Tony Levin and Band of Brothers wrapup

For those who made it to the Nectar Lounge last night, there was a stellar night of music on hand. Seaprog was proud to have had a part in presenting this great show.

Dennis Rea and James DeJoie at Nectar Lounge, 1/22/2024, photo by Jon Davis
Dennis Rea and James DeJoie, photo by Jon Davis

The show was opened in lovely fashion by two locals who are no stranger to Seaprog stages. Dennis Rea and James DeJoie are both members of chamber-rock favorites Moraine, but they also do a lot more. For this special event, they performed as a duo of acoustic guitar and flute. This is a far cry from the intense and complex music of Moraine, featuring gentle and jazzy takes on a variety of material drawn from many sources.

Band of Brothers at Nectar Lounge, 1/22/2024, photo by Jon Davis
Band of Brothers, photo by Jon Davis

It probably goes without saying that many of the attendees were drawn by the presence of bass legend Tony Levin. His work in King Crimson, Stick Men, and with Peter Gabriel (and hundreds of others) has cemented his status as one of the all-time great bassist, but for this outing he was in pure jazz mode.

This was an augmented version of the Levin Brothers band featuring Tony on bass and his brother Pete on keyboards. They’ve got several albums out, but this time they were combined with the LaBarbera brothers Joe (drums) and Pat (woodwinds). They drew their setlist from the jazz repertoire as well as from creative arrangements of tunes associated with Tony’s other work. All of these guys have extensive careers that have touched on many of the giants of jazz, and they all have fascinating stories to tell, so it wasn’t just an evening of outstanding playing.

Seaprog Presents Tony Levin with Band of Brothers, January 22, 2024

Tony Levin with Band of Brothers
Tony Levin with Band of Brothers

While plans for a 2024 Seaprog festival are still in the early stages, we’ve got a special Seaprog Presents event coming up. On Monday January 22 at Nectar Lounge, we’re proud to cosponsor Tony Levin with Band of Brothers, featuring the famous bassist with his brother Pete on keyboards along with brothers Joe and Pat LaBarbera on drums and saxophone respectively. We’re all familiar with Tony Levin’s work with King Crimson and Stick Men, and many of us are also aware that he’s played jazz as well. Pete Levin has had a long career as a jazz pianist, working quite a bit with Gil Evans, but having credits with David Sanborn, Jimmy Cobb, Freddie Hubbard, Paul Simon, John Scofield, and many more. Pat LaBarbera’s credits include Buddy Rich, Elvin Jones, Bruce Cockburn, and others, while Joe has worked with Woody Herman, Chuck Mangione, Bill Evans, Tony Bennett, and Diane Schuur, along with numerous others. The quartet follows after Levin Brothers, a group which has released three albums to date. Their sets feature an interesting combination of jazz standards, originals, and pieces drawn from Tony’s non-jazz work rearranged.

Opening the show we have local musicians Dennis Rea (guitar) and Jim DeJoie (woodwinds), both of whom are in Moraine, but have extensive backgrounds in jazz as well. We hope you’ll join us for a night of great music based in jazz, but reaching beyond typical boundaries. What else are you going to do on a Monday night in January?

Tickets are available online now, and don’t forget to express your interest on the Facebook event.