 Michael Lington has demonstrated his contemporary saxophone
chops with a steady stream of chart-toppers since his debut album in 1997. His
CD, Stay with Me, yielded three Radio & Records national jazz hits with “Show
Me” at # 2; “Two of a Kind” at # 2; and “Pacifica” at # 6. Stay With Me also
remained on the Billboard contemporary jazz chart for a total of 24 weeks.
“Twice In a Lifetime” and “Sunset” from Vivid; and “Still Thinking of You” from
Lington’s Everything Must Change all went Top 5 as well. His duet with Bobby
Caldwell on “Tell It Like It Is” from his self-titled debut, ascended both the
jazz and adult contemporary charts.
Now Michael is back with A SONG FOR YOU, his second Rendezvous recording. In
collaboration with Rendezvous , Grammy nominated arranger and composer Randy
Waldman and Grammy winning Engineer Woody Woodruff, Michael assembled a
collection of new standards that range from the album’s first single, “It’s Too
Late” and ”You’ve Got a Friend,” both by Carole King; to a dimensional “Fragile”
by Sting. Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” is given an expansive, but respectful
new spin; while Michael Frank’s “Tell Me All About It” is a playfully laidback
interplay, featuring guest and Rendezvous co-founder Dave Koz, with Brazilian
sensibilities.
A defining characteristic of all of the album’s 11 tracks are unexpected shifts
in mood and instrumentation that flow organically in and out of each other. Paul
Simon’s “Still Crazy After All These Years” features romantic strings and sultry
sax. “Nobody Does it Better” by Marvin Hamlisch, is a more restrained and
romantic Gospel flavor that builds to a no-holds-barred conclusion. Randy
Waldman’s keyboards, and the All-Star ensemble featuring Vinnie Colauita, Brian
Bromberg, Dean Parks, Luis Conte, and a top Los Angeles session orchestra,
season each song to perfection.
The album also features “A Song for You,” penned by rocker Leon Russell, “She’s
Always A Woman”, by Billy Joel and “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word”, by
songwriting greats Elton John and Bernie Taupin. With his instrumental
versatility, Michael also plays clarinet on the intro to “Sorry Seems to Be the
Hardest Word”, an instrument that he studied classically for eight years prior
to him picking up the sax at age 15.
Leaning strongly toward the pop side of jazz, with classical, Brazilian, Latin,
and gospel shadings, Lington plays a distinctive contemporary saxophone. “It’s
the kind of record that inspired me from the very beginning. The songs on this
CD are the core of what has driven me to become a musician,” says Michael. “I
wanted to go back in time, to when music had a strong emotional impact on people
and songs really mattered -- but to do it with a new twist.
Michael explains, “With this album, I really wanted to focus on the
underappreciated, or underexposed standards of tomorrow -- mainly songs from the
’70s that have been rarely covered in a jazz instrumental format.” He continues,
“what I had in mind during the entire process, was to create a classic album,
with a timeless feel that is as current today as it is 40 years from now.”
It was through this collaboration, that Michael landed his recording contract,
which leads to present, and his new CD, in which there is an organic synergy
between Lington, the songs, and arrangements, that lifts Song for You into the
realm of the truly unforgettable.
Michael believes covering songs that have deeply impacted listeners is far more
demanding than recording his own material. “People feel strongly about these
songs. It’s important for me to keep the integrity of the song, yet make it my
own, so I’m not just repeating what’s been done before. If you improvise too
much, you lose your audience, but if you play it straight up and down, it’s not
very interesting—it’s a fine line between staying true to the melody, and yet
making each song interesting instrumentally.”
Lington has been a global touring presence for the past several years, and plans
to continue with A Song for You. In between his ongoing performances -- i.e.
performing at the Royal Wedding of Denmark’s future king, Crown Prince Frederick
-- and recordings, Lington proves to be a giving performer by lending his
artistry to the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, which raises funds for children’s
music programs and provides instruments to public schools all over the U.S.
Michael participates in Create Now, where he mentors troubled teens in Los
Angeles and Acre’s of Love, a non-profit organization that provides
comprehensive services; and “Forever” homes for abandoned and AIDS children in
South Africa.
The U.S. based, Danish-born Lington loves classic beauty and expression whether
it comes in the form of a song, his vintage European automobiles, underwater
landscapes, a child’s smile, or open sky viewed from behind the instrument panel
of a helicopter.
A Song for You is undoubtedly a significant step in Lington’s ever-ascending
career, and an invitation for everyone to dream.
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MUSIC FESTIVALS: Artists tuning up for summer of soundsNorth County TimesThis year's lineup will include Peter White, Mindi Abair, Gerald Albright, Booker T. Jones, Karen Briggs, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, Marc Antoine, Dotsero, Basia, Michael Lington, Nicholas Cole, DW3, Jonathan Fritzen and more.and more » |
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Store KULTURBEGIVENHEDER i REBILD BAKKERNORDJYSKE... skuespiller Keith Carradine som amerikansk hovedtaler, den amerikanske ambassadør Laurie S. Fulton, skuespiller Susse Wold, forfatter Suzanne Brøgger, sanger Marie Carmen Koppel, saxofonist Michael Lington, Tivoli-Garden og Aalborg Politiorkester.and more » |
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