7/20/16 I've been doing a jazz duo with bassist John Menegon (Dewey Redman, David “Fathead” Newman, Jack DeJohnette, Sheila Jordan) at an upscale Italian restaurant, Annarella Ristoranti, practically in my back yard.  Nice relaxed atmosphere and excellent food.  It seems to be turning into a weekly thing.  Not sure how long I can stay with it, but I'm lovin' it for now!

7/16/16  Back at Brian's Backyard BBQ with one of my favorite jam bands - Rob Paparozzi and the Blues Farm All-Stars.  Rob, John Tropea and I were joined by a couple of special guests; drummer Vito Luizzi, a veteran of Johnny Winter's band, and the amazing Vaneese Thomas, who brought the house down.

Pete, Rob Paparozzi, Vito Luizzi, Vaneese Thomas, John Tropea

Photo: Roseann Sureda

6/8-9/16 Spent a couple of days at Scott Petito's NRS Studio doing tracks for vocalist Roseann Sureda's upcoming CD release.  Roseann is hustling to get these last 5 tunes done in time for her CD Release Show at the Metropolitan Room in New York City next month.

Scott Petito, Roseann, Jerry Marotta, Pete

Scott Petito

Jerry Marotta

Nanny Assis

Pete

Chris Pasin, Pete, Erik Lawrence

6/5/16  Rob Paparozzi and The Blues Farm, back for another Sunday brunch in Marlboro, NY @ The Falcon.  A gloomy rainy day produced a near capacity crowd that inspired us to kick it up several notches.  Some renditions of Blues Brothers standards had folks dancing in the aisles.  Nice way to spend Sunday.  Rob on vocals and harmonica, the amazing John Tropea on guitar, and Jerry Marotta on drums.

5/29/16  Joe Beesmer, who leads the Woodstock-based band "Uncle Funk" has been having some medical issues and was short on funds.  So of course, a musical extravaganza was in order.  A great crowd came out for the 10-band lineup at Keegan Ales, our favorite are watering hole.  Bassist Scott Petito assembled a terrific group to headline the evening, then named it "The Inmates" and Photoshopped the band PR photo below.  (The band is better than the photo!)  Vocalists Leslie Ritter and Amy Fradon, guitarist Mike DeMicco, drummer Eric Parker, Scott on bass and me on keyboard.  And of course, Joe "Uncle Funk" Beesmer sittin' in.

L to R: Pete, Leslie Ritter, Scott Petito, Amy Fradon,

Mike DeMicco, Eric Parker, our agent

5/20/16  Kingston, NY @ Alley Cat.  Celebrating her upcoming CD release, this was Roseann Sureda's first live outing with the backing trio from the album - bassist Scott Petito and drummer Peter O'Brien.  This is a brand new, recently opened venue - nice, comfortable bar.  Wishing them well.  Photo by Jimbo Marzano

5/18/16  Jazz on the Hudson - and BBQ!  Good pickup jazz group fronted by the iconic Lillie Howard.  Me and a few of my favorite Hudson Valley cats - guitarist Mike Jackson, saxophonist Rich Maraday, and drummer Ernie Colon.  A couple of interesting points:  Back in the '60s, Lillie was part of the hit pop duo, "Billy and Lillie."  None of that on this gig though.  Ernie Colon - first time I've done a gig with him on drums.  Ernie is a killin' conga player, playing on my "Certified Organic" CD and in the live quartet.

4/24/16  Vocalist Roseann Sureda and a nice trio doing the jazz brunch at the New York Restaurant in Catskill, NY.  Rich Syracuse is on bass, Chris Pasin on trumpet.  Great restaurant with a really nice vibe to the room and this teriffic Sunday jazz series that they're doing.  Check it out.

4/17/16  Rob Paparozzi & The Blues Farm All-Stars - back for a jazz 'n blues brunch at our favorite venue, The Falcon in Marlboro, NY.  Rob, John Tropea, Lee Finkelstein and me on the house's Hammond B3.

3/27/16  Jazz brunch at New York Restaurant, a wonderful new Hudson Valley venue.  Great food, and they have a great jazz lineup every Sunday.  Today was a trio with virtuoso trumpet player and bassist John Menegon.  (Notice the absence of hair on the bandstand.  This should have been billed as the "Cleanhead Trio!")  Many people sat in with us.  Sometimes that can be a drag, but today it was great.  Great food, nice folks.  Doing this again twice next month.  Looking forward!

3/20/16 Played 3 concerts in Syracuse, NY produced by CNY Jazz, with Nigerian/British soul/jazz vocalist Ona Onabule.  Ola is an incredible composer and vocalist, and a dynamic performer.  Backed by an all-star NYC quartet doing mostly pieces from his latest album, it was a total pleasure.  I highly recommend that you check him out and hear this album.  Along with me, bassist Ivan Bodley, drummer Joe Goretti and guitarist Ron Jackson. 

3/2/16  Ranchero Cantina in Emerson, New Jersey:  Vocalist Nikki Armstrong assembled an all-star cast for a fundraiser for public radio station WFDU.  It was an amazing night of music, featuring Nikki, Rob Paparozzi, Bobby Harden, Don & Bill Harris, Jason Green, Terry Kearney, Frank Canino, John Tropea, Eric Udell, Lee Marvin and many others.  Photos below taken by Amy Kerwin. 

Pete, Don Harris, Bill Harris, Frank Canino, John Tropea

Channeling some Blues Brothers!
Don Harris, Bill Harris, Bobby Harden, Rob Paparozzi, John Tropea
Pete, Lee Finkelstein & Eric Udell hidden behind.

Pete, Mel Taylor, Nikki Armstrong, Lee Marvin

2/14/16  Rob Paparozzi & The Blues Farm All-Stars - back and groovin' at the Falcon in Marlboro, NY for a Valentine's Day brunch jam.  John Cariddi on guitar, Lee Finkelstein on drums, and me on Hammond organ.  Woodstock bassist Charlie Kniceley sat in on bass.  A nice crowd turned out, braving single digit temperatures to show some love.  Speaking of love ... I love it that I get to just walk in and play the house organ.  Love The Falcon!

2/9/16  I've been at Mark Dann's Woodstock studio for the last several days, recording piano and organ tracks for Kurt Henry's new album, along with drummer/producer Eric Parker and bassist/engineer Mark Dann.  Kurt's a wonderful singer/songwriter, and a fine guitarist.  It's going to be a really nice album.

Kurt Henry, Pete, Eric Parker

2/1/16  I've been working at Sonart Studio, mixing Native American vocalist Joan Henry's album, "Uprising." Meanwhile, I've been tracking keyboards at Mark Dann's Woodstock studio for Kurt Henry's (no relation to Joan) new album, being produced by Eric Parker.  Kurt's a terrific singer/songwriter.  Looking forward to hearing the end result.

Here are some pics from the Sonart sessions.  Watching Joan sing is almost as much fun as listening to her sing!

Pete, Sonart Studio's Ken Lovelett, Joan, producer Gus Mancini

Joan dances when she sings - sometimes gets a little off-mic.

1/1/16  Starting the new year off with a bang: I joined folk/rock singer Marc Black and his band for a free dance party/concert at Woodstock's Bearsville Theater.  Great turnout and a great night of music.  Toward the end, Marc was inviting dancers to come up on stage - a dangerous move, but fortunately it wasn't a heavy drinking crowd and all was well.  Woodstock knows how to party!  In the top photo, Don Davis, Pete, Marc, Amy Fradon, Eric Parker and Mike Esposito.  Warren Bernhardt, on the far right, unfortunately  got cut out of this shot, the only full band shot I could find from the evening.

12/27/15  Sunday brunch at The Falcon in Marlboro, NY with Rob Paparozzi & The Blues Farm.  Really eclectic, rather than blues - jazz, blues, R&B, whatever.  And with 3 of the quartet currently touring with the Blues Brother Band, you never know when we're going to launch into one of their signature tunes.  Rob on harmonica and vocals, John Tropea on guitar, Lee Finkelstein on drums, and me on Hammond Organ.  By the end of the gig, we had Evan Conway sitting in on bass, Steve Finkelstein on congas, and Mike Torsone and I sharing the Hammond.  Lots of fun!

12/11/15  Over 20 performers gathered at the Unitarian Church in Schenectady, NY for a tribute/memorial to jazz pianist Lee Shaw.  A near capacity crowd turned out to hear 4 hours of great music, film, images and stories.  A great evening.  I performed in the final group of the evening, a sextet built on Lee's rhythm section for over 20 years, bassist Righ Syracuse and drummer Jeff Siegel.  Completing the group, Chris Pasin on trumpet, Brian Patinaude on sax, and Matt Finck on guitar.

