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Sean Nowell

Sean Nowell is a tenor saxophonist and composer from Birmingham, Alabama steeped in the southern traditions of blues, gospel, jazz, and funk fused with the complex harmonic and world rhythmic concepts that permeate the music of New York City. While in Alabama, he sang in cathedrals with a national touring a cappella choir and was exposed to vocal music from Germany, Eastern Europe, and Africa. He received a BA in Composition from Berklee College of Music in Boston in Jazz Composition and a MA from Manhattan School of Music in New York in Performance. He has composed and improvised film scores, music for ballet and theatre, 20th century classical music, big band, and small jazz ensembles and has pushed the timbral boundaries of the saxophone, flute, bass clarinet, and Udu (Nigerian clay pot drum) by integrating electronic effects pedals with those acoustic instruments. He has traveled and collaborated with dancers, actors, painters, stilt walkers, and acrobats on multiple tours of China, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Macedonia, Bosnia, Serbia, Romania, France, Germany, Hungary, Holland, Belgium, Colombia, Venezuela, Singapore and the United States as Musical Director for Bond Street Theatre over the past decade. He’s participated in united clashing religious and ethnic groups in Kosovo through music and has been proud to serve as an unofficial artistic ambassador for the United States by exchanging social and artistic ideas and holding master classes in these countries on American Jazz, learning the folk music of the regions, and then incorporating it into his compositional and improvisational style. He has had performances with Reeves Gabrels (guitarist, David Bowie Tin Machine), Tim Lefebvre (bass, Rudder, Saturday Night Live, Chris Botti), Donny McCaslin (sax, Dave Douglas), Anton Fig (drums, David Letterman, everyone else from the past 25 years!). He also recorded with Stanley Clarke and George Duke for the movie "Soul Men" starring Bernie Mac and Samuel Jackson and co-wrote the score for the Nick Nolte movie "Off the Black".

Sean Nowell has been a motivating force in the New York City jazz community for the past 12 years by hosting weekly jazz composers forums in Manhattan and Brooklyn clubs that consistently showcase the freshest and most cutting edge jazz in the city, as well as collaborating and recording with the next generation of jazz, funk, and avant-garde masters.

His first release, "FIREWERKS", was born from these weekly sessions and has garnered critical acclaim for the band's highly interactive and rhythmically adventuresome approach that got him immediately signed as a Posi-Tone Records Recording Artist.

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4
Album Review

Sean Nowell: The Kung-Fu Masters

Read "The Kung-Fu Masters" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


New York City-based saxophonist Sean Nowell has found a home with the increasingly prominent West Coast modern jazz record label, Posi-Tone Records. His fourth release highlights the turbo-powered acoustic-electric band, The Kung-Fu Masters. Word has it that the ensemble has been creating a buzz in The Big Apple, and in recent times has acted like a jazz collective, featuring guest spots by formidable players such as guitarist Mike Stern and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt. Now that Nowell has firmed-up the core ...

1
Album Review

Sean Nowell: The Kung-Fu Masters

Read "The Kung-Fu Masters" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


The Kung-Fu Masters isn't simply another album for tenor saxophonist Sean Nowell; it's the recorded coming out party for a band and concept that he's been tweaking and promoting for years. Nowell has been field testing this project in New York jazz spots like 55 Bar, and his website contains various recorded performances of the group at the club dating back to 2009, but this marks the first official outing from this forward-thinking beast of a band. ...

199
Album Review

Sean Nowell: Stockholm Swingin'

Read "Stockholm Swingin'" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay


Sean Nowell has lent his talents to a diverse array of bands including Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra and his own Kung-Fu Masters, working across numerous musical styles. On Stockholm Swingin', the tenor saxophonist's third Posi-Tone release, he stays in recognizably straight-ahead territory, bringing his impressively wide-ranging and imaginative tenor sound to a live quintet recording from the Swedish capital's Glenn Miller Café in November, 2010. Nowell and drummer Joe Abba, a longtime musical collaborator, are joined by a ...

286
Album Review

Sean Nowell: Stockholm Swingin'

Read "Stockholm Swingin'" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


Tenor saxophonist Sean Nowell's third CD is an engaging set of music that was recorded live at the Glen Miller Café in Stockholm at the end of a fourteen-day tour through Sweden. Nowell's band mate in Travis Sullivan's Björkestra, drummer Joe Abba, and a solid crew of Swedish musicians help to flesh out this riveting set of music which, as the title implies, is built on, but not limited to, swinging selections. The program starts off with ...

