Jazz Lion's Den

Welcome to the Jazz Lion’s Den, a journey through Levy Lee Simon’s debut Memoir  Odyssey Towards The Light   In this final episode, Levy Lee Simon celebrates his Broadway debut with 'The Kentucky Cycle' at the Royal Theatre. He emphasizes the support received from his friend Nathaniel “Pop” Brown and the challenges faced, including mixed critical reception, notably from Frank Rich of the New York...

Welcome to the Jazz Lion’s Den, a journey through Levy Lee Simon’s debut Memoir  Odyssey Towards The Light   This episode of the Jazz Lion's Den features a dramatic and vivid excerpt from his time at Star Hill, a hardcore treatment facility, highlighting the intense and emotionally charged experiences he faced. This marked a critical turning point in Simon's life, filled with real-life characters...

Welcome to the Jazz Lion’s Den, a journey through Levy Lee Simon’s debut Memoir  Odyssey Towards The Light It was the early 90s and the crack epidemic was raging in the inner cities of the United States, but not only the inner city, everywhere people were falling like flies to the plague. I never thought it would get me. I was convinced I’d done everything right, degree, budding acting career, and...

Levy Lee is in New York during the roaring 80s and finally getting his big start in theatre. After narrowly getting re-accepted into the 127th Street Repertory, Levy Lee is tasked with one of the most nerve-racking challenges of his career, playing Walter Lee in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun at the famed Apollo theatre, a notoriously harsh environment to perform in. Some of his fellow c...

Welcome to the Jazz Lion’s Den, a journey through Levy Lee Simon’s debut Memoir  Odyssey Towards The Light I’d just graduated with my BA in Theatre and Journalism from Cheyney State College, had my first apartment in the Boogey Down Bronx, and experienced my first heartbreak, well second if I’m to be honest. This was the beginning of what I call the roaring 80s. It was a wild time, sex, R&B, H...

Welcome to the Jazz Lion’s Den, a journey through Levy Lee Simon’s debut Memoir  Odyssey Towards The Light. In this episode, Levy Lee had moved to uptown Harlem at age 13 and was thrust into a difficult no-win situation. After receiving a Timex watch from his father for his birthday, it was subsequently stolen off his wrist by a gang of boys led by G Money. Levy’s father forced him to go get his w...

Welcome to the Jazz Lion’s Den, a journey through Levy Lee Simon’s debut Memoir Odyssey Towards The Light.   In this episode, Lee reminisces about growing up in Harlem during the 1960s, sharing intimate details about his family and the vibrant community at 353 West 115th Street. Listeners are introduced to an array of colorful characters and family members that all lived in the same building toget...

Welcome to the Jazz Lion’s Den, a journey through Levy Lee Simon’s debut Memoir Odyssey Towards The Light   Lee and Producer Scott Slaughter introduce the episode by engaging in a brief conversation about the memoir. This discussion spans their 16-year friendship, the inspirations behind Lee’s storytelling, and the significance of Harlem, both past and present.   In this episode’s excerpts, Lee re...

Levy Lee Simon, an accomplished playwright, screenwriter, actor, and stage director, brings you readings from his memoir Odyssey Towards the Light. Each week, Levy Lee will release another excerpt from his book with added commentary not featured in the paperback version.  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/jazz-lion-s-den--6205164/support . Hosted on Acast. See ac...