12/4/15  Bill Edwards & The Westchester All-Stars at the Paramount Theater in Peekskill, NY for the 4th annual concert to benefit Wounded Veterans organizations.  Bill puts in a tremendous effort to mount this show every year.  An amazing lineup of singers and musicians did a 3 hour show to a packed house.  Performers included Vaneese Thomas, Joni Blondell, MaryAnn Renza, Kathy Policastro, Chuck St. Troy, Angel Rissoff, Tom Dudley, Dianne Cricchio, Corrin Huddleston, Gene Cornish, Carmine Appice, Rob Wallis, Wayne Warnecke, Kristen Capolino, Scott Staten, Paul Opalach, an 8-piece horn section, and several more folks sittin in.  An amazing evening that kicked off with me on piano and a Color Guard accompanying the amazing Vaneese Thomas singing the National Anthem.  Wow!

11/28/15  Don Byron all-stars played to a packed house at Club Helsinki in Hudson, NY.  Totally eclectic band where things just happen unexpectedly.  We had a great time.  Dean Bowman (Screaming Headless Torsos) on vocals, Zach Alford (Davie Bowie) on drums, Scott Petito (The Fugs) on bass, Matt Finck on guitar and me on organ and piano.  Wish this band could play more often, but with Don teaching college in Colorado and Dean Bowman living in Denmark, it's hard to get us together.  Photos by Samantha Levin 

11/21/15  With Don Byron back in town for a couple of weeks, we put together a couple of impromptu gigs.  Loosely based on Don's Jr. Walker tribute album, we stretched out and did a lot of obscure R&B from Walker, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, etc.  Seems like I've been playing with a streak of "all-star" bands lately; this one included the amazing Dean Bowman, Zach Alford & Scott Petito.  Nice!

Pete, Dean Bowman, Don Byron, Zach Alford, Scott Petito, Matt Finck

11/4/15  Spending several days in New Jersey at Kaleidoscope Sound recording an album for Zhang Ling, a very talented vocalist and bassist from Beijing, best known for his association with Chinese rock star Cuijian.  Ling came to New York to do his solo album with American musicians, including John Tropea, Lenny White, Tony Jefferson and John Cariddi.  It's mostly Blues, and he's great at it.  (Although with Chinese lyrics, we're not sure what he's singing about, but it's probably Blues.)  Some of my photos from the sessions ...

The rhythm section, doing tracks on day 2:
Ling, Lenny White, Pete, John Tropea

Leonardo Pavkovik, John Tropea, Lenny White, Ling, Pete, Randy Crafton

11/01/15 A large local crowd came out to Keegan Ales in Kingston to hear dozens of musicians jamming in tribute to our saxophonist friend Peter Buettner, who is overwhelmed by medical bills.  I did a set with Erik Lawrence, Scott Petito and Jeff "Siege" Siegel, pictured below.  Somebody quipped that "Petito, Levin, Siegel & Lawrence" sounds like a law firm, which has opened the gates to numerous jokes - Passing the bar, etc.  (Feel free to go on Facebook and add your own.)  Later in the evening I sat in with Joe Beesmer, Vito Petrocitto and Eric Parker.  Rocked the joint!

Erik Lawrence, Scott Petito, Jeff Siegel, Pete  Photo: Rita Ryan

Photo: Lisa Saalfield

Photo: Lisa Saalfield

10/15/15  Bassist Jim Curtin and I backed vocalist Pamela Pentony as part of the jazz concert series at the Arts Upstairs gallery in Phoenicia, NY.  Karin Wolf created this wonderful series of intimate shows earlier this year.  It's a good vibe place to perform in, surrounded by modern art.  Karin also took these photos.

10/9/15  Nice, intimate jazz set with the Al Guart Trio at Kindred Spirits in Palenville, NY.  Jim Curtin on bass.  How often to I get to play a white grand piano?  Pretty classy!