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Take Five With...

Take Five With Sean Nowell

Read "Take Five With Sean Nowell" reviewed by AAJ Staff


Meet Sean Nowell:Sean Nowell is a tenor saxophonist and composer from Birmingham, Alabama steeped in the southern traditions of blues, gospel, jazz, and funk fused with the complex harmonic and world rhythmic concepts that permeate the music of New York City.

While in Alabama, he sang in cathedrals with a national touring a cappella choir and was exposed to vocal music from Germany, Eastern Europe, and Africa. He received a BA in Composition from Berklee College of Music ...

343
Album Review

Sean Nowell: The Seeker

Read "The Seeker" reviewed by Woodrow Wilkins


The group dynamic is a powerful force in jazz. Tenor saxophonist Sean Nowell recognizes that with The Seeker, a set of songs that demonstrate his abilities as a leader, songwriter and soloist, but doesn't ignore those around him. Nowell hails from Birmingham, Alabama. Versed in several styles of music, he has also traveled world-wide and has worked with musicians, actors, dancers and many others throughout his career. In addition to playing jazz in New York clubs, Nowell ...

370
Album Review

Sean Nowell: The Seeker

Read "The Seeker" reviewed by Chris May


It would be foolish to describe saxophonist Sean Nowell as a 21st century schizoid tenor man, but two distinct strands characterize the New York-based player's work. On the one hand, Nowell is active in funk and post-fusion styles, with the Kung-Fu Masters and his own MonAtomic groups, among other line-ups. On the other hand, he's a precociously talented straight ahead player, with a gritty and exuberant approach displaying traces of such illustrious forebears as Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane and Michael ...

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Recording

Sean Nowell - Stockholm Swingin' (2011)

Sean Nowell - Stockholm Swingin' (2011)

Source: Something Else!

A blossoming career that started in Birmingham, Alabama recently had a stop all the way over in Stockholm, Sweden. For tenor saxophonist Sean Nowell's third album (all of which are on Posi-Tone Records, by the way), Nowell and drummer Joe Abba flew over to Sweden, joined Frederik Olsson (guitar), Leo Lindberg (piano), and Lars Ekman (bass), toured the country for two weeks, and ended the jaunt at the legendary Glenn Miller Cafe in the capital city. Stockholm Swingin' is a ...

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Performance / Tour

Sean Nowell and Kung-Fu Masters w/Ari Hoenig @ The 55 Bar - 1/27/11

Sean Nowell and Kung-Fu Masters w/Ari Hoenig @ The 55 Bar - 1/27/11

Source: Two for the Show Media

Thursday, January 27th, 2011 KUNG-FU MASTERS with ARI HOENIG @ THE 55 BAR 10pm-1am 55 Christopher St btw/6th and 7th Ave West Village New York 55bar.com Featuring: Sean Nowell—Tenor Sax/Fx/Compositions Randy Runyon—Guitar Art Hirahara—Keys Evan Marien—Electric Bass Ari Hoenig—Drums Mixed Meter Jazz/Funk Explosion WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT THE KUNG FU MASTERS: “If the Kung Fu Masters were their own country, music making would ...

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Recording

Celebrate Posi-Tone Records Download Week: Free MP3s by David Binney, Sean Nowell, Mike DiRubbo, Sam Yahel and David Gibson

Celebrate Posi-Tone Records Download Week: Free MP3s by David Binney, Sean Nowell, Mike DiRubbo, Sam Yahel and David Gibson

Source: Michael Ricci

Download five free MP3s courtesy of Posi-Tone Record.

For All Intensive Purposes (06:52) Sean Nowell From: The Seeker Posi-Tone Records Nelsonian (07:25) Mike DiRubbo From: Repercussion Posi-Tone Records Everybody's Wonderland (05:34) David Binney/Alan Ferber From: In The Paint Posi-Tone Records Hometown (05:37) Sam Yahel From: Hometown Posi-Tone Records French Press (05:06)

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Performance / Tour

Sean Nowell Group at the Cornelia Street Cafe on September 9th

Sean Nowell Group at the Cornelia Street Cafe on September 9th

Source: Two for the Show Media

Saxophonist/Composer/Bandleader Sean Nowell will be bringing his group to the Cornelia Street Cafe in NYC on September 9th, 2009.

