The Great Dane

Danish-Born Saxophonist Michael Lington Is A Rising Star In The Smooth Jazz Arena 

Saxophonist Michael Lington, above, is a rising star in the

Smooth Jazz arena. He has recorded a number of chart-topping

songs in the past seven years. His fourth and current album,

Stay With Me, spent the latter half of last year on the charts.

by

Stephen Fratallone/Jazz Connection Magazine

         Denmark is world-renowned for scrumptious pastries named after its people. The Scandinavian nation with a population of over five million also boasts fame as the mother country of the fictional Prince Hamlet, the subject of William Shakespeare's tragedy, existential philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, story writer Hans Christian Andersen, and Lego inventor Ole Kirk Christensen, among others. In recent years, Denmark has given the music world one its most exciting exports  -  Contemporary Jazz saxophonist Michael Lington.

Lington is one of Smooth Jazz's fastest rising stars. Since coming to the United States fifteen years ago and cutting his teeth touring with rock legends Little Richard, Gary "U.S. Bonds" and singer Bobby Caldwell, the "Great Dane" has gained quite a following since becoming a solo artist. During the past seven years, he has gained notoriety collaborating with genre giants Brian Culbertson and Dave Koz while propelling himself on the music charts with a string of hit singles including Tell It Like It Is, Twice In A Lifetime, Sunset, Still Thinking Of You, and his current success, Show Me. He has all the qualities needed to reach stardom  -  amazing talent, good looks, and his own unique sound and style.

"I just play," said the 35-year-old Lington via telephone from his home in Santa Monica, CA. "I suppose I'm a R&B saxophonist but I love all kinds of music. I don't have any particular thing style-wise in mind. I just do what I like."

It is Lington's love for all kinds of music that has helped to shape his own brand of aural wonderment.

"I really try to take the listeners on a journey and let them experience all these different environments and moods and things that excite me," Lington said. "If there's anything I love, it's variety."

If "variety is the spice of life," then Lington's latest project and debut on the Rendevous Entertainment label, Stay With Me,  is spiced with tantalizing milieus, taking the listener on a joyous and festive sonic trek. (See Michael Lington CD)

"I wanted to make a record that was a little different from the other things I've done," Lington said as to the project's inception. "This album has more of a pop feel to it. My other albums had more R&B influence. Instead of contemporary R&B grooves, I went back and did some 'old school' stuff, things that influenced me while growing up. This new album has a mix of things that I've never done before. I try to make a record where every song you listen to doesn't sound the same."

With its emotionally compelling mix of cool funk, candlelit romance, and fresh melodies, Stay With Me features collaborations with pop songwriters (Michael and Danny Sembello), well-known Smooth Jazz musicians (Chuck Loeb and Paul Jackson, Jr.), and songs helmed by four of the top producers in Contemporary Jazz  -  Brian Culbertson, Michael Colina, Paul Brown, and Jeff Carruthers. The sax wunderkind once again works with a handful of Smooth Jazz's top Los Angeles session players:  guitarist Michael Thompson, bassists Neil Stubenhaus and Alex Al, and drummer Steve Ferrone.

While Stay With Me may be dazzling to the ears with it's compelling mix of R&B and jazz grooves that brilliantly showcases Lington's soulful and lyrical sax, the album has also been applauded as a marvel for Rendezvous. Poised to be one of the top genre hits of 2004, Lington's ten-track CD has already spent an amazing 24 weeks on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart since it's release last May. 

"It's always exciting," Lington said concerning his reaction to his album's popularity. "I don't try to make anything fit in particular with my albums. That's why it's so great to be with Rendevous because they let me do exactly what I wanted. When people embrace that by buying the record and it gets airplay over the radio, it's an encouragement. It means you've done something that people appreciate. The reality is I'd do the same thing if they didn't (appreciate it) because that's what I do. I'm just happy that people are enjoying it."

