Tony Levin
Interview for TalkBass.com by Max Valentino
Tony Levin is known as "a bass player's bass player". He has been credited as "simply the best bass player on the planet" by none other than his frequent employer Peter Gabriel. Inventive, innovative, sublimely masterful, and instantly recognizable as one of the great voices on the instrument, Levin has been a source of inspiration for many over the years.
A veteran of the '70s studio scene, Tony has album credits in the thousands; so many, in fact he doesn't even know. But here is just a sample of the names he has worked with: Buddy Rich, Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, Nanci Griffith, Anderson, Wakeman, Bruford and Howe, Yes, John Lennon, Laurie Anderson, Joan Armatrading, Natalie Cole, Cher, Tracy Chapman, Judy Collins, Alice Cooper, Al DiMeola, Dire Straits, Fareed Haque, Indigo Girls, Ivan Lins, Kenny Loggins, Herbie Mann, Stevie Nicks, Laura Nyro, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed, Robbie Robertson, Andy Summers, David Torn….. [complete discography on tonylevin.com]
A graduate of the esteemed Eastman School Of Music in New York State, Tony Levin is renown for his consummate bass work and his superb use of the Chapman Stick, the 10 or 12 string "touch-style" instrument he helped popularize, and some of the innovative techniques such as "Funk Fingers", the drumstick-like finger attachments he uses to play the bass.
He is regular member of Peter Gabriel's touring and studio bands, as well as a member of King Crimson. He also runs his own label, PapaBear Records (www.papabear.com) from which he has released 5 solo/collaborations including the acclaimed "World Diary" and "From The Caves Of The Iron Mountain" (a live trio recording featuring Levin, percussionist Jerry Marrotta, and Bansuri flautist Steve Gorn, recorded in the Widow Jane Mine in the Catskill Mountains of NY). He is also the author of "Beyond The Bass Clef", a collection of memoirs, anecdotes, stories and advice. Tony Levin's latest releases are "Waters Of Eden" on the Narada Label, and the" California Guitar Trio with Guests Tony Levin and Pat Mastellotto: LIVE at The Key Club" on his own PapaBear Records Label.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Tony about bass, and what new turns we can expect in his prolific career.
What drives you, as a musician, to seek out new approaches?
I've been lucky, though the years, to be involved with some very creative musicians. Had I not, I'd have been dedicating myself to other aspects of playing - but when you're playing bass in King Crimson, or with Peter Gabriel, the setting is there to try your best to come up with new sounds, new techniques. It'd be the same for any player in those kinds of music situations. Also, there's an inspiring effect of making music with Robert Fripp, or Peter. You see how they don't do things like most musicians, and you get inspired to break out on your own from the way you've been doing things and hearing others do them on your instrument. As a member of Crimson for all these years, I've become aware that both the glory and the difficulty of the band is that it's self-driven to do things in new ways, both individually and as a group. That makes for new music each project, and lots of inspiration, but it also makes things pretty stressful when you're each searching for new voices and techniques. (I recall some rehearsals in Nashville in the '90s, when the drummers were experimenting with counter rhythms off each other; Trey Gunn and I were playing quartertone scales and chords between our two touch style instruments, Robert was bringing in new unusual material, and Adrian was just trying to survive the cacophony.
You have quite a resume. Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, John Lennon, Paul Simon, Nanci Griffith, to name but a few. Lately you have been showing up in some unexpected places: notably Liquid Tension Experiment, Kevin Max, Kevin Parent, and, of course, the California Guitar Trio. Could you tell us a bit about these projects and what types of challenges you find in such disparate sessions?