10/2/15  Preceding the Woodstock Film Festival's screening of "Lee's 88 Keys" - a documentary by director Susan Robbins about the amazing and inspirational jazz pianist Lee Shaw - her trio was scheduled to perform in a small restaurant around the corner from the theater.  When it was apparent that Lee would be unable to make the gig, I was asked to step in, joining her longtime rhythm section, drummer  Jeff "Siege" Siegel and bassist Rich Syracuse.  I learned several of Lee's original pieces, and we performed them to a packed house, before bopping around the corner to the Orpheum Theater to catch the film.  What a great evening! 

Jeff, Rich, Pete   Photo: Lisa Saalfield

Photo: Roseann Sureda

9/11/15  I used to see guitarist Lou Volpe in New York studios all the time, but we hadn't played together in several years.  We had this mini reunion at Showmans Jazz Club, one of Harlem's premier old school jazz clubs and a cultural landmark since the '40s when it opened next to the Apollo Theater.  It hasn't changed a whole lot - old dusty wooden walls, long narrow room with a small stage at one end and a vintage bar running the whole length of the room.  The room has a great vibe.  And, a nice Hammond B-3 on stage, so ... no shlepping!

Motoki Mihara, Pete, John Cooksey, Lou Volpe

8/29/15  The annual Hudson Valley Jazz Festival finally expanded this year to include Kingston at ASK - the Arts Society of Kingston.  3 bands covered the evening, with me headlining.  Basically it was a trio with bassist Rich Syracuse and drummer (and honoray Levin Brother) Jeff "Siege" Siegel.  As a special guest, we were joined by trumpet player Chris Pasin.  Nice evening.  Good crowd.  Hope this is a sign that it will continue.  Sure is nice playing festivals in my own neighborhood!

Pete, Rich Syracuse, Jeff Siegel, Chris Pasin

8/6/15  Jazz clarinetist Don Byron put together an all-star group for a one-time show doing music from his CD "Do The Boomerang" - music of Motown legend Junior Walker.  The set featured the remarkable jazz/blues vocalist Dean Bowman (of "Screaming Headless Torsos")  along with guitarist Matt Finck, "Fugs" bassist Scott Petito, David Bowie drummer Zach Alford, and me on organ mostly.  We were somewhat under-rehearsed, but sometimes that makes for the best spontaneous performances - and this was that.  Wonderful night.  With Dean living in Denmark and Don in Denver, Colorado, it'll be tough getting this bunch together for an encore, but we're hoping to give it a try this winter.  Stay tuned ...

7/18/15 Rapidly becoming my favorite pickup jam band - "The Blues Farm" fronted by vocalist/harmonica master Rob Paparozzi (who also currently fronts the Original Blues Brothers Band).  Also on board, guitarist John Tropea and drummer Jerry Marotta.  (No bass - I'm  playing organ.)  The hit was at Brian's Backyard BBQ in Middletown, NY, a real old-fashioned road house that features both Hudson Valley groups and national touring bands.  In the photos, check out the walls; hundreds of musicians from all walks have autographed it.  Great venue.  (And the smoked prime rib is to die!)

Pete, Brian Remaley (the Brian of Brian's Backyard BBQ), John, Rob, Jerry
 

7/1/15 Another great Woodstock jazz Wednesday at Catskill Pizza.  Usually I'm a guest with Jeff Siegel's band here, but this time it was with trumpet player, Chris Pasin.  Lew Scott on bass and Peter O'Brien on drums.  Our friend Lisa Saalfield makes all of these Wednesday night gigs, and often is the only one to take photos.  This time, we got her to pose for one with the band.

6/28/15  Sunday jazz brunch at The Falcon, my favorite Hudson Valley music venue. (Not the least of reasons is that I just walk in and play their Hammond B-3.  No schlepping!)  Erik Lawrence put together this nice quartet with me, guitarist Matt Finck and drummer Tony Jefferson. Funny that Erik and I had just played here with The Levin Brothers Band 2 weeks ago.  Scroll down a bit and you'll see.  No suits this time!

6/22/15  I've been playing occasionally with singer/guitarist Beki Brindle and also playing on the album she's working on.  We just did a shoot for a music video for one of the songs from the album.  Actor Brad Dourif joined us onstage, portraying a faded rock star.  Lot's of fun - if you don't count playing the same song 60 times over a 5 hour span.  (I think I've got it memorized now.)

Beki, Pete & Brad Dourif
On the left, that's the Blues Magoos' Ralph Scala.

