Jazz Articles

Alex Levin: A Reason for Being Alone

by Donald Elfman
March 15, 2007

Pianist/composer Alex Levin has penned a fine set of tunes for his sterling players--bassist Diallo House and drummer Taylor Davis; and the complementary playing (on selected tunes) of guests Max Hacker and Stacy Dillard on tenor saxophones, Chad Coe on guitar and William Martina on cello--to bring to fruition. This music is very much in the straight-ahead tradition but Levin understands how to put his own signature on what sounds like familiar material. Cellist Martina, for example, states the theme ...

The Alex Levin Trio: A Reason for Being Alone

by Dan McClenaghan
December 14, 2006

The title of this disc might suggest an inward-looking or melancholic listening experience; but the Alex Levin Trio, plus a couple of tenor saxophonists sitting in--Max Hacker and Stacy Dillard--blows the roof off on the opener, “Blues on Thursday." It's a bright, gregarious, Art Blakey-esque sound, the horns sparring like a couple of free-swinging welterweights, snapping off jabs and flurries in front of a zingy rhythm. Put another quarter in the jukebox!This is a “with guests" disc--the trio ...

The Alex Levin Trio: A Reason For Being Alone

by Victor Verney
December 13, 2006

Pianist Alex Levin, a Philadelphia native, has demonstrated a two-track mindset scholastically, geographically, professionally and artistically. After moving to New York City to study piano at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, Levin transferred to Brown University, where he earned a degree in English literature. He then moved to Berlin, where his quartet The Living Room achieved popular and critical success, gaining notoriety for unique interpretations of pop songs by the likes of Björk and Tom Waits.

After ...