Howard Levy-Harmonica Jazz

Howard Levy (born July 31, 1951 in Brooklyn, New York City) is an American harmonicist, pianist, composer, and producer.

He is probably best known as a founding member of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones,[1] with whom he won a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for their live recording of their 1991 song “The Sinister Minister”. Levy more recently won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition in 2012 for “Life In Eleven”, a song which he co-wrote with Bela Fleck, featured on the Flecktones’ 2011 release “Rocket Science”.

He was the first to use the overblow and overdraw techniques for chromatic playing on the diatonic harmonica in the 1970s. These allow a harmonica player to obtain all the missing chromatic notes in the Richter-tuned diatonic harmonica.

In 1988, Levy co-founded the Flecktones, leaving the group in 1993. He has appeared on over 250 albums and has played on several movie soundtracks. In 2001, he composed the second concerto written for the diatonic harmonica (the first being William Russo’s Concerto for Blues Band and Orchestra). He has performed it many times with orchestras in the United States and Europe. As of 2009 Levy has rejoined the Flecktones as a touring member of the band, as well as for the band’s 2011 album, Rocket Science.

He is music director of the Latin/jazz group Chévere de Chicago whose first album was Secret Dream. Currently he also leads the band Acoustic Express, plays duo concerts with pianist Anthony Molinaro and guitarist Chris Siebold, and tours Europe with Michael Riessler and Jean-Louis Matinier. Levy has recorded or toured with Kenny Loggins, Donald Fagen, Bobby McFerrin, Sandip Burman, Dolly Parton, Dennis DeYoung, Paquito D’Rivera, Ben Sidran and Rabih Abou-Khalil.

He is the founder of Balkan Samba Records, which features the music of Howard Levy and Friends, including Fox Fehling, Chévere de Chicago, and Norman Savitt.

He continues to make frequent appearances on Garrison Keillor’s acclaimed radio program Prairie Home Companion.

He now teaches the Harmonica via the Howard Levy Harmonica School website.

Since 2005, Howard has collaborated with the Aitz Hayim Center for Jewish Living in Glencoe, IL for their High Holiday services.