6/13/15  The Levin Brothers - Tony & Pete with Erik Lawrence and Jeff "Siege" Siegel - played to a capacity audience in Marlboro, NY at The Falcon, one of our favorite Hudson Valley venues.  With Tony's 2015 touring schedule with King Crimson, this is likely the last Hudson Valley show we'll be able to do this year.  We're working on our 2016 plans, including another swing through the Northeast U.S., Europe, Japan, and a new album.  We'll keep you posted.  Here's some shots from Saturday's show.

6/10/15  Catskill Mountain Pizza for a nice local jazz gig - piano trio with the Siegel/Syracuse duo.  Small room intimate, no cover charge.  Love playing with these guys, and it's a great chance for me to try out new ideas.  Trumpeter Chris Pasin sat in with us.

  6/8/15 Borden Auditorium @ Manhattan School of Music in New York City.  Dozens of musicians and performers joined together for this joyful celebration of Lew Soloff's life and career. A superlative trumpet player and my friend for decades, Lew passed away unexpectedly a few weeks ago.  The lineup of performers and the standing-room-only turnout underscored how much Lew was loved.  The large band was fundamentally the Gil Evans Orchestra, with many extra players rotating through the evening.  The show opened with Wynton Marsallis leading a Dixieland band through the hall in a real-deal New Orleans funeral scene.  (Two photos below) In the photo just below, the band is playing "Spinning Wheel" with Will Lee doing the vocal.  The 7 trumpet players on stage played Lew's iconic solo in unison.  Pretty crazy!

Gil Goldstein, Paul Shaffer, Danny Gottlieb, Lisa Maxwell, Alex Foster, "Blue Lou" Marini, Chris Potter, Dave Taylor, Conrad Herwig, Dave Bargeron, Tom "Bones" Malone, John Clark, Bob Stewart, Shunzo Ohno, Brandon Soloff, Jon Faddis, Miles Evans, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Jeff Berlin, Bernie Williams, Pete

Jeff Berlin, Bernie Williams, Pete

Wynton Marsallis leads a New Orleans-style procession through the audience.

Rehearsal: Paul Shaffer & Jeff "Tain" Watts

Gil Goldstein, Lou Marini, Mark Egan

Pete & Lew.  New York City 2012

  5/31/15  Another jaz brunch in Marlboro, NY at The Falcon - this time with a groovin' organ trio featuring guitarist Matt Finck and drummer Tony Jefferson.  As always, an enjoyable gig for us at this Hudson Valley venue - especially for me, since I get to just walk in and play the club's Hammond B-3.  Nice extra bonus for Matt and I as well as the audience when Tony came up front and scatted a bebop tune; he's a great vocalist as well as a great drummer.  We're doing this again on Sunday, June 28th, adding Erik Lawrence on sax.

  5/16/15  Another nice weekend in Upstate New York at the Public Theater in Auburn with the Peter Mack Quintet.  Good jazz, good folks, good food ... and a sweet Hammond B-3 waiting for me.  Stretched out a bit and wore my Levin Brothers T-shirt for the gig.  Had to do it!

Harvey Sorgen, Peter Mack, Joe Corello, Bob Sneider, Pete

  5/12/15  French hornist John Clark and his experimental jazz group, "The Odd Couple Quintet" performing at the ShapeShifter Lab in Brooklyn, NY in a premier performance of John's jazz arrangements of 2 of the Mozart Horn Concertos, and celebrate the CD release of the two pieces.  Not many jazz groups have a configuration of rhythm section with French Horn and Bassoon up front.  In fact, this is the only one.  Pretty cool! 

Pete, John Clark, Michael Rabinowitz, Mark Egan, Freddie Bryant, Karl Latham

  April 3, 2015:  Most of the town of Rosendale (NY) turned out to memorialize and share some love for Gail Kniceley, wife of my good friend, bassist Charlie Kniceley.  Dozens of performers in 5 or 6 band configurations.  It was a beautiful evening.

  March 2015:  The first Levin Brothers Band tour, celebrating its 2014 album release.  Tony playing bass & cello, Pete playing piano and organ, Erik Lawrence on saxes and flute, and Jeff "Siege" Siegel on drums. The tour started with a capacity crowd at the Rosendale Cafe - special for two reasons; it was the band's first gig ever, and it was in our Hudson Valley back yard.  Sunday night we had a standing-room-only crowd at a classic music club, The Turning Point in Piermont, NY.  Then we we took off on the road for real, with a swing through upstate New York.  Groovilating New York State, one town at a time!