On his new album Lington has once again garnered another hit single  -  the infectious Show Me  -  produced and co-written by Brian Culbertson. The song has become a hit at Smooth Jazz radio, rising to Number 2 on Radio and Records' National Airplay Chart.

In addition, Lington's second single from his new album has also generated huge listener interest. The song, Two Of A Kind, co-written with Michael Molina and features guitarist Chuck Loeb, went to Number 23 on the Radio & Records' National Airplay Chart.

While such accolades for his music are thrilling for the saxophone titan, only the songs that mean the most to him are waxed on to his CDs, Lington said.

"Be assured that every song that made it on to my albums are ones I absolutely love," Lington said. "I have written songs from which I have fallen out of love. Those songs are laying around my place somewhere on tapes. The songs that I pick for my albums are the ones I love. It's such an interesting thing when singles are selected for radio airplay. I'm asked by the radio people for my thoughts. I tell them I remove myself from that process because anyone can pick any song from this album and I would be proud. Every song means something to me."

Most Smooth Jazz critics are in agreement that Lington has reached his creative stride on Stay With Me, but the hip saxophonist is equally quick to down-play such an idea.

"That's not for me to say," he said. "I can't argue as to what other people think. At the time I made each album, I can guarantee that I did the best that I could. I think I have become a better songwriter and it will probably continue. Maturity is not something you can learn or practice. It's something that just comes. I think my playing has also become more mature. It reflects a growth in who I am. Hopefully, I can continue building on that."

Lington's growth professionally received some "royal treatment" last May when he was commissioned to perform his new single, Show Me, at the Royal Wedding of Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik (the country’s future king), at the exclusive wedding reception at Fredensborg Castle in Copenhagen.

"To be part of the whole deal was pretty amazing," Lington said. "The whole country was upside down about the wedding for almost six months. I couldn't believe it when I got there. I was walking the streets of Copenhagen and all people were talking about was the royal wedding."

Lington will give Northern Californians some royal treatment of their own when the captivating saxophonist and his band will appear  in concert on Saturday, Jan. 30 at the Radisson Hotel (500 Leisure Lane) in Sacramento at 8 p.m. (See www.radissonsac.com for ticket information). The Sacramento stop over is the beginning of Lington's 2005 tour schedule in support of Stay With Me. 

Lington's previous visit to Sacramento was last February at the Hyatt Regency Hotel when he toured as special guest with Brian Culbertson. Joining Lington for the Radisson Hotel performance will be members of his touring band: Roberto Vally, keyboards/bass; David Garfield, keyboards; Tony Matten, guitar; Rickey Lawson, drums; and sound engineer Chris Roberts, whose job it is to make the band sound like a million.

"I want to give listeners a great show that goes through many different moods and emotions," Lington said of his up-coming concert. "I want to take them away from what they're experiencing and give them another journey."
Lington, born in 1969 in Copenhagen, was destined to be a musician. His grandfather was the famous Danish violin-playing bandleader Otto Lington, who is credited with bringing jazz to his country in the early 1930s. In European encyclopedias he is listed as a "jazz pioneer." Because of his love for jazz music created by African-American artists, Patriarch Lington was fondly referred to as "The White Negro" among his peers.

"My grandfather fell in love with that type of music, which was unusual because he was white as you can come," Lington said. "He also worked for the BBC for a long time as a bandleader. He also had musical friends from New York who would often sail by ship to visit him in Copenhagen. I'm pretty certain he got American jazz records from these two sources. He just took to that music and introduced it by doing the very first jazz concert ever in Denmark. The people at that time had no idea what he was doing. It was almost considered a failure. It was a sold-out performance, but people were at odds as to what it was about."

The "new music" that the elder Lington worked so passionately to present took a few years to catch on and later he was hailed as an innovator, according to Lington.

"He became the innovator of jazz over there because he introduced it, he was the only one to stick with it and he eventually became known for it," Lington said.

Otto Lington was also the first composer/bandleader to play music during the filming of silent movies in Denmark, Lington said.

