Researched musician profile
About Brian Levy
San Diego State University identifies Levy as a tenor saxophonist, recording artist, and musicologist who became its Director of Jazz Studies and an associate professor in 2023. His training includes degrees in jazz performance from William Paterson University and Manhattan School of Music, a DMA from New England Conservatory, and a Brandeis musicology PhD.[1]
Before moving to SDSU, Levy taught at New England Conservatory from 2013 through 2023. The university profile also documents his long-running work with the Rick Hollander Quartet Featuring Brian Levy, three Laika Records albums, and the Oxford University Press improvisation text Chasin’ the Sound.[1]
Levy’s faculty page links his own YouTube channel and separates standards from original compositions including World as Will and Con. Those first-party performances provide a direct route into the saxophonist’s playing and writing.[1][2]
SDSU jazz studies
Levy has directed the university’s jazz program and served as associate professor since 2023.[1]
Rick Hollander Quartet
The institutional biography documents nearly twenty international tours and three albums with the European-based group.[1]
Chasin’ the Sound
SDSU identifies Levy as lead author of the Oxford University Press book on learning jazz improvisation through historical voices.[1]