Spotlight: Michael Lington

Saxophonist Michael Lington continues to innovate and exhilarate on the smooth jazz scene.

His latest 2025 EP release, “On the Scene,” promises to follow the success of his 2024 single, “South Bay,” which made history as one of the longest-running (seven weeks) #1 singles on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Airplay chart.

The Danish-born saxophonist initially considered following his hit 2023 EP “Looking Ahead” (his first shorter-form release after 12 albums) with another full-length project. Yet when he began composing new songs with some favorite collaborators, they felt more like a continuation rather than, as he calls it, “a brand-new situation.” As the sessions took shape, it became clear that the five tracks on Lington’s new EP “On the Scene” collectively create the ideal companion piece to the vibe his fans so powerfully embraced on the earlier release.

Launching his career in the 90s touring with the late Bobby Caldwell and Randy Crawford, Lington’s rise in the genre began with his breakthrough album Vivid, which included the Top 5 singles “Twice in a Lifetime” and “Sunset (Por Do Sol).” After years of recording hit albums and singles for various labels, in 2014 he established his own label, Copenhagen Music, releasing Soul Appeal (which produced four hit radio singles), Second Nature, and Silver Lining, an audio love letter to the city and sound of Memphis. His 14-album discography also includes Alone Together, an audio companion to his weekly pandemic-era StageIt shows featuring duets with top soul and jazz artists. He is currently hosting his own weekly radio show on smoothjazz247.com and throughout his career has performed with everyone from Michael Bolton to Barry Manilow.

Lington is engaged in various philanthropic activities, including performing fundraising concerts for the Children’s Starlight Foundation.

In 2024, he launched a special guest concert series called “Sax To Soul” at Spaghettini Jazz Club in Seal Beach, CA, an evening that starts with his own show and then brings on his special guests, which this year includes Boney James, Ruben Studdard, Kandace Springs, and Kenny Lattimore.

Michael Lington will join us at Middle C Jazz on Sunday April 27th. 
For a little more about Michael, visit his website…

If you can’t make it in person, watch from your living room via Middle C On Demand livestream of the Saturday late show. More…

Preview of Keiko Matsui from her last visit to Middle C Jazz.