"I have still photographs of my grandfather and his band playing while the film was being shot," Lington said. "There was no post-production in those days. They were playing music during the same time the movie was being filmed."

Grandfather Lington inspired his only grandson to a life of music with stories of playing with jazz greats on tour in Europe or at Tivoli Garden including Duke Ellington, Josephine Baker, The Mills Brothers and Fats Waller. 

"My biggest influence was my grandfather, he's the reason I'm playing music," Lington said. "I absolutely loved my grandfather. I absolutely adored him. We became very close. We were actually closer than he was with my father. We had a 'connection' for some reason. He never forced me to learn music, in fact he told me it's not always a steady life, it's not easy, but just by him being who he was, the stories he told, the things he did, I adored that. We'd sit and talk about his life as a musician and I'd ask him a million questions about it. I think through that, it had to happen. I was driven by it all."

While Lington was driven to a life of music, his father was not. Initially wanting to be a musician himself like his father before him, the senior Lington, who played the clarinet and saxophone, put aside his musical ambitions to become a master carpenter.

"My grandfather told my father early on that he didn't have enough talent and that he should go and find himself a trade," Lington said. "My father was such a good master carpenter that he was awarded a medal from King Frederik II for a particular piece that he made when the King was still alive."

The young Lington began his musical odyssey at age seven with the clarinet. He soon began performing with Denmark’s famed Tivoli Boys Guard Orchestra, a prestigious group of young, talented musicians. The boys ranged in age from 9 to16 and were schooled, trained and groomed for performances at Tivoli Garden, as they still are today. 

Lington made the switch to the saxophone at age 15 upon hearing American soul and jazz musicians like John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly and David Sanborn.

"I took up the saxophone as a natural progression from the clarinet," Lington said. "When you're that age, the clarinet isn't 'cutting it.' It isn't cool to play the clarinet."

Lington's involvement with the Tivoli Boys Guard Orchestra earned him a musical education which he later pursued at college. After finishing his degree, he ran his own recording studio while touring with local Danish artists throughout Europe. He also competed in several installments of the famous Eurovision Song Contest.

So impressive was Lington in showcasing his musical talents, that the 20-year-old saxophonist was hired to play for Queen Margrethe II's 50th birthday party in 1990.

"My old music teacher, who, in the last few years has also become my step-father, had been the drum major for the queen's guard for 30 years and he hired me for that event," Lington recalled. "It was pretty amazing."

Through his step-father's prodding, Lington was brought back fifteen years later to play for royalty at the Crown Prince's wedding. The 35-year-old future monarch married an Australian commoner, Mary Elizabeth Donaldson. When the couple first met, she didn't even know he was a prince. The recent movie, The Prince And Me, starring Julia Stiles and Luke Mably, is loosely based on that relationship. 

"The wedding was like a fairy tale, like something right out of Walt Disney," Lington said. "There were about 400 guests  -   mostly royalty from all over the world, heads of state, ambassadors. People were dressed in their official uniforms. It was impressive."

Wanting to live out his dream to be a professional musician, Lington felt his future was in the United States. So, at age 21, the young saxophonist immigrated to America, settling in Los Angeles. After arriving in the "City of Angels," Lington quickly found out how unprepared he was for a career as a saxophonist. He played the part of a struggling musician early on, selling cellular phones to supplement his meager earnings and dwindling savings. Despite some bumps in the road, he quickly found his way and began playing touring gigs with Gary "U.S. Bonds," Little Richard and others. 

Saxophonist Michael Lington blows a hot solo during a concert last

February at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Sacramento, CA. Lington was

touring as special guest with Brian Culbertson.

- Photo by Stephen Fratallone/Jazz Connection Magazine

His first major breakthrough came with singer Bobby Caldwell, whom Lington played with from 1994 through 1998. He caught Caldwell's ear with his soulful, R&B-flavored saxophone style that was rich and wise beyond his years. Caldwell has been a proving ground for saxmen who have gone on to stellar solo careers in Smooth Jazz, including Boney James, Richard Elliot, and Dave Koz.