I have always played a wide variety of music, though some people who recognize my name might just know me from one type of music. There are challenges inherent in any kind of recording (at least for me -I like to challenge myself.) The situation is different in each project, so there are no consistent rules - except that I always strive for the same thing: to enhance, with my playing, the musicality of the overall project. You mention Paul Simon - on his songs I was, like any listener, engrossed with the lyrics - their meaning and their mood. Many times the best thing for the bass seemed to me to be to stay out of the way of the lyrics, enhance the rhythm feel without getting busy, and ... just enjoy the song! Sometimes there would be an exception - "Late in the Evening" for example, where the rhythm section took a busier approach and Paul sang around that. Another song, "50 Ways to Leave your Lover" had Steve Gadd playing a very distinctive busy part - and doing a sliding but sparse bass line seemed best. With L.T.E. the situation could not have been more different. Actually I spent most of those sessions just trying to keep up with the blazing technique of the other guys in the band. It was all through-composed music, so there wasn't any looking for grooves - just trying to learn and play the part. (Believe me, that kept me plenty challenged!) I could go equally into each of the records you mentioned - for that matter, into any of the recordings I've done. All different situations, but I always do focus on the overall music and what will enhance it best. Sometimes that allows taking the lead (as in the bass line of Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" or John Lennon's "Just Like Starting Over" sometimes it seems better to let the focus be elsewhere.
 |
| Levin & Hideyo Moriya of the CGT |
How do approach your role in different types of music?
I guess I just answered that. I'd only add that I try to keep an open mind to the new kinds of music that are always appearing, and to possible new roles that I may not have considered.
In addition to your stellar sideman status, you have become a solo artist. How have things in your career changed in the past few years?
Well, it's really a different career. I enjoy both being a sideman and being a solo artist a lot. Actually, I'd add another type of situation: lately it's common for some progressive rock players to get together and make some collaborative albums, not as a full-fledged group (which, in my opinion, means placing all other music work behind the needs of the group) but with a continuing relationship. Some I've done are (2)Bozzio Levin Stevens, (2) Liquid Tension, Bruford Levin Upper Extremities (studio and live releases), and my own PapaBear Records releases of "World Diary" and "From the Caves of the Iron Mountain".
Last year, you released your "major label" debut, "Waters Of Eden" on Narada. This was a bit of a departure for you in which you played the majority of lead melodies exclusively on fretless. While you are renown as a support player, your melodic sense is beautiful and evocative. How has the public reaction to "Eden" and the resulting tour been?
First of all, what I see as the musical identity of Waters of Eden is this: I wanted to feature the fretless bass on my songs, but not have the record "about" the bass. Hence, the lead lines are always shared between the bass and other instruments - making the fretless just one of the voices on the record. I'm happy with the way it came out, and the reaction has been very good to the record and subsequent tour (amazingly, more females in the audiences - responding, I think, to the [reduction] of the "masculine side" prog-like music I've done a lot of in the past.
I had a great deal of fun touring with my "own band" (JerryMarotta/drums and Larry Fast/synth were my band mates in the Peter Gabriel Band. Jesse Gress/guitar is a great player from my home area of Woodstock). Some of the fun we had playing live was doing some music other than mine, which we'd been involved with ("Elephant Talk" and "Sleepless" from Crimson, "Back in NY City" from Genesis, a Zeppelin, Hendrix... Larry Fast did one of his "Synergy" pieces, and a Gabriel piece.) Anyway, touring was so much fun that for my next album (we finished tracking this month) I'm using exclusively the touring band. I've got Peter Gabriel's permission to do a piece of his that we recorded long ago and wasn't released. Also we've done a re-make of one of Larry Fast's Synergy compositions. The new release will be somewhat harder-edge musically than "Waters of Eden" - kind of a cross between the earthy melodic nature of that, and my prog roots.
You also, on "Waters Of Eden", made your cello debut. Can we maybe look forward to your interpretations of the Bach Cello Suites sometime soon?
Hah. Actually I'd been playing the (electric) cello on tour with Seal, so my chops were reasonable for me, but I'll never be soloing on cello - I'm still very much a bass player.
On your website you run several, continually updated photo pages. You seem to have a fascination with audience shots.
I've been shooting photos in concerts for a long time. In the '80's I released a book "Road Photos" of those shots, including many of the audience. (that book is out of print.) I'm planning a new book of photos from my 19 years in King Crimson - sometime next year. But, of course, the web is the quickest easiest medium for letting the public see your shots (especially nice when the shots are of them!)
 |
| WOMAD Festival, July 2001 |
