Legendary bassist Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, etc) talks about his new solo album ‘Bringin It Down To The Bass’, the upcoming BEAT Tour with Adrian Belew, Steve Vai, and Danny Carey (performing 80s era King Crimson), and more.
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Tony Levin and Flatiron Recordings have announced a September 13 global release date for a new studio album titled Bringing It Down to the Bass. Bringing It Down to the Bass has no shortage of wit and whimsy, and songs of power and profundity. Most are instrumental tracks, while a few feature vocals and spoken word. The sonic stew includes Prog, Jazz, Thrash, Classical, a whiff of barbershop quartet, and you won’t be sure what’s around the corner. And while it’s called Bringing It Down to the Bass – and that’s no lie – it’s not all about that bass. Levin’s seventh solo album, and his first since 2007, is an autobiography of sorts, with the themes drawn from Levin’s musical life. It features a myriad of collaborators from his half-century-plus on the road and in the studio with Peter Gabriel, King Crimson and many, many others.
https://tonylevin-flatiron.bandcamp.com/album/bringing-it-down-to-the-bass.
Over the course of Tony Levin’s career, he has collaborated with many of The World’s best drummers. With “On the Drums,” he acknowledges their footprint on his own career with an a capella male chorus. It starts with Jerry Marotta (repeated several times), and goes on to name check Ringo Starr, Carmine Appice, Nick Mason, Phil Collins, Steve Gadd (also repeated several times), Andy Newmark, Lenny White, four more Steves – Smith, Jordan, Ferrone and Martell – Bill Bruford (repeated several time), Billy Cobham, Mike Portnoy, Russ Kunkel, Manu Katche, Kenny Aronoff, Stewart Copeland, Rich Sullivan, Richie Heywood, ending appropriately (bookending, really) with Jerry Marotta’s brother, Rick Marotta. Listen for the nod to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” when Terry Bozzio pops up. Levin remembers, “During the lockdown year, there were pieces of paper all over my large studio. Little scraps of musical ideas of two drummers names who rhymed or who could fit somehow in the same kind of music, dozens of pieces of paper. Tying it together, that took a long time. And it was an act of love and respect. The only words aside from the drummers’ names are the last three words ‘on the drums.’”
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