Adam Levy: guitarist, songwriter, educator, journalist, author.
Adam Levy is a guitarist in high demand. His playing has been featured on recordings by major-label artists such as Norah Jones (her first three albums), Tracy Chapman (New Beginning), and Amos Lee (Amos Lee). He has also played on records by acclaimed indie artists such as Ani DiFranco (¿Which Side Are You On?) and Anaï...
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Adam Levy: guitarist, songwriter, educator, journalist, author.
Adam Levy is a guitarist in high demand. His playing has been featured on recordings by major-label artists such as Norah Jones (her first three albums), Tracy Chapman (New Beginning), and Amos Lee (Amos Lee). He has also played on records by acclaimed indie artists such as Ani DiFranco (¿Which Side Are You On?) and Anaïs Mitchell (Young Man in America). Levy has performed live onstage with all of these musicians—as well as with Rosanne Cash, Lisa Loeb, Darol Anger, Regina Carter, and many others.
What keeps Levy so busy, working in a wide variety of styles, is his knack for playing things that are unpredictable yet sound right as soon as you hear them. Take, for example, Levy’s guitar solo on Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason.” Though steeped in Chicago blues essence, it’s wholly original—free from cliché or caricature. His solo on Norah Jones’ “Come Away with Me” is more understated—a simple, earnest plea echoing the sentiment of the song. It has elements of jazz and country, but ultimately defies pigeonholing.
In addition to his work as a guitarist, Levy has blossomed as a songwriter in recent years, with work appearing on releases by Norah Jones, Chris Difford (of Squeeze), Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket), Miles Zuniga (of Fastball), and Amber Rubarth (rising indie songstress). Though he often writes alone, he is just as comfortable co-writing with other simpatico songwriters. One of his recent collaborations was with singer/songwriter Jill Sobule. The song they wrote together, “Bound to Happen,” is featured in the documentary film If You Build It.
Over the past decade or so, Levy has released a dozen of his own recordings—some song-oriented, some instrumental.
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