97

13.05. 2006  Munich  Backstage Werk
The Tony Levin Band



Jes... it's true. But some people just get it put in their cradle, when they arrive on earth. Or they get born with a golden spoon in their mouths, - as we say so (in german) This delicious gourmet dish we get served tonight is so nice and neat, so absolutley 100% perfect, that I do ask myself, if their actually is any increase you can get. I doubt it.

The shadow over all is the fact, that the names Tony Levin, Pete Levin, Jerry Marotta, Jesse Gress and Larry Fast are still only known by insidern, real fans or musicians. But the average musiclover still don't really know, who they are. The generell excuse says, that they are musicians for musicians. But I don't agree with that.
Okidok, Tony is also the bassist of Peter Gabriel and King Crimson (PS.: are Crimson actually still going? - Nobody really knows) Yep of course we all have been to a Gabriel concert in the past. And we all remember the tall boldhead bassist, who is drawing the most attention on stage besides Peter. Tony has also released quite a few solorecords, he contributed to many other artists and he has written books, besides beeing a passionate photographer. And apart from that he is constantly updating his tour diary. Without doubt, Tony belongs to the best bassists on this globe according to the music biz. And yep this is true. Halleluja, you honestly forget to breath.

Until now, we only could watch him playing live with the just mentioned before - Gabriel and Crimson. But now for the first time we got him over here with his very own band for the first time in Germany, also presenting us a new album entitled 'Resonator'. And it truly happened. In a way he has said good bye  to this too serious kind of musical presentation and performance. Yeah, of course, the music is still complex. But it sounds so much, how shall I say, - happier in a way. Youth has come back and make him and the band seem at least 10 years younger then they are.
Tony is accompanied by his brother Pete, who has played with jazz legend Gil Evans and Annie Lennox, always handling the keyboards. Jerry Marotta, a drummer legend, who was with Peter Gabriel as well, but also with artists like Paul McCartney, Hall&Oates and Stevie Nicks, just to name a few.  Jesse Gress, a great guitarist from the Todd Rundgren band, who has written many books so far. And last but not least Larry Fast, who also belonged to the Gabriel family, but also was involved with Nectar and is the mentor of the Synergy project. So when you count one and three together, put them in one pot, then the mixture of such a lot talent and knowledge must bring out something good - something very good indeed.
But unfortunately until this very day, not many musiclovers have discovered this lot. Again as we say so - what the farmer doesn't know, he doesn't eat. The magic word is promotion, or better - a lack of promotion. So the result is aprox. 400 souls at each gig on the german leg. In munich it's even less. But that's munich, a hard place to play gigs anyway.
It's showtime boys. And the march of the toreros is started by the supportact 'Tom & Jerry'

Who the hell is this, you might have thought straight away. And the answer comes straight away. Tom Griesgraber is one part of the duo, one of those very few selected musicians, who can play the chapman stick. And he handles this instrument perfectly. And there is Jerry, the other part. Just to get it straight, there is only one Jerry on this trek, and this is Jerry Marotta. He literatually doing a double job. By the way, these two got a CD out named 'Waking The Day'. Really well done boys, and Jerry proves in the end, he would make a brilliant salesman for CDs.
                                                                  
And here they are. Four world class musicians, who work so well and full of harmony together, that it is a pleasure to listen and watch them play. I'm not a musician myself, so I can't explain you the sound structures in details. But what I hear as an average normal musiclover, is damn good. Tony let's the dolls... sorry, the fiddle bow dance across the bass. He plays the 4 strings with his tabsticks and he handles the Chapman Stick with such a lightness, that you almost forget, how difficult this instrument is to play. Larry forgets himself on the synthisizer leading into an amusing version of Katchaturians  Sabre Dance. And soon after Led Zeppelins 'Black Dog' get fresh underwear.

Nop, here we don't have picky perfection freaks working, playing 20 minutes solos  with  dead serious faces. Her we rather got four still youthful chaps, who got one thing in common most of all. And that's the pleasure to do what they are doing and the fun to play their own kind of individual performance with lots of space for details, but still going for a certain strategy. King Crimson was yesterday. This is today, - brilliant, great but with this  take it easy attitude.

Yes, you may laugh and have fun, including Jerry's humorous dialogs inbetween, like his comment on watching a couple kissin' during the whole length of a piece of music. It must have impressed him, that's for sure. And once again, thanx god for what it is. Because we here in the audiance don't stand around with crossed arms and serious faces knowing everything better than everybody else and not moving an inch. No we go for it, show reaction, we simply enjoy the show. And I'm not sure anymore, whether there are more musicians or fans in the audiance. Anyway, I assume, the band does like this aura, and they say thank you with a 2 hours show. The Resonator definately found resonance, to reflect the echo. Got me?!
Last but not least, I wanna say that it's a shame, that not all events provoke such a satisfaction like this one here.  We're wishless happy, - yeah including a 4 minutes kiss, -  so what Jerry?!!
 

  for Aftershow Pics go to  Diary    

  & go 
here  for some more Live Pics      





  Promo-Videoclip  - (linked from YouTube)