Howard Levy

"The lyrical genius of the trumpet"​ - Chicago Tribune Goode juxtaposes the lyrical with the angular, fireworks with introspection and virtuosity with understatement." - Downbeat “Tired of hearing trumpet clones of Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard? Want a cliché’-free style? Try the fresh style of Brad Goode. It’s got power and swing, tenderness and depth. Despite the challenges posed by attempting to remain cliché’-free, Goode manages to be quite fluid in his improvisations. His fertile imagination is carried by a seemingly effortless command of the trumpet.” “Goode’s high rev brain spins out musical ideas with a consistency that’s eerie. It isn’t just the harmonic and melodic twists he puts on his material that makes him so riveting; he sends the tunes he plays through a sparkling kaleidoscope of rhythmic changes. … Goode’s trumpet would send Gabriel back to the practice room.”- LEe brown THE COLUMBUS OTHER PAPER Brad learned Jazz through the time-honored system of apprenticeship. His participation in this tradition was extensive, lasting well into his thirties. During his apprenticeship years, he toured and recorded with the bands of Von Freeman, Red Rodney, Eddie Harris, Ira Sullivan, Curtis Fuller, Jack DeJohnette, Ernie Krivda, Eddie Johnson, Rosemary Clooney, Barrett Deems and the Woody Herman Orchestra, among others. Brad led his own combo in Chicago from 1985 until 1998, including a twelve-year stint as leader of the house band at the Green Mill. As a Cultural Ambassador for Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago, he led jazz groups on tours of Asia and the Middle East. He was named one of the most influential Chicagoans of the 1980s by the Chicago Tribune, who credited him as a “major catalyst in the revitalization of the Chicago jazz scene.” Brad’s work as a musician has taken many forms. As a freelance musician, he has performed extensively as a first trumpeter for big bands, salsa groups, symphony orchestras, musical theatre productions, and commercial recordings. As a soloist, he is equally comfortable playing Traditional Jazz, Swing, Bebop, Fusion, Free Jazz, Klezmer, Pop, and Classical, possessing a memorized repertoire of hundreds of songs in each genre. He is active as a bassist as well, in a variety of contexts. Brad currently tours with the bands of Canadian vocalist Matt Dusk and West African drummer Paa Kow, and with his own quintet featuring legendary saxophonist Ernie Watts. 2-time Grammy award-winning pianist, diatonic harmonica player, composer Howard Levy, two-time Grammy Award Winner (Pop Music Performance and Instrumental Composition) is an acknowledged master of the diatonic harmonica, a superb pianist, innovative composer, educator and producer. At the age of 19, he discovered how to play the diatonic harmonica as a fully chromatic instrument by developing techniques on it that had never existed before. This enabled Howard to take the harmonica out of its usual role as a Folk and Blues instrument, and into the worlds of Jazz, Classical, Middle Eastern music, and more. His discovery unlocked infinite possibilities for the harmonica world. At home in many musical styles, he is a favorite with audiences worldwide and a recording artist sought after by Kenny Loggins, Dolly Parton, Paquito D’Rivera, Styx, Donald Fagen, Paul Simon, and many others. Howard has appeared on hundreds of CD’s and several movie soundtracks, most prominently on A Family Thing with Robert Duval and James Earl Jones. Howard has released 20 albums under his own name, capturing his versatility and innovation as a musician and composer. His solo album Alone and Together and his trio album Tonight and Tomorrow both received 4-star reviews in DownBeat. Howard also recorded a classical CD featuring his Concerto for Diatonic Harmonica and Orchestra—the first true concerto composed for the instrument. His recent composition, Eastern European Harmonica and Piano Concerto for Single Soloist, is set to premiere in April 2025. Eric Hochberg has performed and/or recorded with the likes of - Vocalists - Terry Callier, Kurt Elling, Barbra