Danish sax man bakes up some delicious smooth jazz
- Michael Lington was born in Copenhagen, Denmark on June 11, 1969.
- He began his musical career at the age of seven playing the clarinet. He was a member of the distinguished Danish youth orchestra, the Tivoli Boys Guard for seven years. For his efforts, he received a gold medal. When he was 15, he became influenced by saxophone players David Sanborn and King Curtis. He also took an interest in American soul music artists, such as Sam Cooke, Wilson Pickett and Ray Charles. That interest precipitated his decision to take on the saxophone.
- After attending college, Lington co-owned a recording studio and began touring throughout Europe regularly. He also participated in several of Denmark's Eurovision song contest entries.
- In 1990, Lington moved to the United States, settling in Los Angeles and became involved in the contemporary jazz scene. (He became a United States citizen in 2008.) He signed with Nugroove Records in 1996 and released his self-titled debut album a year later. The track, "Tell It Like It Is" (feat. Bobby Caldwell), tracked on Radio & Records Top 10 Contemporary Jazz list.
- In 2000, he released his 2nd album, ‘Vivid’, which produced two more singles, "Twice In A Lifetime" and "Sunset (Por Do Sol)". The album also featured Randy Crawford singing the Burt Bacharach/Hal David classic, "Message to Michael." In all, he released 12 solo albums, with his latest, “On The Scene” on his self-owned Copenhagen record label soon to be released this fall. Other notable artists he’s collaborated with includes Ray Parker Jr., Paul Jackson Jr., and Brian Culbertson. In 2019, he performed with Dave Koz and Friends: Gifts Of The Season Christmas tour. Artist icluded Jonathan Butler, Melissa Manchester and Chris Walker.
- In addition to music, Lington also manages his own wine company, ‘Lington Wines’, which is based in Paso Robles, California. He also manages ‘Michael Lington Cigars’, which manufactures its product in Honduras. He has served as a cigar columnist for Wine and Jazz magazine.
- For more information, go to michaellington.com
- For more on Michael Lington Cigars, go to his Facebook page.
- For more on Lington Wines, go to Vivino.com
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