  2/22/15  Played a nice jazz brunch at The Falcon in Marlboro, NY - this time with a powerhouse trio; Matt Finck on guitar and Adam Nussbaum on drums.  Some pretty hard groovin' for a Sunday morning, but nobody complained.  Nasty storm the night before, but today was sunny and folks came out.  Nice photos by Ed Conway.

  9/6/14  Castles Made Of Sound; 9 all-star alumni of the Gil Evans Orchestra, reunited to celebrate the band's "Monday Night At Sweet Basil" era at The Cutting Room in NYC.  We weren't sure what it would be like; it's been some 30 years since we did this.  But inspired by the music and an enthusiastic New York jazz audience, it all came back.  I terrific night.  Hope you were there.  We will do it again.  And again!  Photos by Samantha Levin.

  8/30 & 31  I subbed the keyboard chair this past weekend with Bill MacPherson and Nee Sackley and their world-beat band Native Vibe for a brief tour in New York and Connecticut.  We were joined by Connecticut drummer John Perigrinelli and Nanny Assis, a dynamic New York percussionist I've played with over the years. Lots of infectious African grooves; I'm not knowledgeable about those, but they wanted jazz solos - and that I can do!  Had an absolute ball playing with them.

  8/23/14  Played with Ali Ryerson's quintet in Warwick, NY as part of the town's Summer Concert Series.  We hadn't played together for several months, so it was a bit of pressure remembering the ins and outs of the charts; but we hit our stride and did a nice 2-hour set.  Great crowd - and the threatened rain didn't happen.

  8/22/14  Beautiful concert at the Public Theater in Auburn, NY with bassist Peter Maciulewicz's quartet.  Harvey Sorgen and I came up from Woodstock.  Peter, Harvey and I have performed as a trio a few times, but this time were joined by Rochester guitarist Bob Sneider.  Special treat for me was having a mint condition 1954 Hammond B-3 waiting for me.  Really nice!

Karl Latham, Pete, Joel Frahm, Jeff Ciampa

  7/27/14  Jazz brunch at The Falcon in Marlboro, NY with the Erik Lawrence Quartet.  We do these about every month, but occasionally one of them really rocks.  Along with Erik and guitarist Rob Reich, we were joined by drummer Ben Perowsky.  My bandmate from the Gil Evans days, Shunzo Ohno, was in the house and joined us on trumpet.  Also, vocalist Janice Hardgrove sat in.  I knew Janice from NYC when we were both doing lots of jingle dates.  We've both migrated upstate to Woodstock.  Small world!  Thanks to Ed Conway for these great photos.

  7/24/14  At the Stanhope House in Stanhope, NJ with vocalist Sari Schorr and a new band testing out it's wings.  The band features Rob Paparozzi on harp and vocals.  My old bandmate, Johnm Cariddi is on guitar, and a great rhythm section - Jerry Marotta and Sue Williams. 

  7/12/14  Rob Paparozzi and a Woodstock-based band in Erie, PA at the Romolo Chocolates Summer Music Festival.  It's a wonderful, free concert series, put on by Tony Steffanelli  and Romolo Chocolates, that's been going on for years.  I played it with an organ trio in 2012.  It mostly features jazz groups - Tony is a big jazz fan - but they're branching out a bit this year.

  6/6/14  Rocked the house at The Falcon with blues guitarist Beki Brindle and the band - Frank Ganci on bass and Vito Luizzi on drums.  A real treat to play with Vito, who's just coming off of years on the road with guitar legend Johnny Winter.  I'll be joining them for several dates over this summer.  These photos are by James Rice.  This is the 2nd time he's taken a great shot of me from a loft high above the stage.  The other one's at the top of this page.

  6/13/14  at The Bearsville Theater in Woodstock with Marc Black's band - 2-set concert to do a live recording and 6-camera video shoot.  Audience seating, plus a large area in front of the stage for dancing - and the dance floor was packed.  Marc is a wonderful singer-songwriter and a dynamic performer.  I don't get to play with him very often; Warren Bernhardt has been his regular keyboardist for many years.  For this outing, Marc decided to use both of us.  Made it even more fun for me.  Still waiting for more photos to surface.

