By Matt Robinson
Contributing Writer
BOSTON – Growing up in Boston, Tony Levin was surrounded by music, but it was not the type you might expect from the Grammy-nominated bassist who has played with such progressive powerhouses as Peter Gabriel and King Crimson.
“My older brother Pete and I were raised with a strong interest in classical music,” he recalled, noting that they were both raised on piano lessons. “Pete went on to French horn, me to bass.”
Photo/Juergen Spachman
Drawn to bass
When asked why he was drawn to the lower end of the scale, Levin remarked, “I don’t know – I just like it!”
Though he may be best known for working in the realms of jazz, rock, and fusion, Levin maintained his classical chops throughout his academic career. In fact, as a member of the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, Levin played his first “touring gigs” in no less legendary places than Carnegie Hall and the White House.
“I was on the road,” he reminisced in an interview with the musically-minded YouTube host Rick Beato, “and I loved it!”
Levin particularly remembered how President Kennedy pledged his support to Levin and the other young musicians at the White House engagement.
“He saw how important it was that the government…support musical education for children,” Levin maintained. “I surely benefitted from it!”
Encouragement at school
He also recalled the “encouragement” he received as a musician in the Boston public school system, where he participated in the marching band, symphony, and chorus, among other performance programs.
“There was not much rock going on there when I grew up,” Levin observed when asked about the Boston music scene he knew as a younger player, “but a lot of classical to be heard, and I think jazz clubs too.”
At a recent performance at The Center for the Arts in Natick (TCAN), Levin took the stage with his long-standing trio Stickmen wearing a shirt from Scullers Jazz Club, where he will perform with his brother on May 30.
Quality is the common factor
As he is involved with so many artists and ensembles and also with so many genres and styles, it might be difficult to find a throughline to Levin’s playing. But whether he is playing bass with Peter Gabriel, forming a rhythm section with percussion powerhouses like Steve Gadd, or popping in and out of King Crimson to beef up their famed “double duets,” Levin maintains that the common core is quality.
“We just try to make good music,” he said. “There are no thoughts on what’s making it work or not work. Usually, it does!”
When asked how he chooses partners for his various projects, Levin leans towards “players who’d be happy making the kind of music that band was setting out to do.”
On his latest solo album, “Bringing it Down to the Bass,” Levin called on a wide range of musical friends, including King Crimson’s Robert Fripp, Stickmen partner Markus Reuter, French drummer Manu Katché, and his brother Pete.
“I gave myself the treat of using a lot of different players,” he reasons. “Each piece I wrote, my first thought was [who] will surprise me with what he plays on this one?”
Unique instrument
While most may have seen him on the traditional bass (either upright or electric), Levin has made his mark (and named one of his bands after) with the Chapman Stick, an instrument that has 10 or 12 strings and a fretboard that is played with both hands simultaneously.
“I’d done an album named “Stick Man”…with the Chapman Stick,” Levin explained when asked how the group came together.
When asked what appealed to him about the more avant-garde instrument, he says that, “because it’s got bass and guitar strings, you can do a lot!”
In an effort to do even more with his beloved bass, Levin also invented Funk Fingers, which are drumsticks chopped off and attached to the fingers to get “a very percussive bass approach.”
Other creative pursuits
As if his musical talents were not diverse enough, Levin is also a writer and photographer.
“I just try to be creative and please myself with what I can come up with,” he reflected, mentioning a new photography book that is due in June and a memoir that is in the works as well, “be it musically, or photos, or writing.”
With all this creative ability, it is no wonder that every Levin performance is a unique experience.
“We improvise a lot within the show,” he observed, “so each night is quite different.”
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