Jazz and fusion filled Gabriel Severn's ears from birth. As a toddler, whether at music festivals or listening to music in the car, he'd always call out “the bass! the bass!”. At age 2 he was hooked instantly when watching a Jaco Pastorius video. He began bass lessons at 7, and learned to groove and perform when he joined a young Motown tribute band a few months later. While cutting his teeth performing Motown classics for several years, Gabriel spent time challenging himself by transcribing jazz and fusion bass solos. At age 11 his video playing Jaco's bass solo from Weather Report's "Havona" went viral. Many more showcasing his skills and musicianship followed. He became the first Markbass Rising Star, joined the Ernie Ball Music Man family of artists, and developed a custom line of bass strings made by Carlos Pavicich in France. He endorses Paul Lairat Basses made by luthier Paul Lairat, who built Gabriel a custom signature Myra bass, and a Genesha bass built in collaboration with Cortex Basses. He also endorses Singular Sound, Advanced Audio, Soundbrenner, and ErgoStraps.

 

Gabriel played in a variety of bands after the Motown group disbanded, and just after his 12th birthday he formed the jazz fusion trio, Teen Town. The trio received a 2019 DownBeat Student Music Award and the 2020 "Best Jazz Band" Award from the Central PA Music Hall of Fame. Teen Town has toured throughout Pennsylvania and the Midwest, opening for a number of major artists, including The Wooten Brothers, Sheila E., the Victor Wooten Trio, the Tierney Sutton Band, and the Original Drifters. They've appeared at many notable festivals and events, including Musikfest, Berks Jazz Fest, Elkhart Jazz Festival, Dauphin County Wine & Jazz Festival, Scranton Jazz Festival, and TEDx Harrisburg. Teen Town's debut album A Month of Sundays was released in 2022, followed by 21: Teen Town Live at Metropolis, released in 2023.

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In addition to performing with Teen Town, Gabriel has been a guest artist with multiple ensembles in the past decade. Most recently he performed on the 2023 and 2024 Dave Koz and Friends Cruise as the bassist with Justin Lee Schultz, Sheila E., and Eric Darius. He opened for rapper Quavo in Miami, was an adjudicator and clinician at the Berks Jazz Fest Get JazzEd school jazz fest, was a featured performer in the Wir Sind Wien Festival in Vienna, Austria, a host of the Berks Jazz Fest JazzED Jam and jazz education video, and a performer in the Berks Jazz Fest’s Chuck Loeb Memorial All-Star Concert and the All-Star Midnight Jam.

 

His earlier appearances included performing his award-winning original composition with the U.S. Navy Commodores at the 2020 Jazz Education Network Conference, being a panelist at the Jazz Philadelphia Summit, performing at the Jazz Weekender, the COTA Jazz Festival, the Detroit BASSDAY, the Elkhart Jazz Festival, the Dallas International Guitar Festival, the Berkshires Jazz Festival, and several NAMM Shows. Gabriel's list of teachers and mentors include some of his bass icons, including Victor Wooten, Anthony Wellington, Gerald Veasley, and Adam Nitti. In addition to receiving multiple awards, he’s had the honor of receiving awards and scholarships from the Zawinul Foundation for Achievement, the Jazz Education Network, Victor Wooten’s Bass & Nature Camp, Berklee College of Music’s Groove School, the Hudson Jazz Workshop, and the Central PA Jazz Camp. He has also attended Gerald Veasley’s Bass Bootcamp, the Keystone Jazz Institute, and the Uptown Music Collective. He is currently a sophomore at the Forst School of Music at the University of Miami.

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