Streisand, Cassandra Wilson, Mark Murphy, Bob Dorough, Bobbi Wilsyn, Joanie Pallato, Patricia Barber, Tierny Sutton, Jackie Allen, Janice Siegal, Sheila Jordan, Bobby McFerrin, Bonnie Koloc, Grazyna Augucik, Bernard Fowler, Paul Marinaro, Diane Reeves, Dee Alexander, Rebecca Parris, Leni Andrade, Jay Clayton, Janice Borla, Ben Sidran, Claudia Schmidt, Laury Shelley, Kathy Kosins, Typhanie Monique, Alyssa Allgood, Spider Saloff, Stephanie Browning, Laury Shelly, Sarah Marie Young, Angel Spiccia, Cheryl Wilson, Yvonne Gage Saxophonists - Pharaoh Sanders, Von Freeman, Chico Freeman, Cannonball Adderly, Charles McPherson, Joshua Redman, Jerry Bergonzi, Mark Colby, Joe Daley, Steve Eisen, Rich Fudoli, Paul McCandless, Donny McCaslin, Bob Mintzer, Dave Liebman, Sam Rivers, Tim Reis, Eric Marienthal, Rick Margitza, Ari Brown, Bob Sheppard, Sonny Fortune, Rich Corpolongo, Roger Rosenberg, Lew Tabackin, Earnest Dawkins, Eric Schneider, Geof Bradfield, Herb Geller, Eric Alexander, Frank Catalano, Tim Ries, Jon Irabagon, Ernie Watts, Victor Goines, Jim Snidero, Melissa Aldana, Bill Overton, Greg Ward Pianists - Lyle Mays, Steve Kuhn, Howard Levy, Laurence Hobgood, Steve Million, Bill Carrothers, Alan Pasqua, Larry Novak, Henry Butler, Anthony Molinaro, Willie Pickens, John Young, Jon Weber, Michael Weiss, Mike Garson, Jeremy Kahn, Erma Thompson, Roberto Magris, Jodie Christian, John Campbell Drummers - Paul Wertico, Peter Erskine, Jack DeJohnette, Joey Baron, Gary Novak, Rusty Jones, Mark Walker, Brian Blade, Don Moye, Ed Thigpen, Alejo Poveda, Ernie Adams, Dana Hall, Makaya McCraven, Michael Raynor, George Brown, Stan Gage, George Fludas, Bob Rummage, Robert Shy, Mo Jennings, John Von Olen Guitarists - Pat Metheny, Bobby Broom, Larry Coryell, Russell Malone, John Moulder, John McLean, Dave Onderdonk, Andy Brown, Fareed Haque, Chris Siebold, Emily Remler, Ernie Denov, Dave Miller, Matt Gold, Henry Johnson, Curtis Robinson Trumpeters - Jon Faddis, Claudio Roditi, Bobby Shew, Tom Harrell, Randy Brecker, Don Ellis, Bobby Lewis, Marquis Hill, Brian Lynch, Lester Bowie, Russ Johnson, Victor Garcia, Tito Carillo, Art Hoyle, Orbert Davis, Art Davis, Rob Parton, Mark Ohlsen, Chad McCollough, Brad Goode, Marques Carroll Trombonists - David Baker, Tom Garling, Russ Phillips, Andy Baker, Tim Coffman, Scott Reeves, Jeb Bishop Misc. Instruments - Howard Levy harmonica, Johnny Frigo violin, Ken Nordine word jazz, Gregoire Maret, harmonica, Mark Feldman violin, Larry Gray cello, Ryan Shultz bass trumpet, Scott Reeves alto flugelhorn, Michal Urbaniak violin, Jim Walker flute, Paul Berliner mbira, Dave Samuels vibes, Dave Valentin flute, Joe Rendon perc, Ruben Alvarez perc, Geraldo De Oliviera perc Drummer Michael Raynor has been immersed in the Chicago jazz scene since moving there in 1988. After hearing tenor saxophone icon Von Freeman on the radio late one night, he found his way down to Von's weekly gig at the New Apartment Lounge on Chicago's south side and sat in with the band. Three days later Von asked him to the studio to record "Walkin' Tuff" (Southport Records), and Raynor has been his regular drummer ever since. A later recording with Von, "The Improviser" (Premonition Records), was included in Downbeat Magazine's "Best CDs of 2002." His association with Von lead to numerous gigs with other Chicago greats including Eddie Johnson, John Young, Jodie Christian, Johnny Frigo, Bobby Broom, Charles Earland, Ryan Cohan, and Fareed Haque. Over the course of his career, he has also worked with a host of New York and Internationally based musicians such as Johnny Griffin, Freddie Hubbard, Sam Rivers, Ira Sullivan, Steve Coleman, Jon Faddis, Eric Alexander, Bob Sheppard, Rick Margitza, and Arturo Sandoval. Raynor began working with vocalist Kurt Elling in 1996 with a weekly engagement at Chicago's Green Mill Lounge, and over the next four years the group toured extensively throughout North America, Europe, Scandinavia, and Australia. He can be heard on three of Elling's recordings for the Blue Note label, including "Live In Chicago," which features, among others, vocalese master Jon Hendricks.