Stewart Levine: Difference between revisions

Levine left the Manhattan School of Music after one year to pursue a career as a horn player and arranger. He developed his skills as an arranger on many high-profile pop and R&B recordings. This experience led Levine into forming a production company with Hugh Masekela. They began producing records that were a hybrid of South African township grooves crossed with rhythm and blues and jazz. They left New York and moved to Los Angeles to form Chisa Records, an independent label. Levine produced Masekela's "Grazing in the Grass" which became a #1 pop single.

While in California, Levine met members of The Jazz Crusaders, a group who had already built a small, but loyal, following. Levine signed them to Chisa Records with the idea of combining the funk of their native Texas alongside the jazz for which they were known. This was the beginning of a style that would become known as jazz-funk and, later, "Rare Groove". Levine produced over a dozen albums with [[The Crusaders (Houston group)|The Crusaders]], many of which were certified gold.

In the summer of 2003 Levine was asked to work with young British jazz artist [[Jamie Cullum]]. Levine produced Cullum's debut album ''Twenty Something''. Levine followed this by producing the Dr. John's ''N'Awlinz: Dis, Dat or D'udda'', which featured [[New Orleans]] musicians alongside guests such as B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Mavis Staples and Randy Newman. Levine returned to the UK to produce Jamie Cullum's second album ''Catching Tales''.