La Rotonde
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Jesse Levine
Jesse Levine

Jesse
Levine

Jesse Levine is a Toronto-based musician and teacher. He plays keyboards, organ and piano but can also improvise on a variety of other instruments and electronics. Although he was encouraged to learn piano traditionally, and did to an extent, his favourite thing was and still is to sit at the piano and improvise for hours upon end. His musical styles range from hip hop to experimental electronic music, jazz, funk, and free improvisation. In Montreal, he has performed with various ensembles and musicians such as Sam Shalabi, John Heward, Alexander MacSween, and Michel F. Coté. He has also performed extensively as Kosher Dill Spears with his partner and wife Sarah Febbraro  Jesse recorded a full length album with Michel F. Coté’s groove-based band (Juste) Claudette, culminating in a live performance at the Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville (FIMAV)  He was part of the Sun Ra-influenced jazz outfit “Canaille” led by Jeremy Strachan in Toronto who released the album Practical Men. As a solo artist he has performed in Toronto, Chicago, and Montreal. His solo album Laughing and Crying was released on Thom Gill and Colin Fisher’s short lived Toronto-based label Love Nation and was mastered by Sandro Perri. In Toronto, Jesse performs at venues such as the Tranzac with his solo project and also with his funk-based trio Yeah You’re Right. His self-produced beat tapes and albums are available on Bandcamp.

Biography update :
Photo : courtesy

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