What happens when you pair a rock ‘n’ roll guitarist with a classically trained cellist and hear them play jazz?
You get the greatest duo. Ever.
Levi Burkle and James Hinkley are musicians who both didn’t even start playing music until they were 20 years old. They are now accomplished musicians who can pull all forms of music out of their respective hats. As “The Greatest Duo Ever,” they will perform an evening of jazz standards at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 24, at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts in Langley.
Besides playing steadily with Burkle, Hinkley is also a member of the jazz ensemble “Billet Deux,” and plays often with various orchestras in the area.
Burkle is a guitarist and singer/songwriter who started a rock band, “New Spies From China,” besides playing gigs with Hinkley and on his own.
“The Greatest Duo Ever” will be playing an evening of mostly jazz standard duos from the likes of Duke Ellington, George Gershwin and Irving Berlin along with a few Burkle originals.
“There is a cool connection when we play together,” Hinkley said. “It’s interesting because we’re so different as individuals and even though we’re both doing so many different things musically, this is a chance to show off that connection.”
The song selection emphasizes great vocal harmonies. Hinkley said that Burkle’s voice is well-suited to the jazzier tunes, though he’s also a great balladeer and rock-’n-roll belter, too.
“A lot of people know him as a rock singer or are used to hearing him in the singer/songwriter style. But his voice works so well on these jazz standards. This is a side of his voice that most people haven’t heard yet,” Hinkley said.
At 29, Burkle is only nine years into having first picked up a guitar. But he said he is certain that this is what he wants to do with his life.
“Music is everything to me,” Burkle said. My music is hard to classify. One song could be a swingin’ jazz tune, the next could be rock, then a nice acoustic ballad. You never really know what you’re gonna get, but you will always get a part of me in every song.”
Burkle has commissioned Dennis Zimmerman to create the posters for his shows. The posters are as original as the pair of musicians themselves, using color, text and a unique drawing style to create an interesting mix that fuses the classic rock posters of the ’60s with a modern twist.
“The Greatest Duo Ever” happened to meet while they were both living in Helena, Mont. about five years ago. They ended up touring together, coming through the Seattle area before stumbling upon Whidbey Island. Without much coaxing they both decided to stay on the island and continue their musical endeavors; three years have since passed and the pair have found Whidbey a good fit. There is great support for artists in the island community and both of these musicians feel it.
“There is one sweet elderly couple who love my jazz singing,” Burkle recalled. “One time, I pulled out one of my rock songs in the end of the performance and afterwards they said to me: ‘Oh, we even liked the rock songs!’”
“The Greatest Duo Ever” play one night only. Tickets are $10. Call 221-8268 or visit www.WICAonline.com for more information.
Patricia Duff can be reached at 221-5300 or pduff@southwhidbeyrecord.com.
