Adam Levy Performs and Teaches “Sidewalk Chalk” | Acoustic Guitar Sessions

Adam Levy, a versatile artist known for his roles as a guitarist, singer-songwriter, composer, and music educator, is a jazz musician at heart. Not too long ago he wrote a new set of tunes in preparation for realizing his dream of recording an instrumental jazz trio album.

You can hear the outstanding results on Spry, available on Levy’s Bandcamp page, with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Joey Baron. On the album, Levy primarily plays the 1964 Gibson ES-335 that has been his faithful companion for many years. But for a couple of the tracks he uses a new acquisition—his Collings DS2HA SB, a 12-fret rosewood dreadnought with a sunburst-finished Adirondack top—and it shines in this context.

In this Sessions video, Levy, with the Collings at hand, teaches how to play one of his new compositions. As shown below in notation, “Sidewalk Chalk” is a lovely waltz with a beautiful set of chord changes. It’s also quite approachable and, like so much of Levy’s work, is a joy to play.

Adam Levy’s latest book is String Theories: Tips, Challenges, and Reflections for the Lifelong Guitarist.