Dan Levinson's Apex Project
at the Hot Steamed Jazz Festival 2011
Pete Martinez, Dan Levinson, Molly Ryan, Cassidy
Holden, Jan Frankel (not shown, Kevin Dorn drums) |
| Dan Levinson
and his protégé Pete Martinez organized this six-piece ensemble
in 2001 to celebrate the music of Jimmie Noone, probably
the premier clarinetist of the 20's. His smoother, more romantic
tone style was a major influence on the Swing music of the Thirties
and Forties. Noone's Apex Club Orchestra played at the
Club in Chicago. The front line consisted solely of
two reeds - there was no trumpet, no trombone. The musicians
played from midnight to 6AM, and all the great musicians of that
time came to hear them after their gigs.
This Apex Project has Dan Levinson-clarinet/alto sax, Pete Martinez
clarinet/alto sax, Jan Frankel piano, Molly Ryan guitar/vocals,
Cassidy Holden bass, Kevin Dorm drums.
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When Pete was a student of 19, he
recreated Jimmie Noone for his senior project. and called
it the Apex Project. He went looking for a teacher
who was interested in Traditional Jazz, and met Dan Levinson.
Dan is always interested a new generation of jazz musicians!
They hadn't played together in the last
for 5-6 years because Pete spent a couple of years in Iraq
and then became a Customs Officer at JFK.
This was their 10-year-reunion.
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Jan Frenkel,
grandson of the prominent Ukrainian violinist and composer,
was on piano.
Jan
is a renowned Connecticut pianist, well versed in the players
of the 20's and 30's.
At 6' 9",
he barely fits his knees under the piano.
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He is from nearby Old Saybrook, and has played with Dan
Levinson bands at the Hot Steamed Jazz Festival in the past.
This was a first for Cassidy Holden. Dan says "He's the favorite
left-hand-man of people all over the world."
That's how this Apex Project began. They started
with I Know That You Know, the alto sax carrying the melody
while the clarinet flitted around him like a mosquito.
Harry Warren/Sam Lewis's Crying for the Carolines, Pete taking
the lead on clarinet and Dan comping on alto sax. Beautiful!
Dan on vocal.
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Molly Ryan was featured on Hoagie Carmichael's Georgia On
My Mind.
Molly has a sweet, pure voice, with just the right amount of
embellishment. |
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Dan leading on low register clarinet, Pete on alto sax for
Every Evening.
Waiting For The River.
(I was sitting next to reedman Paul Boehmke, his eyes were fixed
on Dan
Levinson.)
Molly again on an upbeat Between The Devil And The Deep Blue
Sea, with Frankel slipping in some fine stride piano and
Cassidy bowing on the string bass. On Jelly Roll Morton's
Shreveport Stomp he was really slapping that bass! With both
Dan and Pete on clarinet, it was great Noone sound.
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Our favorite drummer in the whole world
is Kevin Dorn. Proper drumming is essential in Traditional
Jazz - he is our hope for the future.
He plays all over New York, and brought
his fabulous Traditional Jazz Collective here to the Hot
Steamed Jazz Festival a couple of years ago. We old
folks were astounded at the great Trad coming from this
young band!
For unexplained reasons, it has been renamed
the Big 72, but we won't get into that.
www.kevindorn.com
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Surprise feature for Pete was the beautiful ballad, Nearness
Of You. He played fast runs up and down that clarinet,
never losing the melody, ending in a fine trill.
They closed with a short, quick vocal by Molly on Hooray For
Love.
Jimmy Noone and his Apex Club Orchestra would have been proud
of this! We hope this smooth, romantic style is a major influence
on the Swing music of the 21st Century.
www.danlevinson.com
danlevinson@aol.com
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Hot Steamed
2011
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| By Marce, Updated
August 15, 2011 |
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