JAZZ.FM91 will present Pet Sounds: Brian Wilson and the California Dream with Jeff Levenson at the Isabel Bader Theatre in Toronto, on Thursday, May 19.
“JAZZ.FM91 is proud of our commitment to promoting culture and education in our community. Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys is one of the most important and beautiful recordings in history and we didn’t want to miss this great opportunity to celebrate its 50th anniversary,” said Ross Porter, CEO & President of JAZZ.FM91.
This unique, multi-media analysis, led by passionate Beach Boys expert Jeff Levenson, will walk audience members through Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys’ pop masterpiece, featuring songs such as Wouldn’t it Be Nice and God Only Knows and their fascinating historical, cultural and musical resonances. Jeff will utilize rare audio and visual footage from studio and stage to share from his vast knowledge of Brian Wilson’s legacy and shed light on one of the Twentieth century’s most influential and enduring recordings.
Tickets for Pet Sounds: Brian Wilson and the California Dream with Jeff Levenson on Thursday, May 19 at the Isabel Bader Theatre are on sale now at www.jazz.fm, priced at $25 each.
Released in 1966 by The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds has long been hailed as one of the best records of all time. Its stunning vocal harmonies, ground breaking production, brilliant musical invention and lyrical sophistication paved the way for subsequent musical innovations, such as The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper album. “The big influence was Pet Sounds, Beach Boys … that was the album, flipped me and still does actually, it’s one of my favourite albums of all time. Just cause the musical invention on that, is like wow.” – Paul McCartney.
Jeff Levenson is a record label executive, writer-producer, educator and jazz journalist. His affiliations include posts at Half Note, Sony, Warner Bros, Downbeat, Billboard and The New School for Social Research. He has authored and/or produced events for the NEA, The US State Department, The White House and The Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. His credits include collaborations with jazz’s most noteworthy contributors – Michael Brecker, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Branford Marsalis, Bela Fleck, Arturo Sandoval, Lee Konitz and Joe Lovano, among them. His workshops and lectures, “Connecting The Dots: The Business of Jazz,” offer an insider’s view of the real-world considerations students face upon graduation: Career Management, Recording Opportunities; Record Production; Contact Development; Strategies for Managing Press, Publicity and Marketing. He is also a renowned expert on Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys and has presented lectures celebrating their seminal record, Pet Sounds.
JAZZ.FM91 is called “One of the most vibrant and versatile jazz stations on the planet” by Jazz Times. More than just a radio station, the JAZZ.FM91 enterprise is Canada’s only 24/7 jazz broadcaster and registered not-for-profit charitable arts organization dedicated to enriching the cultural, educational and community experience of their audience. JAZZ.FM91 can be heard live on the air at 91.1FM, streamed online at www.jazz.fm, or listened to on an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch with the free JAZZ.FM91 App and via the JAZZ.FM91 Android App, available for download from the Google Playstore.
