Bren Plummer, bassist and composer

jazz and beyond

     Bio--

Double bassist, composer, improviser and  educator, BREN PLUMMER was born in Seattle, WA, where, early on, he was exposed to the diverse musical traditions of jazz, the blues, classical music, hip hop and funk as well as Seattle’s heavy underground grunge-rock scene.  After joining Seattle’s iconic Garfield High School jazz band and touring with the band through Europe, performing at the Montreux and North Sea Jazz festivals and under the baton of Quincy Jones, Bren moved to Princeton, NJ, where he found a different musical and cultural tradition.  In school he joined the orchestra, while outside of school he joined the musician’s union and played jazz professionally throughout New Jersey in the evenings.  

"I was always gearing everything towards jazz and only joined the orchestras in high school begrudgingly.  After Garfield, there just weren't any opportunities to play jazz in school in NJ.  I had to look elsewhere. In the process I was exposed to a ton of music in both genres that I fell in love with."

After moving back to Seattle to finish high school, Bren entered the New England Conservatory in Boston for studies in composition, later switching majors to jazz bass full-time with Cecil McBee, and studying with many of the great jazz musicians that were faculty there.  Outside of school, he retained a busy schedule as a session player and performer.  During one stretch of time he answered every ad for a bass player in the Boston Phoenix.  "I have played in literally hundereds of bands.  Rock, Jazz, Hip Hop, The Blues, Funk, Salsa bands, wholegrain folk, southern rock, punk, ethno-musicological bands, choirs (singing), lots of things.  Not country though."

After graduating in 2000, Bren performed with various bands and ensembles before moving back to Seattle to begin a period of advanced studies of the double bass with Barry Lieberman at the University of Washington.  There, he earned his Master of Music degree in 2005 and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 2010.

"People like to put me in a box and ask if I am `classically trained'.  While yes I am, I have always been a jammer and always wanted to make sure that I could make music with anyone, whether they can read music or not.  I enjoy being able to read and write, but before I was ever trained to play classical music I was a professional bass player.  I don't think people even know what `classically trained' means.  I began several periods of deep study on my instrument with master musicians so that I could do my craft justice.  I believe one must master their instrument if they want to master music, and I am still in pursuit of that goal."

Bren is a jazz bassist, principal bass of the Yakima Symphony Orchestra, section bass of Symphony Tacoma and a regular sub around the Pacific Northwest with various orchestras.  In addition to performing as a sideman and in various orchestras and chamber groups, he leads his own ensembles, has recorded several jazz albums under his own name, and is active on the Seattle jazz scene.  Bren is on the faculty at Edmonds College, coaches high school players locally and maintains his own private teaching studio.

Bren has been called "an awesome bass player" by Christian Pincock

"...always stylistically appropriate..." by Chris Burns

“Forward thinking vision “ —Paul Rauch, All About Jazz

“Plummer has shown himself to be a fine musician, with a deep, thick tonality that is original and engaging.” —Paul Rauch, All About Jazz  

“Arco or pizzicato, Plummer solos impressively” —Doug Ramsey, Rifftides

“Plummer keeps a busy schedule of appearances with local symphonies, plus a plethora of jazz gigs, and sports a fat, woody tone, with a deep sound and calm authority to his playing, as well as considerable bowing skills.” —Andrew Luthringer, Earshot Jazz

“Fat, woody tone.” —Andrew Luthringer, Earshot Jazz

“Deeply satisfying” —Andrew Luthringer, Earshot Jazz

“Paying attention to Plummer’s music will be time well-spent.”  —Andrew Luthringer, Earshot Jazz