With the assistance of musician/producer Mark Schulman, Lington became heavily involved with the Contemporary Jazz scene.

Before leaving Caldwell, Lington signed on with NuGroove Records as a solo artist releasing his self-titled album, Michael Lington, in 1997.

Lington’s performance with Caldwell on Tell It Like It Is, from that debut album, propelled the single to the Top 10 of the Radio & Records' National Airplay Chart (NAC) and Top 20 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. 

Lington immediately was recognized for his talent and also worked with other Smooth Jazz artists such as Dan Siegel, Doc Powell and Freddy Ravel.

Despite having a chart-topping song, NuGroove dropped Lington from its roster. He then signed with Samson Records to release his second album, Vivid, in 2000. Once again Lington hit the charts  -  this time with two tracks from that CD  -  the urban-flavored mid-tempo opus, Twice In A Lifetime, and the Latin-tinged, Sunset, both going Top 5 on R&R's NAC.

But with de ja vue happening again, the hit-making saxophonist was given a pink slip by Samson. He was then picked up by Lightyear Records. In 2002, Lington released his third project, Everything Must Change.

From that album another Top 5 song appeared on R&R's NAC:  Still Thinking Of You, a pulsating groove piece.

Despite the saxophonist's musical successes, Lightyear and Lington soon parted company. He was then wooed over to Rendevous Entertainment, a label co-founded by Dave Koz. It appears that Lington has found a home with the new label.

"It's a dream come true for me to be with the Rendevous label because I know they really 'get it,'" Lington said. "They really understand how to work things and market an artist's project in the right way. It's a great, creative environment to be in."

And Lington has nothing but high praises for Koz, with whom he credits as being very instrumental in furthering his career, he said.

"Dave Koz is a gentleman," Lington said. "He's unbelievable! He's got class and he's a great friend. He's the most genuine person that I know. Dave was the second person I met coming to the United States. The first person was the guy who brought me here. Two days after arriving here, he took me to Dave's house for Dave's first record release party in 1990. We've known each other since then. Since being signed to Dave's label, he and I have become very, very good friends."

Since Rendevous Entertainment fosters such a creative environment, the monster saxophonist feels that his artistic vision is more focused there as well.

"Inspiration for all different things is my artistic vision and being here at Rendevous helps me achieve that," Lington said. "I get inspired listening to new music. I get inspired meeting new people. Inspiration is really a key to my life. I have to feel inspired and productive. That way I create. One of the things I want to continue doing is to challenge myself. I don't want to make the same record every time. I'd like to make different flavors. You can't obviously make a polka record and then make a classical record. That's a bit too extreme."

Having collaborated on eight of the ten selections on Stay With Me, it's obvious that Lington's original compositions reveal his gift as a musician. However, song writing is not an easy process for the talented saxophonist.

"I don't want to say that composing music comes easy for me because I take a lot of time doing it and not always do I love it," Lington said. "To me, it's a long process because it's very hard to make something out of nothing. If you don't have a good song to begin with, it doesn't really matter who produces it, or who plays on it or what type of arrangement you do on it, it's just never going to really do its thing."

Because song writing is such a long process for Lington, he welcomes and seeks out collaboration with other talented songwriters," he said.

"I love to collaborate on songs," Lington said. "Where I may slow down, somebody else may pick up. There's always the surprising element of something I've never thought of. If I just sat and wrote all the songs myself, they all would probably be similar songs. I don't think I can take them to the next level. I like the fact that somebody comes in and says, 'Check this out.'"

Yet the creative process of song composition comes in different ways for Lington, he said.

"It could be me picking up the saxophone and playing a melody I'm hearing and then trying to find the chords to it," he said. "It could be me sitting down at the piano. It could be me composing a chorus of a song and then sending it to a friend of mine asking if he could come up with a verse. Or someone will send me a verse idea and I'll finish off with a chorus. Once I started out with just a title for a song and the only thing I ended up with is the title. I recomposed the song. That song, Twice In A Lifetime, became one of the bigger hits that I had from my album, Vivid.  With the exception of the signature sound at the beginning of the song, that and the title were the only things that were kept."

