Pete Levin(I)
- Music Department
- Actor
- Composer
Since the 70s, keyboardist/composer Pete Levin has been part of New York's jazz, pop, and electronic music scene. In 1974 he got a call to play French Horn with legendary jazz arranger Gil Evans, and Gil made him a regular in the band. A year later Pete brought a Moog synthesizer to an Evans gig. Gil loved it and Pete's role was permanently changed, beginning the transformation of the band into the electronic/acoustic hybrid sound that won 2 Grammy awards. Among the first to explore synthesizers during the 70s, Pete became a sought-after sideman for studio and live gigs. As a writer and musician he worked on film scores, jazz and pop records, and hundreds of TV and radio commercials.
Over the years, interspersed with Gil Evans, Paul Simon, Annie Lennox and Jimmy Giuffre tours, Pete has done arranging and electronic music for feature films including "Missing In Action," "Levin On Me." "Silver Bullet," "The Color Of Money" and "Star Trek." He composed the orchestral score for the independent film, "Zelimo," wrote an original music score for a stage production of "The Dybbuk." created the electronic music score for Linda Rodgers' award-winning "Surgical Audiotape" series, did the official band/chorus arrangement of the U.S. Infantry song and composed the anthem for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit, performing it live for the U.N. General Assembly. But his favorite collaboration was with his brother, bassist Tony Levin and drummer Steve Gadd for "The Clams", a Spike Jones tribute band that produced a top-40 hit single "Close To You", now a cult classic. In 1989 Pete finally released his first solo jazz album, "Party In The Basement", for Gramavision. This was followed by "Solitary Man", two unique jazz Christmas CDs done as a duo with drummer Danny Gottlieb, and through the 90s, a series of electronic music albums for Alternate Mode Records. In 2006, Pete revisited his first love, the Hammond Organ, releasing 5 albums in expanded organ trio format, culminating with "Jump!" in 2011. Pete resides in Woodstock, New York. He tours as an organ trio with guitarist Dave Stryker and drummer Lenny White.
Between 1964 and 2016 Pete has recorded and/or performed live with artists & groups, including ... Jennifer Aylmer, Aztec Two Step, Joe Beck, Jeff Berlin, Marc Black, Terrance Blanchard, Carla Bley, Blood Sweat & Tears, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Brubeck Brothers Quartet, Hiram Bullock, Butterfield Blues Band, Donald Byrd, Don Byron, Rondi Charleston, Jay Chattaway, Tommy Chong, The Clams, John Clark, Judy Collins, Willie Colon, Commander Cody, David Darling, Kal David, Miles Davis, Angela Deniro, Robbie Dupree, Don Elliott, Gil Evans, Rachelle Farelle, Bryan Ferry, Letizia Gambi, Jimmy Giuffre, Leila Gobi, Danny Gottlieb, Government Mule, Gregory Hines, Freddie Hubbard, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Band, Mamadou Kelly, Annie Lennox, Tony Levin, Levin Brothers, Mike Mainieri, Melissa Manchester, Chuck Mangione, Lou Marini, Liza Minnelli, Charles Mingus, Monday Night Band, Gerry Mulligan, Olivia Newton-John, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Ola Onabule, Jaco Pastorius, Simon Phillips, Lorenza Ponce, Genya Ravan, Nicki Richards, Robbie Robertson, Ali Ryerson, David Sanborn, Wayne Shorter, Carly Simon, Paul Simon, Vaneese Thomas, Artie Traum, Happy Traum, Jimmy Vivino, Joe Louis Walker, Lenny White, Vanessa Williams
Over the years, interspersed with Gil Evans, Paul Simon, Annie Lennox and Jimmy Giuffre tours, Pete has done arranging and electronic music for feature films including "Missing In Action," "Levin On Me." "Silver Bullet," "The Color Of Money" and "Star Trek." He composed the orchestral score for the independent film, "Zelimo," wrote an original music score for a stage production of "The Dybbuk." created the electronic music score for Linda Rodgers' award-winning "Surgical Audiotape" series, did the official band/chorus arrangement of the U.S. Infantry song and composed the anthem for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit, performing it live for the U.N. General Assembly. But his favorite collaboration was with his brother, bassist Tony Levin and drummer Steve Gadd for "The Clams", a Spike Jones tribute band that produced a top-40 hit single "Close To You", now a cult classic. In 1989 Pete finally released his first solo jazz album, "Party In The Basement", for Gramavision. This was followed by "Solitary Man", two unique jazz Christmas CDs done as a duo with drummer Danny Gottlieb, and through the 90s, a series of electronic music albums for Alternate Mode Records. In 2006, Pete revisited his first love, the Hammond Organ, releasing 5 albums in expanded organ trio format, culminating with "Jump!" in 2011. Pete resides in Woodstock, New York. He tours as an organ trio with guitarist Dave Stryker and drummer Lenny White.
Between 1964 and 2016 Pete has recorded and/or performed live with artists & groups, including ... Jennifer Aylmer, Aztec Two Step, Joe Beck, Jeff Berlin, Marc Black, Terrance Blanchard, Carla Bley, Blood Sweat & Tears, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Brubeck Brothers Quartet, Hiram Bullock, Butterfield Blues Band, Donald Byrd, Don Byron, Rondi Charleston, Jay Chattaway, Tommy Chong, The Clams, John Clark, Judy Collins, Willie Colon, Commander Cody, David Darling, Kal David, Miles Davis, Angela Deniro, Robbie Dupree, Don Elliott, Gil Evans, Rachelle Farelle, Bryan Ferry, Letizia Gambi, Jimmy Giuffre, Leila Gobi, Danny Gottlieb, Government Mule, Gregory Hines, Freddie Hubbard, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Band, Mamadou Kelly, Annie Lennox, Tony Levin, Levin Brothers, Mike Mainieri, Melissa Manchester, Chuck Mangione, Lou Marini, Liza Minnelli, Charles Mingus, Monday Night Band, Gerry Mulligan, Olivia Newton-John, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Ola Onabule, Jaco Pastorius, Simon Phillips, Lorenza Ponce, Genya Ravan, Nicki Richards, Robbie Robertson, Ali Ryerson, David Sanborn, Wayne Shorter, Carly Simon, Paul Simon, Vaneese Thomas, Artie Traum, Happy Traum, Jimmy Vivino, Joe Louis Walker, Lenny White, Vanessa Williams