For immediate release

Pete Levin’s 2008 CD release CERTIFIED ORGANIC continues to push the envelope of the traditional organ trio. On top of the grooves laid down by former Hot Tuna drummer Harvey Sorgen and Pete’s organ bass, four veteran guitarists stretch out on the album: ubiquitous New York session guitarist John Cariddi (Steve Marcus, Patti Austin, Ricki Lee Jones), the legendary Joe Beck (Miles Davis, Gil Evans, David Sanborn), Mike DeMicco (Dave Brubeck, Jack DeJohnette), and rocker Jesse Gress (Todd Rundgren, Tony Levin Band). Pete knows how to feature his sidemen, but when it’s time for the Hammond to take charge, he does just that. In addition, the organ’s bass is mixed up front as an equal element. This is not your father’s organ trio! The set rocks and grooves hard - not a hint of Smooth Jazz in sight.

In a diverse music career spanning three decades, the New York based keyboardist/arranger has performed and recorded with hundreds of Jazz and Pop artists - including Paul Simon, Annie Lennox, Miles Davis, David Sanborn, Lenny White, Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius, Robbie Robertson and John Scofield - receiving critical accolades for his work during a 15 year association with the legendary Gil Evans, and his 8 year stint with the late Jimmy Giuffre.

While filling the French Horn chair with the Gil Evans Orchestra in the 70s, Levin brought a Moog Synthesizer to a gig at New York's Village Vanguard. Already known as a synthesizer specialist, Pete was at the vanguard of that technology. Levin's role was permanently changed as the band transformed itself into the electric/acoustic hybrid ensemble that captivated audiences worldwide for years, winning two GrammyÆ awards along the way.

But Levin, whose wry sense of humor is never far from the surface, reveals that his all time favorite recording session produced the top-40 hit single CLOSE TO YOU by THE CLAMS, a Spike Jones tribute band formed with his brother, bassist Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson), drummer Steve Gadd (Eric Clapton, Paul Simon) and GrammyÆ winning recording engineer Dixon Van Winkle (Paul McCartney, Frank Sinatra). Thirty years later the recording is still a cult classic.

In 1990, Levin signed with Gramavision to release his first solo jazz album, PARTY IN THE BASEMENT, followed by SOLITARY MAN in 1991. Collaborating with drummer Danny Gottlieb, Pete released THE NEW AGE OF CHRISTMAS on Atlantic and MASTERS IN THIS HALL for Gramavision. In the years following, he released six solo and collaboration albums for Alternate Mode Productions.

In 2007, Pete decided to revisit his roots and his favorite keyboard instrument, the Hammond Organ, releasing DEACON BLUES on the Motéma label. He’d been playing Hammond for years, but had never recorded as a bandleader in the organ trio format.

With CERTIFIED ORGANIC in 2008, Pete’s original compositions explore the bonds between Jazz and Funk - dark with hard driving grooves. But he also includes two of his straight-ahead pieces, with guitarist Mike DeMicco joining him for WHEN I WAS YOUNG, a tune they played together with the Brubeck Brothers Quartet, and Joe Beck sitting in for THE FACE IN THE MIRROR, which Pete wrote and recorded for trumpeter Lew Soloff.

In addition to Pete’s originals, the set includes some cover songs that you wouldn't expect to hear with this instrumentation, notably Moacir Santos’s classic NANA, and Jaco Pastorius’s signature TEEN TOWN.

Two tracks feature burning sax solos by Erik Lawrence, the son of saxophonist Arnie Lawrence, with whom Pete used to work. Pete and Erik tear it up trading 8’s on TEEN TOWN. In contrast, there’s Pete’s arrangement of a Gil Evans classic piece, WHERE FLAMINGOS FLY, featuring a poignant Joe Beck solo.

Pete currently tours with a high-energy organ trio with guitarist John Cariddi and drummer Harvey Sorgen.