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| Photo of Seeling, Fineberg and Miller courtesy of RJ Capak |
Trumpeter Ellen Seeling hails from Waukesha Wisconsin near Milwaukee. She originally wanted to play drums and then, violin, but she eventually settled on the trumpet. Her father, who had also played the trumpet, was a jazz buff so Seeling's early years were filled with the music of the big bands of Ellington and Basie as well as the smaller groups of Dave Brubeck and Charlie Parker.
Seeling attended Indiana University where she became the first woman to receive a degree in jazz studies from the university. After graduating, she moved to New York and began performing and recording with an a diverse array of musicians including Luther Vandros, Sister Sledge, the Temptations, Slide Hampton, Paquito d'Rivera and the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band.
Along the way, Seeling met saxophonist Jean Fineberg and the two formed the jazz fusion band, Deuce. The group continued after Seeling and Fineberg made the move to the San Francisco bay area in 1989. In addition to performing with Duece, Seeling gigged with local jazz and blues bands and backed high profile acts like Phoebe Snow and Patti LaBelle.
In 1998, Seeling put together the Montclair Women's Big Band, based in the village of Montclair near Oakland CA. In putting the band together, Seeling hope to create visibility for the talented female jazz players in the San Francisco Bay area as well as provide a space in which these musicians could network. Though they've just released their first album - 2005's self-titled release on Pivotal Records - the group has been performing steadily in and around the bay area since its inception.
For her appearance on Piano Jazz, Seeling brought along her long time collaborator and the assistant director of the Big Band, saxophonist Jean Fineberg and New York based drummer, Allison Miller.
Check out this week's Piano Jazz Shorts: the Piano Jazz podcast.
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Set List for Ellen Seeling on Piano Jazz:Take The A Train (Ellington, Strayhorn)
St. Thomas (Rollins)
Georgia (Carmichael)
Twilight World (McPartland)
The Days of Wine and Roses (Mancini, Mercer)
Sugar (Turrentine, Daryll)
Chevere (Seeling)
Straight No Chaser (Monk)
Seeling attended Indiana University where she became the first woman to receive a degree in jazz studies from the university. After graduating, she moved to New York and began performing and recording with an a diverse array of musicians including Luther Vandros, Sister Sledge, the Temptations, Slide Hampton, Paquito d'Rivera and the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band.
Along the way, Seeling met saxophonist Jean Fineberg and the two formed the jazz fusion band, Deuce. The group continued after Seeling and Fineberg made the move to the San Francisco bay area in 1989. In addition to performing with Duece, Seeling gigged with local jazz and blues bands and backed high profile acts like Phoebe Snow and Patti LaBelle.
In 1998, Seeling put together the Montclair Women's Big Band, based in the village of Montclair near Oakland CA. In putting the band together, Seeling hope to create visibility for the talented female jazz players in the San Francisco Bay area as well as provide a space in which these musicians could network. Though they've just released their first album - 2005's self-titled release on Pivotal Records - the group has been performing steadily in and around the bay area since its inception.
For her appearance on Piano Jazz, Seeling brought along her long time collaborator and the assistant director of the Big Band, saxophonist Jean Fineberg and New York based drummer, Allison Miller.
Check out this week's Piano Jazz Shorts: the Piano Jazz podcast.
Subscribe!
Set List for Ellen Seeling on Piano Jazz: