This week irocku is pleased to offer a song, “Living In A Dream”, by Chuck Leavell and his band, Sea Level. As the 1970’s unfolded rock music was beginning an experimental phase as musicians began to explore the possibilities of fusing elements of jazz and rock together.
Miles Davis first melded these two worlds in 1969 with his groundbreaking recording, ”In a Silent Way”, and followed it with the equally groundbreaking, ”Bitches Brew”. By the mid 1970’s bands like Return to Forever, Weather Report, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, were bringing this improvisational format to the traditional rock audience with tangible success. “Living in a Dream” from the album, On The Edge is a great example of two musical worlds coming together in a dreamy, funk infused melody steeped in southern traditions of soul and R&B. Sea Level emerged following the break-up of The Allman Brothers Band in 1976 when ex-members, Chuck Leavell, Lamar Williams and Jaimoe joined forces with others to explore new musical horizons. It is hard to listen to “Living In A Dream” without being transported to a higher plane of consciousness, a temporary reprieve from reality, smoothing out the rough edges of life with soulful experimentation that transcends convention and points to the possibilities of artistic expression. Anyone who has ever played an instrument can relate to this concept, as it is what draws us to music in the first place, it is the world of creative expression that allows us to live in a dream world, where the only limits we have are the ones we place on our own imagination. By 1981, Sea Level had run it’s course and Chuck Leavell would hook-up with The Rolling Stones and the rest is rock and roll history, but for a brief time, Sea Level explored a new wonderful world of musical expression: enjoy, “Living In A Dream,” and may your musical journey know no boundaries!
Written by Randall Bramblett
Used by Permission
Learn how to play rock and blues piano from one of rock’s greatest. Chuck Leavell, legendary keyboardist for The Rolling Stones, The Allman Bros, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, and more.
Practice Schedule
Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. Spend time practicing the runs up and down the different scales in this lesson.
The above video is a preview from the lesson. Every lesson includes a groove chart that teaches how to play the song with a rock band, a rock theory and dexterity exercise, an improvisation, and a full arrangement of the song itself. All lessons include instructional videos as well as the sheet music.
Practice Schedule
Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. Spend time practicing the runs up and down the different scales in this lesson.
The above video is a preview from the lesson. Every lesson includes a groove chart that teaches how to play the song with a rock band, a rock theory and dexterity exercise, an improvisation, and a full arrangement of the song itself. All lessons include instructional videos as well as the sheet music.
Practice Schedule
Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. Spend time practicing the runs up and down the different scales in this lesson.
The above video is a preview from the lesson. Every lesson includes a groove chart that teaches how to play the song with a rock band, a rock theory and dexterity exercise, an improvisation, and a full arrangement of the song itself. All lessons include instructional videos as well as the sheet music.
Practice Schedule
Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. Spend time practicing the runs up and down the different scales in this lesson.
The above video is a preview from the lesson. Every lesson includes a groove chart that teaches how to play the song with a rock band, a rock theory and dexterity exercise, an improvisation, and a full arrangement of the song itself. All lessons include instructional videos as well as the sheet music.
Practice Schedule
Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. Spend time practicing the runs up and down the different scales in this lesson.
The above video is a preview from the lesson. Every lesson includes a groove chart that teaches how to play the song with a rock band, a rock theory and dexterity exercise, an improvisation, and a full arrangement of the song itself. All lessons include instructional videos as well as the sheet music.
Practice Schedule
Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. Spend time practicing the runs up and down the different scales in this lesson.
The above video is a preview from the lesson. Every lesson includes a groove chart that teaches how to play the song with a rock band, a rock theory and dexterity exercise, an improvisation, and a full arrangement of the song itself. All lessons include instructional videos as well as the sheet music.
Practice Schedule
Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. Spend time practicing the runs up and down the different scales in this lesson.
The above video is a preview from the lesson. Every lesson includes a groove chart that teaches how to play the song with a rock band, a rock theory and dexterity exercise, an improvisation, and a full arrangement of the song itself. All lessons include instructional videos as well as the sheet music.
Practice Schedule
Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. Spend time practicing the runs up and down the different scales in this lesson.
The above video is a preview from the lesson. Every lesson includes a groove chart that teaches how to play the song with a rock band, a rock theory and dexterity exercise, an improvisation, and a full arrangement of the song itself. All lessons include instructional videos as well as the sheet music.
This fella should do a version of Sea Level’s Scarborough Fair. He’s really good.
Thank you for the suggestion. Sea Level’s version of Scarborough Fair is awesome. We add it to our list of potential lessons and request licenses from the publisher. Keep rockin!