The Shaking Ray Levis is an ongoing collaboration of musicians with a common interest in improvisation. The project was conceived and led by the Chattanooga-based team of Dennis J. Palmer and Bob Stagner. They use storytelling, synthesizers, samplers and percussion to achieve their distinctive sound. They are the first American group to have recorded for Incus Records, the record label of British free improvisational guitarist Derek Bailey. Additionally, they have performed and recorded with John Zorn, David Greenberger, Fred Frith, Min Tanaka, Amy Denio, and Derek Bailey, as well as with many other critically acclaimed artists.

The Levi Duo has performed internationally on the BBC, at Quebec's International Festival de Musique Actuelle, Newfoundland's Sound Symposium, London's Company Week, and Denver's ReThink Conference. Palmer has the distinction of being invited to play at Company Week in 1988 and the final one in 1994. Furthermore, their educational outreach program has been presented in many public schools and malls throughout the U.S. The Duo has been awarded grants by the British Arts Council, Meet the Composer and several regional organizations. Incus released the Duo's first and second CD's, False Prophets or Dang Good Guessers in 1993 and Short in the U.K. in 1997 with drummer Roger Turner and keyboardist Steve Beresford. Although they are on many compilations, their first and only vinyl release is a quintet with Borbetomagus, a release which features Palmer's artwork on a limited edition picture disc. Their 1997 CD Boss Witch features collaborations with J.D. Parran, Davey Williams, Frank Pahl, Mary Richards, and Steve Beresford. 2003, a year in which two wildly different and critically acclaimed discs were released, was a very productive year indeed for the SRL boys. Mssrs. Palmer and Stagner can be heard on Shaking Ray Records' Live at Lamar's, a 1999 recording of a live performance with improv guru Derek Bailey. Also in 2003, Palmer & Stagner teamed up with NPR correspondent and Duplex Planet publisher David Greenberger, with a more than a little help from Kenny Palmer and Frank Pahl, on PelPel's Mayor of the Tennessee River.