Gabriel Severn

Thanks to my numerous participations in NAMM, I was lucky enough to witness the emergence of a jazz and fusion bassist. When faced with children (he was probably 14 years old at the time), you often hear or use the words prodigy, talent, gift or even phenomenon to express your enthusiasm. Most of the time, it doesn’t last. In Gabriel Severn’s case it was just the beginning. Spotted very early by all the pros (Lee Sklar, Nathan East, Anthony Wellington or even Steve Lukather), there was and still is no denying a stellar future for this bright young bass mind.

Obsessed by the bass as a toddler, Gabriel started lessons at age 7, just a few months before joining a young Motown tribute band and thereby learning to groove and perform. Gabriel would challenge himself with transcribing jazz and fusion bass solos. At age 11 he had a viral video playing Jaco’s bass solo from Weather Report’s “Havona”. It was followed by many more that showcased his musicianship and diverse skills. 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 has a Signature Myra bass made for him by luthier Paul Lairat, and endorses the Lairat Stega basses. He also endorses Singular Sound, Advanced Audio, Soundbrenner, and ErgoStraps. Today Cortex Bass is very proud to count him amongst our family of Artists. Our basses are the result of our own design, but handmade by master luthier Paul Lairat. For Gabriel, we had the honour of making him a 6-string “GS” Ganesha bass.

It would take too long to list all the artists Gabriel has played with or opened for, but if you’re interested you can find the list on his website. We wanted to focus here on his music and projects.

I understood the depth of Gabriel’s playing when I bought “A Month of Sundays” by his powerhouse jazz fusion trio Teen Town. Gabriel leads on bass, Logan Bedard on drums and Connor Rohrer on keys. This debut album was released in May 2022, but the band started off 5 years earlier, taking audiences by storm with their energy, their undeniable chemistry, and their exceptional talent. Given the youth of its players, the quality of this record is absolutely mind-blowing. You can now also get a live recorded album “21: Teen Town LIVE @ Metropolis”, released in December 2023.

We will keep this page updated with Gabriels new musical projects and tours, as we have barely touched the surface of all that this 19-year-old prodigy has accomplished until now. If you like bass guitar and jazz music, this young and immense talent is definitely the one to follow.