Aaron Lington

Baritone Saxophonist - Composer - Arranger - Educator

Reviews

Originally hailing from San Francisco and Nova Scotia, the co-leaders of the newly-minted Bicoastal Collective (Paul Tynan and Aaron Lington) met in Texas and later formed a band with college acquaintances, also hailing from throughout North America. After an introductory (and outstanding) jazz waltz that sounds like a small big band is at work, the collective moves into a long series of pieces showcasing elements of sound throughout trumpeter Paul Tynan's development and career. The movements build slowly one by one, increasing in energy and in ornamentation as they go, and increasing the influence of the trumpet to the overall sound. This is where the album really starts to pick up. Bit by bit, the band adds their individual elements, growing careful grooves and solos along the way. The collection of instruments in the band gives a nice range of possible coloration to the affair, and the bandleaders make full use of that along the way with their compositions (all originals on the album). The color is there throughout, though the energy ebbs and flows a bit. There's a lot of potential in the outfit and in the concept, but there's more development to be had still. Be on the lookout for a future "Chapter Two" and see where the collective has gone.
---Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide

As I’ve mentioned before, there are a large number of enormously talented yet largely unsung Jazz musicians hidden in various nooks and crannies all over this great country of ours, and here are five more, capably led by baritone saxophonist Aaron Lington. I can’t say much about the album (there are no liner notes) aside from the fact that it was recorded in San Jose, CA, and that all of the compositions are Lington’s. What I do know from listening is that Lington and his companions are topnotch musicians who deserve a far wider audience than this enterprise is likely to draw. If comparisons are to be made, one must concede that Lington is a stylistic and sonic replica of the late Nick Brignola, while trumpeter Paul Tynan has the technical fluency and crystalline sound of a Bobby Shew or Marvin Stamm. Similarities aside, each has his own message to impart, and does so quite persuasively. I said these were five talented musicians, an observation that bears repeating. The rhythm section is exceedingly perceptive and compatible, while pianist Dahveed Behroozi is a classy soloist who bears watching (and rewards listening). While none of Lington’s compositions are likely to become a standard, Jazz or otherwise, each of them is pleasant enough and serves its purpose, which is to give the players a well-equipped stage on which to perform. These gentlemen are by no means amateurs, and this is a pleasurable album of largely mellow, yet invigorating post-Bop Jazz.
---Jack Bowers, Cadence – August 2006, Vol. 32, No. 8, p. 112

Baritone saxophonist Aaron Lington was revelatory. He obviously relishes the beautiful, blustery bark of his instrument and his solos careened through the music, rubbing against the orchestra.
---Richard Scheinin, San Jose Mercury News

Aaron Lington has a distinctive voice on the baritone saxophone. He plays it with the grace and precision of a smaller horn. His ideas are filled with the richness of the saxophone tradition, yet are uniquely his, presented in a modern framework. Lington's compositions have interesting melodic shapes and colorful harmonies. His playing and his composing deserve to be heard and experienced by a much wider audience. Hopefully with his new CD, Cape Breton, he will do just that.
---Woody Witt, Apria Records Recording Artist

[Cape Breton] is a CD for jazz lovers who want to kick back and be engulfed with comfortable fresh sounds and swinging combo jazz. What a fine concept - perfectly executed.
--Ron Lipka, International Trumpet Guild Journal, March 2007

The Baritone Saxophone, with its deep, low-end range, does not find itself the center of attention very often. There are simply too few practitioners at the soloist level. Thus a new voice on the instrument is definitely worth noting. But Mr. Lington’s album is much more than a showcase for the instrument, though he does play it amazingly well. Cape Breton is an ensemble record on which the leader presents a well-conceived collection of original music played to perfection by a swinging Bay Area jazz quintet. The character of the album is one that would suit both those of the connoisseur and those who just appreciate the sound of swinging, spacious jazz music.
--Andrew Lienhard, www.jazzhouston.com

On VIBE OVER PERFECTION, Jamie Davis creates a classy, intimate setting that spotlights his vocal range -  tenor, baritone and  bass – on 9 great standards. Davis is blessed with an exquisite, full-bodied voice that swings, soothes and seduces with strong sonority. The songs are technically proficient, sweet, powerful and melodic, and leave you feeling really good! His updates of such great standards as “Blue Skies,” “Move To The Outskirts of Town,” and Sly Stone’s “If You Want Me To Stay” swing with easy, jazzy rhythms, while his approach to one of the greatest ballads ever written - “Round Midnight” - is an innovative experience that features his artistry and mastery of singing jazz with bluesy passion and soulful yearning. Accompanied by a wonderful orchestra conducted by Shelly Berg, Davis gets inside of each song and makes them pleasing and entertaining. Davis gives “Hello” (the huge hit for Lionel Ritchie) a brand new style and emotional feeling that proves his ability to interpret songs from a wide array of musical genres.  This song is absolutely beautiful and Shelly Berg does an excellent job with the solid jazz arrangement by Aaron Lington. “Nature Boy” swings hard to complete this dynamic set yet offers the listener another reason to hit that replay button! Check it out. VIBE OVER PERFECTION is amazing in every way and should be in your jazz collection.
---www.soundsoftimelessjazz.com

A truly stunning arrangement of Lionel Richie’s “Hello” is [Vibe over Perfection's] highest point. Davis caresses the lyrics and the longing in his voice is accentuated by subtle variations in his timbre and by the accompaniment whose sound on this cut can best be described as haunting hopefulness.
---The Daily Republic, August 1, 2008

Jamie Davis is one of a dying breed – a true, big band jazz singer who carries the flame championed by the likes of Johnny Hartman, Jimmy Witherspoon, Joe Williams, Big Joe Turner and Jimmy Rushing. Like all those past masters, San Francisco's Davis knows how to make his material swing and when his soulful vocals are supported by a sympathetic big band, there are fewer sounds more satisfying in modern popular music. Here the band –made up chiefly of players that go on the road as the Count Basie Orchestra – is magnificent and on a varied selection of tunes taken from the great American song book (old and new), singer and players do create the elusive and magical vibe implied in the LP's title. Familiar standards like 'Pennies From Heaven' and 'Blue Skies' swing like they've rarely swung before while on modern pop classics – like Burt Bacharach's 'The Look Of Love' -Davis forces you to look at the tune in a whole new way. Soul collectors will need to grab a listen too to there working of Lou Rawls' ever-lovely 'You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine'. Faster, bigger and much brasher than the original, it proves that a good, well-crafted song will always satisfy, intrigue and reveal new nuances no matter what its setting. The most remarkable cut here though is a version of Lionel Ritchie's 'Hello'. Often(and many would say rightly) the song is dismissed as maudlin and overwrought, but Aaron Lington's arrangement creates an appropriate level of sensitivity without resort to cloying sentimentality. The other featured songs are the jazz standard 'Round Midnight', the blues classic 'I'm Going To Move To The Outskirts Of Town', the perennial 'Nature Boy' and Sly Stone's 'If You Want Me To Stay'. In 1968 the great Jackie Wilson recorded a remarkable album with Count Basie; if you liked that – I'm confident that you'll dig this one too.
---www.soulandjazzandfunk.com