With 36 published songs to his credit, Lington still gets tingly after hearing his songs put on wax, he said.

"There's nothing I enjoy more than after a song is written and recorded and I think to myself, 'How in the world did I write this song? This is cool!'" he said. "I came to America 15 years ago just wanting to make it as a musician. I never thought I'd be a songwriter. It's interesting for me to see with each record that my catalog is growing. I think to myself, 'Wow! I wrote all these songs!' This is very exciting. I never thought I'd be doing this."

Michael Lington and Brian Culbertson, left, get things heated up

during one of their many concert dates last year.

While working on the album, Everything Must Change, Lington has enjoyed a close working and personal relationship with keyboardist/producer/songwriter Brian Culbertson. Lington toured extensively with Culbertson throughout much of 2004 as a featured artist gaining high visibility with the Smooth Jazz giant as well as an education. 

"Brian is nothing short of a genius," Lington said. "He is very, very talented. He's an outstanding producer and incredible songwriter. He is really good at producing a show. He understands what people want and what works. He's only 32 years old which is pissing me off! (laughs) Nobody that young should be that good! We have made some really wonderful records together. We had a lot of fun touring together. I love to work with him again."

As Lington rides high on the crest of Stay With Me, he is not one to rest on his laurels. He has already begun writing music for a new recording project, he said.

"I haven't decided in what way I could go," Lington said. "I could be writing for a project down the line if I decide to something different. There's one particular project that I have in mind that I'm working on. Again, that could be two records from now or it could be the next record. I don't know yet. Right now, I'm basically just writing for Album Number 5. As time progresses, we'll see where it takes us. I have so many ideas of different things that I'd like to do and hopefully people will come with me on my journey."

And Lington's professional barometer seems to be right on course. As 2005 begins, it will prove to be a very important year for him to establish himself on his own merits. The year will basically showcase Michael Lington as a solo artist.

"It's another leap for me," he said. "It's another move I have to do in order to continue raising the bar."

For up to date information on the saxophonist's 2005 touring schedule, log on to Lington's official website at: www.michaellington.com   

Continuing raising the bar is just another step on Lington's incredible musical journey, he said.

"Remember this," he said. "I came to the U.S. when I was 21 years old wanting to make a living as a musician. I never had an idea I'd be doing albums, being a solo artist, writing songs. Obviously, once I had reached that goal, I had to set new goals for myself. Now, it's amazing to have this career that is really, really exciting. My journey has been worth every struggle and everything I had experienced in trying to get there. I wouldn't want to trade it for anything."

As Lington continues on his musical journey making inspiring and infectious music along the way, the best is yet to come. More chart-topping collaborative efforts will no doubt take place. More hit albums will be recorded. More dazzling display of saxophonia will mesmerize his listeners. More hearts will be touched. That is Lington's contribution to the jazz genre.

"The best compliment I can receive is when people tell me that they are really feeling what I'm playing," Lington said. "In other words, they don't me superficial. At live concerts, people will come to me and say that I touched their hearts or what I've played has gone straight through them. I want to be known as a genuine person. I want to be known as 'the real deal.' It's very important to me project the integrity and honesty of who I am and my music. I really play to try to reach deep within me and give everything I got. I'm so grateful that people are there and have decided to come to my concerts. With all the other opportunities out there like going to the movies or going dancing, they've decided to come to my concert. I want to give them the best experience they ever had. When people pick up on the honesty and tell me about it, it's very thrilling for me. Getting people to feel  -  that, hopefully, is my contribution."

*****

***  Saxophonist Michael Lington and his band will perform on Saturday, January 30, 2005 at the Radisson Hotel, 500 Leisure Lane, Sacramento at 8 p.m. Call 1-800-333-3333 for ticket information.  ***