Gavin Templeton
Gavin Templeton is an American modern jazz saxophonist, composer and bandleader, called "a pivotal force in the L.A. progressive jazz scene."
Early life and education
Templeton was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Reno, Nevada. He earned his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno, and a master's degree from the California Institute of the Arts. He moved to Los Angeles, California, in 2006, where he is a part of the city's progressive jazz scene.Career
Solo and with trio
Templeton's debut album, Asterperious Special, was released on Nine Winds Records in 2012, with Templeton on alto saxophone, Larry Koonse on guitar, Gary Fukushima on piano, Darek Oles on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums. The following year, he released In Series, a modern jazz album featuring jazz-rock arrangements, recorded at Westlake Studios in Los Angeles. It features Templeton as composer and on alto saxophone, Perry Smith on guitar, Sam Minaie on bass, Matt Politano on piano and Matt Mayhall on drums. The album is built thematically around the contrast between material excess and poverty on the west side of Los Angeles.The Gavin Templeton Trio's Some Spinning, Some At Rest, was released in 2014 on Orenda Records. An album of original compositions by Templeton, it combines composition and improvising, with Templeton on alto saxophone, Richard Giddens on double-bass and Gene Coye on drums. In received 5 out of 5 stars on All About Jazz, and was on the site's Best of 2014 list.