Sean Nowell Group Sean Nowell - Tenor Saxophone Will Martina - Cello Art Hirahara - Piano Thomson Kneeland - Acoustic Bass Joe Abba - Drums

“Originally from Birmingham, Alabama and influenced by the southern tradition of blues, gospel and jazz, tenor saxophonist and composer Sean Nowell unleashes his second project for ...

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Performance / Tour

Saxophonist Sean Nowell at Smalls (NYC) on Wednesday, June 17th

Saxophonist Sean Nowell at Smalls (NYC) on Wednesday, June 17th

Source: Two for the Show Media

Saxophonist/Composer Sean Nowell will be performing with his Group at Smalls in New York City on Wednesday, June 17th, 2009 Set times are 9:00 PM & 10:30 PM in celebration of his newest CD release “The Seeker” on Posi-Tone Records. Sean Nowell Group Nir Felder - Guitar Sean Nowell - Tenor Sax Art Hirahara - Piano Thomas Kneeland - Bass Joe Abbatantuono - Drums “Nowell plays with a mellow tone, ...

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Performance / Tour

Saxophonists Sarah Manning and Sean Nowell Double Bill Friday May 1st at Ibeam Brooklyn

Saxophonists Sarah Manning and Sean Nowell Double Bill Friday May 1st at Ibeam Brooklyn

Source: All About Jazz

This Friday May 1st at 9PM, Sarah Manning's Shatter the Glass debuts at Ibeam Brooklyn in a performance marking the alto saxophonist's first show as an official NYC resident. Featuring pianist Art Hirahara, bassist Linda Oh and drummer Kyle Struve, the group will showcase Manning's original compositions including new work that will be recorded this fall as part of her third release as a leader. Explosive musical storytellers, they delight in performing in intimate and unusual spaces ranging from the ...

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Performance / Tour

Sean Nowell and Monatomic Friday @ Galapagos

Sean Nowell and Monatomic Friday @ Galapagos

Source: All About Jazz


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Performance / Tour

Sean Nowell Quartet 2 Weekly Performances

Sean Nowell Quartet 2 Weekly Performances

Source: All About Jazz

EVERY MONDAY SNQ -my original jazz writing project- 7:30-10:30 @ The Garden Cafe -outdoor patio- (Broadway btw/ 207 and Isham A to 207 and 1/9 to 207) Inwood's Only Jazz Cafe killer food great hang developing jazz audience *but only happening if not raining* featuring: sean nowell -tenor sax art hirahara -rhodes like keyboard danny zanker -acoustic bass joe abba -drums admission: FREE ------------------------------- EVERY TUESDAY SNQ 8-12 @ STAIN BAR (humbolt and grand in brooklyn) ((L to Grand)) great ...

“Sean Nowell is my preferred kind of tenor player: quick, smart, tough, and counter intuitive. He is the real deal” - Thomas Conrad

"Tenor Saxophonist/Composer Sean Nowell fuses introspective melodies, darkly hued harmonies and angular rhythmic structures to create a sound that has succeeded at melding, morphing and mixing the best of Blue Note-era small group nirvana with the Headhunters’ pocket and vibe, evolving it to Right Now.” - All About Jazz

“Cerebral music, but played with soul and feeling; ballads that somehow build into frenetic climaxes.” - the Manhattan Times

“Nowell's first solo shows his big-tenor influences and up-to-the minute chops, punctuated by tasteful over- blowing running perfectly counter to the gutbucket jam, then growing Brecker-esquely dense.” - All About Jazz

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Primary Instrument

Saxophone, tenor

Willing to teach

Beginner to advanced

Credentials/Background

currently teaching alot in connecticut. i have 10 years of private student experience and a bunch of excited students.

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Better Than Anything

Self Produced
2022

buy

The Kung-Fu Masters

Posi-Tone Records
2013

buy

Stockholm Swingin'

Posi-Tone Records
2011

buy

The Seeker

Posi-Tone Records
2009

buy

Firewerks

Nowell Music
2007

buy

For All Intensive Purposes

From: The Seeker
By Sean Nowell

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