Stewart Levine
Musician and producer Stewart Levine was born in the Bronx and is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied theory and met longtime friend and collaborator Hugh Masekela. In the mid ‘60s, the two created the Chisa record label, where they manifested their love of Third World artists and African rhythms. The 1968 hit record “The Promise of a Future”, which Masekela recorded and Levine produced, as well as the hit “Grazing in the Grass”, became breakthrough classics in the world music genre.
When Levine began his collaboration with the Jazz Crusaders, he built on his heavy percussive work developed with Masekela to produce most of the Crusaders ‘70s output. It was at this point in 1975 he brought original tapes to Bernie Grundman at A&M Studios at the recommendation of a valued opinion. Previously, vinyl acetates did not compare to the original tapes he had recorded in the studio, and he had been to about every other studio in town.
Bernie’s small mastering “suite” was, as Stewart says “the size of a postage stamp and I was less than impressed until I got home with my “ref” and for the very first time in my career, I had a “record” that sounded like my tapes. We have been working together ever since that day!”.
The Chisa label was eventually bought out by the Blue Thumb label, and Levine extended his career as an independent producer in jazz fusion with the Dixie Dregs, classic albums with blues legend B.B. King, and in the ‘80’s with U.K. neo-soul band Simply Red.
During countless hours in the studio, Stewart Levine and Bernie Grundman discovered that they shared a passion for Italian espresso and the great sounding records of the “Golden Age of Recording”: the late 1950’s. They would meet on Saturday mornings at Stewart’s home, drink fine coffee and talk endlessly about the beauty of the recordings made during this era. It is from these meetings that they finally decided to get together and try to create some “new” memorable moments where worthy music and great sound come together. To quote Stewart, “It is no coincidence that most great albums combine these two ingredients”.
