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Michael Lington
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Michael Lington (born June 11, 1969) is a contemporary jazz saxophonist and recording artist.
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Lington is the grandson of jazz pioneer and Danish composer Otto Lington, bandleader for greats Shirley Bassey, Josephine Baker, and Fats Waller. Michael relocated to Los Angeles at age 21 and has enjoyed US and international success and an accomplished recording career, with six albums and 10 significant radio hits.
Lington has toured globally and recently performed at the Royal Wedding of Denmark's future King Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary Donaldson at Fredensborg Castle.
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Encyclopedia
Michael Lington (born June 11, 1969) is a contemporary jazz saxophonist and recording artist.
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Lington is the grandson of jazz pioneer and Danish composer Otto Lington, bandleader for greats Shirley Bassey, Josephine Baker, and Fats Waller. Michael relocated to Los Angeles at age 21 and has enjoyed US and international success and an accomplished recording career, with six albums and 10 significant radio hits.
Lington has toured globally and recently performed at the Royal Wedding of Denmark's future King Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary Donaldson at Fredensborg Castle.
Leaning strongly towards the pop side of jazz with Brazilian and Latin shadings, Lington plays a distinctive contemporary saxophone reaching a younger demographic than traditional jazz listeners and is emerging as a contemporary face of jazz.. A voting member of the Recording Academy (Grammy organization) for 10 years, Michael is also an aviation enthuisiast and ambassador/founder of Michael Lington Cigars, fine cigars commended by Californian Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Michael Lington headlined the Playboy Jazz Festival community event in Los Angeles June 1 2008 and won over the crowd with his high energy, charismatic show and serenade of audience members.
His newest album Heat was released September 2nd, 2008 by NuGroove distributed by Red/Sony to strong reviews, and nominated as Jazztrax Album of the Year for 2008. Michael's duet with Aaron Neville, That's When You Save Me, tied as Jazztrax Best Vocal Song of the Year.
Lington performed Baker Street from his Heat album on Jerry Lewis' Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon on Labor Day 2008, assisting to raise a record $65 million for the MDA. After the performance, Lewis praised Lington's rendition of Baker Street, which featured Grammy nominated vocalist and American Idol alumni Ace Young, saying: "Hey Michael! Beautiful, Michael! Beautiful music, great talent ... we're lucky we got them tonight."
You & I, the up-tempo first single from Heat rocketed to number 8 on the R&R chart after just 13 weeks and is still rising. It was named among ITunes most popular smooth jazz songs for 2008.
International Musician Magazine featured Lington on the cover of their November 2008 issue. IMM is the official publication of the American Federation of Musicians and circulated to registered musicians both nationwide and internationally. The accompanying article spoke of his pride in becoming an American citizen and extensive charitable work.
Lington was nominated for 2009's International Instrumentalist of the Year in December '08. The Canadian Smooth Jazz awards will be presented in April 2009 in Toronto, Canada, and voted on by the public.
Biography
Michael Lington defines the contemporary jazz experience. Since the late 90s, he’s scored hit after hit while seducing fans with passionate performances that turn his sax into a celebration of love and life. Fresh from the success of A Song for You, his dynamic, critically acclaimed 2006 collection of 70s pop covers featuring lush arrangements and a full orchestra, the Copenhagen native — who became a US citizen in March 2008, 18 years after emigrating from Denmark — went back to his sensual funk roots, with the Nu Groove album Heat.
Beyond his trademark mix of cool and explosive instrumentals, Lington crosses over into the mainstream pop/adult contemporary realm with two key vocal collaborations: That’s When You Save Me, an original track penned by hot young songwriter Claude Kelly (who has worked for Leona Lewis) that Lington performs with soul legend Aaron Neville, and a rock-edged twist on Gerry Rafferty’s classic Baker Street, with former American Idol finalist (and Grammy nominated songwriter) Ace Young. These sax/vocal tracks will remind longtime Lington fans of his early multi-format success with Tell It Like It Is which is, ironically, a song that Neville made famous and Lington and Bobby Caldwell’s version resulted in a Top 10 Jazz and Top 20 AC hit.
Lington co-produced seven of the tracks on Heat with legendary session keyboardist Greg Phillinganes, whose credits range from Quincy Jones’ The Dude and Michael Jackson’s Thriller, to Herbie Hancock’s Possibilities and Chris Botti’s To Love Again. Three other cuts are helmed by Keith Olsen, who has produced with artists such as Pat Benatar, Whitesnake and Fleetwood Mac.