Warren Bernhardt      Pete       Marc Black       Mike Esposito
Eric Parker     Don Davis     Amy Fradon

  5/25/14  Terrific jazz brunch at the Falcon in Marlboro, NY with a marvelous vocalist, Alexis Cole.  Along with Rob Reich on guiter and the irrepressible Adam Nussbaum on drum.  Nobody commented or seemed to notice, so I should explain:  In honor of author Douglas Adams (Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy) May 25th is "Towel Day" during which Adams fans carry a towel around all day.  Mine is draped off the edge of the Hammond.  Photos: Samantha Levin

2/21/14  All You Need Is Love - a celebration of the Beatles performed by a 13-piece all-star band to a capacity crowd at Woodstock's Bearsville Theater.  The show was conceived and put together by Leslie Ritter, Scott Petitio, and David Spinozza, who did most of the more complex arrangements.  With the hectic insanity leading up to the show, nobody thought to properly video and record the show.  So , you had to be there.  It's not an easy or inexpensive show to mount, but hopefully we'll get to do it again someplace.

L to R: Pete, Sara Milanovitch, Josh Colow, Jane Scarpentini, Jerry Marotta, Scott Petito, Maura Kennedy, Dave Spinozza, Pete Kennedy, Leslie Ritter, Deirdre Broderick

The core band. L to R: Pete, Josh Colow, Jerry Marotta, Scott Petito, Dave Spinozza, Deirdre Broderick

The string section.  Pete, Sara Milanovitch, Jane Scarpentini

L to R: Pete, Sara Milanovitch, Josh Colow, Jane Scarpentini, Jules Shear, Leslie Ritter, Scott Petito, Dave Spinozza, Maura Kennedy, Gail Ann Dorsey, Deirdre Broderick

2/11/14  John Clark's Odd Couple Quintet in concert in NYC at the Dizzy Gillespie Auditorium, Baha'i Center.  This otherwise stock jazz quintet is made unique by the two players who front the band - John Clark (French Horn) and Michael Rabinowitz (Bassoon).  Both of them defy the conventional perceived boundaries of their instruments, and just take it out!  For the first time, we performed John's arrangements of two Mozart Horn Concertos, all 6 movements.  I'm guessing that's never been done.  We'll be recording some time in April.  To be continued ...

Pete, John Clark, Marty Jaffe, Michael Rabinowitz, Tommy Campbell

2/6/14  Finished the first round of recording sessions for the first Levin Brothers Band CD with Tony, a project we've been planning for months.  This week was mainly focused on recording drums with Jeff "Siege" Siegel.  The schedule got pressured some when we lost Wednesday to a major snow & sleet storm, but we're caught up and on track. It's feeling pretty good.  In two weeks, when Tony's back from England, we'll be joined by guitarist David Spinozza and saxophonist Erik Lawrence.  Lovin' this project!

2/2/14  Played a nice Sunday brunch to an enthusiastic crowd at The High Falls Cafe in High Falls, NY with extraordinary vocalist Kitt Potter.  Two old friend in the rhythm section, Charlie Kniceley and T. Xiques.  And yes, we did this on Superbowl Sunday!  (But were home in plenty of time for the game.)  Making music with Kitt is always a treat.  Photo: Anne Coleman

12/29/13 Jazz Brunch @ The Falcon in Marlboro, NY with the Erik Lawrence Quartet - Rob Reich on guitar and Lee Falco on drums.  This has become my favorite venue in the Hudson Valley.  Great vibe.  And ... there's a nice Hammond B-3 waiting for me there.  No shlepping!

12/28/13  Played a fun local gig with guitarist Ted Orr's band, Blue Food @ Harmony Cafe.  Horn section and slammin' rhythm section that grooves hard.   And it's almost in my backyard, so I'm home in 10 minutes.  Love that!

12/8/13 A Jazz brunch with bassist Charlie Kniceley in High Falls, NY turned into an event.  We backed a wonderful Jazz vocalist, Jay Clayton, and legendary tap dancer Brenda Bufalino.  Standing-room-only crowd, peppered with local celebrities and performers, and 3 or 4 Grammy-winners.  Jay charmed the folks.  Brenda knocked 'em dead.  Fun gig!

