Lynn Seaton Trio

Swinging the Standards

Sunday, June 4^th at 7:30 pm

Veteran bebop and swing bassist Lynn Seaton travels to Ann Arbor this June to form a swinging trio with area jazz masters Ellen Rowe (piano) and Pete Siers (drums)! Seaton will lead the trio with a set of their favorite standards from the jazz and Tin Pan Alley songbooks for what is sure to be a fantastic collaboration of three much-sought-after artists of today’s jazz scene.

What critics are saying about Lynn Seaton…
“A strikingly gifted musician with brilliant technique, he is a master of all aspects of the bass player’s role in jazz.” 
Allmusic.com

“One of Milt Hinton’s five favorite bassists, Seaton’s formidable gifts are always in evidence without dominating the music.”  
All About Jazz

Lynn Seaton, double bass
Ellen Rowe, piano
Pete Siers, drums
Lynn Seaton, double bass

Lynn Seaton was born on July 18, 1957, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He began studying classical guitar at age seven, switching to string bass at age nine. While studying music at the University of Oklahoma, he began working the clubs around the state with other great Oklahoma musicians. In 1980, his career took off in Cincinnati, Ohio with the Steve Schmidt Trio and the Blue Wisp Big Band with John Von Ohlen. Lynn was awarded a Jazz Studies Fellowship in the summer of 1981 from the National Endowment for the Arts to study with Rufus Reid.

Having taught at Universities and Colleges from Cincinnati to New York, Lynn accepted a position at the University of North Texas in 1998. He currently holds the title of Regents Professor. The Lynn Seaton Jazz Double Bass Workshop at the University of North Texas has continued annually since 2000. Alumni of his studio are spread across the globe. Many are now university professors, bandleaders, in military bands, touring with Jazz, Hip Hop, Pop acts, and playing on Broadway.

In addition to his collegiate career, Lynn has taught at workshops and artist residencies, and has coached many ensembles throughout America, Asia, and Europe. Lynn has been a guest artist at numerous schools, from kindergarten through college, and also at Jamey Aebersold’s Jazz Workshop, and Clark Terry’s Institute of Jazz Studies.

In 1984, he joined Woody Herman and the Young Thundering Herd, and the next year joined the Count Basie Orchestra. After his two-year engagement with the Basie Band, he did an extended tour with Tony Bennett and a six-month tour with George Shearing. Much of 1991 was spent touring with Monty Alexander. From 1992 through 1994 he freelanced in the New York area. From 1995 until the fall of 2000, he was with the Jeff Hamilton Trio. Lynn has performed in over 35 countries and 49 of the 50 United States (Alaska, please call!). He has played festivals worldwide including Bern, Concord, JVC, Kool, Kyoto, Chicago, Nice, Elkhart, Kansas City, Montreal, Edmonton, Newport, North Sea, Perugia, West Coast, San Sebastian, Ottercrest, Topeka, Sarasota, Paradise Valley and Poori. Lynn has worked alongside many outstanding musicians, including: Toshiko Akiyoshi, Ernestine Anderson, Buck Clayton, Al Cohn, Kenny Drew Jr., Blossom Dearie, Bob Dorough, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Herb Ellis, John Fedchock, Frank Foster, Freddy Green, Tim Hagans, Jeff Hamilton, Scott Hamilton, Wynard Harper, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, Marian McPartland, Jay McShann, Mark Murphy, Ken Peplowski, Bucky Pizzarelli, Jimmy Raney, Emily Remler, Diane Schuur, Maria Schneider, Bud Shank, Carol Sloane, Marvin “Smitty” Smith, Maxine Sullivan, Mel Torme, Frank Wess, Joe Willliams, Nancy Wilson, Steve Wilson, Mark Vinci and Teddy Wilson. In addition, he has worked in the jingle studios, pit bands for shows, with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, and the Dallas Symphony. Lynn Seaton has performed on television broadcasts including CBS Sunday Morning, Japanese, Dutch, Swiss and German National TV, and radio broadcasts including NPR and several European stations.

Lynn has participated in over 125 recording sessions, including: the Grammy Award winning “Diane Schuur and The Count Basie Orchestra” plus two Grammy affiliated nominated recordings: “Woody Herman 50th Anniversary”, and John Fedchock’s “No Nonsense”.

Lynn currently lives in North Texas, working and recording with many great jazz artists, and leading his own trio. At present, he is freelancing and touring as a performer and clinician with a variety of great artists. He has conducted All-State Big Bands in Oklahoma, Texas, and New York. Lynn has several critically acclaimed recordings under his own name: “Bassman’s Basement” is available on Timeless Records, “Solo Bass Flights” on Omnitone, “Live!!!” on ISB, “Puttin’ on the Ritz” on Nagel Heyer and “Zoom Blewz” on Armored Records. Kendor Press has published his book “Jazz Solos for Bass”. Lynn was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, the Cincinnati, Ohio Jazz Hall of Fame, honored as a Sammons Artist of the year, named a Sigma Alpha Iota National Arts Associate, and selected to be a Fulbright Scholar to teach and perform in Riga, Latvia.

Ellen Rowe, piano

Ellen Rowe, jazz pianist and composer, is currently Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation at the University of Michigan. She is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, and previously served as Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Connecticut. Winner of the Hartford, CT Advocate Readers’ Poll for Best Acoustic Jazz, Ms. Rowe has performed throughout the U.S., Europe, South Africa, and Australia. CDs out under her own name include “Sylvan Way”, “Wishing Well”, “Denali Pass” and “Courage Music.”  Her latest project, “Momentum – Portraits of Women In Motion”, was released in January of 2019. When not leading her own trio, quartet or quintet, she is in demand as a sideman, having performed with a wide variety of jazz artists. Ms. Rowe’s compositions and arrangements have been performed and recorded by jazz ensembles and orchestras around the world, and she was recently a composer-in-residence at the Eastman School of Music and the University of Wisconsin at Madison.  She is on the Board of the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers and also serves as the Coordinator for the JEN Sisters In Jazz Collegiate Combo Competition, in addition to being an in-demand clinician.

Pete Siers, drums

Like Clark Kent, jazz percussionist Pete Siers is soft-spoken and unassuming – but put him behind a drum set, and a hard-swinging, intensely physical, dynamically sensitive drummer emerges.  According to the Southeastern Michigan Jazz Association, when Pete plays, “readily apparent musical joy” can be expected. Paul Pearce of Bass World magazine writes that “Pete absolutely ‘sings’ with his drum kit.”

Siers has played with jazz luminaries such as Russell Malone, Mulgrew Miller, Marian McPartland, Lee Konitz, Benny Golson, James Moody, Kenny Werner, David “Fathead” Newman, Eddie Daniels, Frank Morgan, Scott Hamilton, Bob Wilber, and Barry Harris.  In addition to his expansive performance career, Siers has played on over 50 recordings.

Pete has taught percussion and jazz drumming for over 25 years, teaching privately, as well as at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor School for Performing Arts, Emory University, Purdue University and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.