Silver Lining Michael Lington

A native of Denmark, saxophonist Michael Lington is a purveyor of contemporary jazz. The grandson of well-known Danish bandleader Otto Lington -- an early proponent of jazz in Scandinavia -- Lington began performing at a young age as a member of the world-renowned Tivoli Boys Guard. His involvement with the prestigious orchestra earned him a musical education that he later pursued at college. After finishing his degree, he ran his own recording studio while touring throughout Europe. Lington moved to Los Angeles in 1990, where -- with the assistance of musician/producer Mark Schulman -- he became heavily involved with the contemporary jazz scene, soon performing regularly with vocalist Bobby Caldwell. His self-titled debut album was released on NuGroove Records, followed by Vivid in 2000, Everything Must Change in 2002, and Stay with Me in 2004.

A Song for You appeared in 2006, followed in 2008 by Heat, which garnered him a nomination for instrumentalist of the year at the 2009 Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards. In 2012, he delivered his eighth studio album, Pure, featuring guest appearances by Michael Bolton, Lee Ritenour, Jeff Golub, and others. Two years later, he formed his own Copenhagen Music label for the release of Soul Appeal. In 2016, Lington returned with his second Copenhagen Music effort, Second Nature, featuring appearances from Booker T. Jones, Ray Parker, Jr., Sy Smith, and Taylor Dayne. ~ Matt Collar