The title of Marc Antoine's infectious and high-spirited new single "Levante" has a twofold meaning perfectly in synch with its joyful, grooving energy and feeling of a refreshing 2020s rebirth of the classic contemporary jazz style prevalent in the 80s and 90s. In Italian, the word means "rising," implying the rising of the sun in the East. It also refers to an Easterly wind that blows in the western Mediterranean Sea and southern France. The classical guitarist can see and feel the levante every morning from his home in Marbella in the South of Spain, where he and his family have lived since returning from Los Angeles during the pandemic. Automobile enthusiasts may be more inclined to think about "Levante" as the perfect soundtrack to a cruise along the coast in a Maserati Levante SUV. Having brought his hip, cosmopolitan vibe to the urban jazz realm for three decades, Antoine reflects the beauty and peaceful, laid-back flow of his life there with his breezy acoustic melody, which rides atop a dynamic production driven by the multiple keyboards (including Steinway piano, marimba and vibraphone) of the track's composer and producer Philippe Saisse. "Levante" is the latest collaboration between the two French-born artists over the course of their 30-year friendship. Starting with Saisse's production of Antoine's 2000 album Universal Language, the two have appeared on each other's recordings numerous times. Antoine played on Saisse's Grammy-nominated 2009 album At World's Edge and most recently the keyboardist's 2022 single "Lost Words." Saisse contributed to two songs on the guitarist's 2016 album Laguna Beach and "Velvet Night" on his 2021 collection Something About Her. When Antoine told Saisse he was getting ready to start working on a new project, the keyboardist sent him the original demo for "Levante," which the guitarist embraced immediately. Saisse built around the original mix of keyboards with an ensembled featuring his trademark coterie of famed artists and sidemen, including a horn section of Rick Braun (trumpet), Michael Davis (trombone) and David Mann (sax and flute), percussionist Gumbi Ortiz and bassist Luca Alemanno. Antoine, a huge fan of legendary drummer Omar Hakim for many years, was thrilled that Saisse tapped him for the foundation of that irrepressible groove. "Levante" was mixed by Go Hotoda and mastered by Colin Leonard. "Very much conveying the magic of a sunrise and morning breeze, I immediately felt the song's beautiful sense of peace and joy, and was drawn to its overall grooviness," Antoine says. "There was a lot of light in the music, and I loved its stress-free vibe. It's not a typical smooth jazz R&B sound, but I can see fans of that style enjoying the groove. Add to that a bit of Latin influence and Philippe's killer hook, and you can really feel the spirit of the 'Levante.' That I experience and enjoy every morning." - Jonathan Widran