Lington wrote the high energy Shout About Ya with Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe nominated team Allan Rich and Jud Friedman, and penned three songs with hitmakers Michael and Danny Sembello: the uptempo and summery Ocean Drive (think: South Beach fun in the sun), hauntingly beautiful ballad Nostalgia; and breezy, Brazilian flavored Chuva, meaning ‘rain’ in Portuguese. Michael Sembello travels to Brazil frequently and is good friends with Daniel Jobim, the grandson of legendary composer Antonio Carlos Jobim. Chuva’s composition began on the vintage piano where the elder Jobim composed his classic The Girl From Ipanema, and features an authentic Rio touch by popular guitarist Torcuato Mariano, born in Buenos Aires and raised in Brazil.
Other veteran musicians performing on 'Heat' are keyboardist Randy Waldman (who produced A Song For You), guitarists Michael Thompson and Kim Pierce, bassists Neil Stubenhaus and Nathan East and drummers Teddy Campbell and Vinnie Colaiuta. Lington also gives exposure to two up and coming female vocalists, U.K. born Keely Pressly (whose voice graces Shout About Ya) and Nashville based Janie Clewer.
The upper reaches of the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart and Radio & Records’ jazz chart are familiar territory for Lington, whose 2000 breakthrough disc Vivid featured the #2 hit Twice In A Lifetime and Sunset (Por Do Sol), which reached #4. Lington’s third release Everything Must Change was chosen one of 2002’s top contemporary jazz recordings by Jazziz magazine and spawned the Top 5 radio single Still Thinking Of You and the Top 30 hit Off The Hook. 2004’s Stay With Me, his first release on fellow sax superstar Dave Koz’s Rendezvous Music, remained on Billboards Contemporary Jazz chart for 24 weeks and yielded three major radio hits with Show Me (#2), Two Of A Kind (#2) and Pacifica (#6). A Song For You included two popular singles, It’s Too Late and Tell Me All About It, a duet with Koz.
If fans around the world sense something regal about Lington, it’s no doubt due to the upscale company he keeps. Lington -- whose stepfather was a drum major for the Queen’s guard and was recently knighted -- performed in his hometown of Copenhagen at the Queen of Denmark’s 50th Birthday celebration. He was later invited to perform at the wedding reception of Crown Prince Frederik, the country’s future king, at Fredensborg castle. Earlier this year, Lington did arena dates with longtime collaborator and contemporary jazz keyboardist Brian Culbertson opening for AC royalty Barry Manilow. Said Manilow of Lington's performance: "Michael Lington is one hell of a sax player! He absolutely brought down the house every night on my arena tour!"
Lington began playing clarinet at age seven and remembers spending time as a young boy, walking the streets of Copenhagen and talking about the music industry with his grandfather Otto Lington, a Danish jazz pioneer and bandleader for Shirley Bassey, Josephine Baker and Fats Waller, among many others. His grandfather’s rich jazz legacy, Lington’s classical training and a stint of touring in Europe inspired the young musician to move to the U.S. in 1990, at age 21. He soon began performing with Little Richard, Gary “U.S.” Bonds and Randy Crawford. Lington’s major breakthrough came with singer Bobby Caldwell, whom he played with from 1994 to 1998.
In between his busy slate of touring and recording dates, Lington lends his artistry to the The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation which raises funds for children’s music programs and provides instruments to public schools throughout the U.S. When not touring, Lington resides in Los Angeles with his Australian born wife, Shivaune Christina Lington.
Lington, a long time cigar lover, is the founder and ambassador of Michael Lington Cigars.
"For years I have been a passionate lover of great cigars so I am extremely proud to have created my own line of fine handmade cigars manufactured in Ecuador. The Michael Lington Classic is a blend of tobaccos from Ecuador with a Connecticut seed shade wrapper, mild in body and delightfully aromatic with a buttery finish. The Connoisseur is a medium blend of tobaccos from Ecuador and Honduras with an Ecuadorian Habano binder and sun-grown Corojo wrapper, beautifully dark in color with an oily finish. The cigars are made for the everyday smoker but also complex enough for the experienced smoker to enjoy over and over again."
Discography
| Year | Title |
|---|
| 2008 | Heat | | 2006 | A Song For You | | 2004 | Stay With Me | | 2002 | Everything Must Change | | 2000 | Vivid | | 1997 | Michael Lington |
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