How the Hippies Saved Physics.  LtoR: Lindsey Webster, Eugene Ruffolo, Joe Bonadio, David Kaiser (author of the book of the same name), Marc Shulman, Scott Petito, Don Byron, Pete

L to R: Joe Vitale, Benny Landa, Abigail Zsiga, Tony Levin, Chrissy Gardner, Pete, Will Schillinger, Jerome Fox, Brett Long   Photo: Lisa Daly

CLEANHEAD PHOTO-OP
Tony Levin, Will Schillinger, Pete

L to R: Jimmy Eppard, Jimmy Vivino, Gabe Butterfield, Steve Guyger, Jim Curtin, Pete

Jimmy Vivino, Jim Curtin, Jimmy Eppard, Gabe Butterfield, Rob Paparozzi, Pete, Steve Guyger

Uncle Funk @ Bearsville Theater, Woodstock 7/21/13

Joe Beesmer, Tom Nicholson, Ann Rain, Jerry Marotta, Tony Levin, Pete

3/13/31  Back at The Falcon in Marlboro, NY for Easter Sunday Jazz brunch with the Erik Lawrence Quartet.  We're doing this once a month now; it's one of the easiest and pleasurable gigs I do.  (Except for getting up early in the morning.  That's rough!)  Along with guitarist Rob Reich and drummer Lee Falco, we had two people join us on stage, keyboard player Jeremy Baum and the wonderful Mala Waldron on piano and vocals.  Jeremy and I swapped off between piano and organ.  Lots of fun.  (Unfortunately, no photo of Jeremy.) Next one on Sunday, April 28th.

These photos were taken by Sylvain Durand. 

Ali Ryerson

Pete

Mike DeMicco

Mark Egan

Karl Latham

February 27 - New York, NY at The Iridium. CD release party with an all-star septet - Lenny White, Dave Stryker, Lew Soloff, Alex Foster, Tom Malone and John Clark.  This is a reunion of Gil Evans Orchestra alumni, celebrating Gil and the live recording we did here last April. We did a pretty well reviving the spirit of the dynamic, controlled chaos of the Gil Evans Orchestra of the late 70's and early 80's.  Photos by Samantha Levin

L to R: Tom Malone, John Clark, Dave Stryker, Alex Foster, Lew Soloff, Pete, Lenny White

Flutist Ali Ryerson sat in to play "Where Flamingos Fly"

Tom Malone, Dave Stryker, Pete, Lew Soloff, Lenny White, John Clark, Alex Foster

December 31 at New World Home Cooking, Saugerties, NY.  Uncle Funk rings in the New Year again at Ric Orlando's flagship Woodstock restaurant.  Jesse Gress, Jerry Marotta, Joe Beesmer, Tony Levin, Pete.  Sitting in later, Marc Black & Ric Orlando

December 15 at Brian's Backyard BBQ in Middletown, NY.  Doin' the Paul Butterfield songbook with The Gabe Butterfield Blues Band.  Jimmy Eppard, Jim Curtin, Gabe and Pete, with special guest Rob Papparozzi.

Jay Messina, Pete, Steve Gadd, Michael Bacon, Sid McGinnis,
Nick Holmes, Mike Mainieri, Dave Mann, Tony Levin

4/15/11  Fribourg, Switzerland at Cintra Cafe  Photos: Jean-Marc Guélat

4/22/11  Montpellier, France at JAM - a beautiful performance venue.  In addition to our concert, Lenny did a master class in the afternoon.  I learned a few things too!

4/20/11  Lyon, France at Hot Jazz Club.  Again, Letizia Gambi joined us for a couple of songs from her upcoming album.

4/18/11  Paris, France at Sunset-Sunside

4/15/11  Brescia, Italy at JazzOnLive.  This is a terrific venue with nice decor, great sound and excellent food.  We had a ball playing there. During this set, we were joined by our friend, vocalist Letizia Gambi, who lives near Milano.  Lenny produced her upcoming CD release.  I've heard some of this beautiful CD, a melding of Neapolitan songs and Jazz.  It's really good.  I was honored to be a part of the project. 
Photos: Laura Passera.  Grazie Laura

4/14/11  Salumeria della Musica - Milano, Italy.  We were joined once again for a couple of tunes by vocalist Letizia Gambi.

Photos: Alberto Borgonovo.  Thank you Alberto