Journey from Clarinet to Charts with Michael Lington

Carl interviews Danish-born saxophonist Michael Lington, a multi-talented musician and entrepreneur. Michael shares his passion for music and his journey from playing the clarinet at age 7 to releasing his first album in 1997. Michael's music has made it to the charts 25 times, and he is a serial entrepreneur running a record label, wine company and cigar company. With an impressive career that spans decades, including success with his hit single, "Soul Appeal," spending 16 weeks at number one on the Billboard chart, Michael creates music that elevates certain genres while still considering commercial appeal.Discover Michael's policy of following his internal barometer when it comes to creating music, his love for jazz and funk music, and his latest album, "Looking Ahead," which was created during a period of intense personal changes for him. Plus, hear how his passion extends into Italian and French cuisine, as well as James Bond movies. You won't want to miss this unique conversation with the inspiring Michael Lington. Tune in now!Episode Highlights12:05 - I've been lucky because I had people approach me to partner with them on my own line of cigars and wine. So, it wasn't like I one day woke up saying, "Let me start a wine." They said, "Hey, I know you have a cigar company. How great would it be if you had a line of wines?" 24:35 - When I was younger, I enjoyed the travel part more because you're getting on an airplane, you're on tour, it feels very legit. I think you get older, the early mornings, the layovers in the airports, the missed planes, the checking in at 12:30 at night into a hotel in the middle of nowhere, and sleeping at different – it's not that exciting, the travel part. And then you go to the gig, and as we talked about, you walk in and everybody, "Yeah!" Great! It's totally worth it. 59:21 - Study, craft, figure out what you want to do, and then be really good at it. In the process of that, be nice, be courteous to everyone. Get your studies and get your education, and you can always pursue what you want. ContactFresh Coast Jazz FestivalMichael Lington