only at Cadogan Hall, a 900-seat auditorium big enough when full to feel buzzy but small enough still to remain close to intimate. It was a perfect setting for Wright and her characteristically à la carte programme of jazz, gospel, blues and folk music from multiple traditions. Shadow is an exquisitely crafted, low-key production ...

Album Review

Todd Sickafoose: Bear Proof

Read "Bear Proof" reviewed by Vic Albani

by Vic Albani
February 19, 2024

Era dai fasti di Tiny Resistors (uscito nel 2008 per la Cryptogramophone dell'amico Jeff Gauthier e che invitiamo a riascoltare per la bellezza che lo ammanta) che il signor Todd Sickafoose non regalava al mondo un nuovo lavoro. Inneggiato da più voci quale coerente ed intelligentissimo musicista nonché compositore e produttore Sickafoose è stato talmente occupato da non avere avuto tempo per dilettarsi ancora una volta con l'idea che lo ha subito posto all'attenzione del mondo musicale sin ...

Album Review

Todd Sickafoose: Bear Proof

Read "Bear Proof" reviewed by Jerome Wilson

by Jerome Wilson
October 12, 2023

Bassist Todd Sickafoose released only one album as a leader prior to this one, Tiny Resistors, (Cryptogramophone, 2008). However, he has kept busy in the music world since then. He has extensively worked as a sideman and producer, including collaborating with singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco, and he has orchestrated the Broadway musical, “Hadestown," winning a Tony award in the process. Now he is back with an album that reaffirms him as one of those musicians who are ostensibly based in jazz ...

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Album Review

Todd Sickafoose: Tiny Resistors

Read "Tiny Resistors" reviewed by Sean Patrick Fitzell

by Sean Patrick Fitzell
June 12, 2008

With lush orchestrations of finely honed compositions, bassist Todd Sickafoose's Tiny Resistors reveals a broad musical vision. A stalwart of the new music scene, playing improv and indie-rock projects and blurring those distinctions, Sickafoose's third CD highlights his maturation as a composer and talents as a multi-instrumentalist, with pieces incorporating a swath of stylistic influences--rock, Americana, jazz, blues and touches of modern classical. Sickafoose works a sweeping aural range, with instrumentation that includes two guitars, drums and ...

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Album Review

Todd Sickafoose: Tiny Resistors

Read "Tiny Resistors" reviewed by John Kelman

by John Kelman
June 3, 2008

An active sideman, bassist Todd Sickafoose is best-known for his work with DIY singer/songwriter Ani DiFranco. But he's also been very busy on the outer edges of jazz, working with artists including John Zorn on Voices in the Wilderness (Tzadik, 2003), Tin Hat Trio on The Rodeo Eroded (Ropeadope, 2002), and Scott Amendola Band on the drummer's very fine Cry (Cryptogramophone, 2003). It may be Amendola's disc that hooked Sickafoose up with Cryptogramophone for Tiny Resistors, his third record as ...

170

Album Review

Norah Jones: Come Away With Me

Read "Come Away With Me" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
January 7, 2003

Few artists have generated as much press in recent memory as Ms. Norah Jones. No fewer than five thoughtful reviews have been published in this magazine alone . A unifying theme found in all criticism is the question of whether the music Jones plays is jazz. This might be similar to the question of whether the music Josh Groban or Andrea Bocchelli is classical.

In keeping with the ecumenical spirit of this magazine, I submit that it makes little, or ...

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Album Review

Norah Jones: Come Away With Me

Read "Come Away With Me" reviewed by Roger Crane

by Roger Crane
June 11, 2002

Okay--first things first. Yes, in my opinion, the strikingly beautiful, vaguely exotic Norah Jones is worthy of the buzz and publicity that she is receiving. But is she a jazz singer? Probably not but I don't know why anyone should care. Her singing is certainly jazz influenced. Jones does not use her lovely voice as a horn at the expense of lyrics. Jones is a natural storyteller and the stories that she chose to tell on her impressive debut, Come ...