goodsound.com

March 1, 2007

Pete Levin: Deacon Blues

Motema Music 0008

Format: CD

By Shannon Holliday

Musical Performance ****

Sound Quality ****

Overall Enjoyment ****

Keyboardist Pete Levin breaks new ground in this release, highlighting his skills on Hammond B-3 organ. He is abetted by a talented selection of musicians that includes guitarists Joe Beck and Mike DeMicco; Levin’s bassist brother, Tony; percussionists Carlos Valdez and Ken Lovelett; and drummer Danny Gottlieb, original drummer for the Pat Metheny Group. The contemporary jazz produced by this group is exploratory and improvisational. The title track, made famous by Steely Dan, is lushly interpreted in a shuffle-swing style, and provides an ideal vehicle for Levin’s organ right from the start. DeMicco’s "Eclipse" is a soulful seven-minute journey made more exotic by a wash of chimes captured with precise clarity. Perhaps most impressive is a cover of Jimmy Giuffre’s "Dragonfly" -- a challenging, driving force of a song propelled by Levin’s double-time tempo on B-3. Deacon Blues is one album to turn up loud and listen to in awe -- at a group of jazz masters having fun.