The University of Tennessee at Martin Department of Music will welcome the Reggie Watkins Trio as part of the Ed Sargent Guest Artist series. The Reggie Watkins Trio features Reggie Watkins playing the trombone and piano, David Throckmorton playing the drums, and Ava Lintz playing bass.
The performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3 in the Harriet Fulton Theatre located in the Fine Arts Building. Admission for this event is free.
Reggie Watkins, a longtime Pittsburgh resident, is a trombonist, arranger, pianist and composer. He has released three albums under his own name and participated in countless other musical recordings and live projects. Watkins served as musical director, trombonist and vocalist for the late jazz trumpet player, Maynard Ferguson, and also toured with singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, Postmodern Jukebox and the Temptations.
David Throckmorton, known as “Throck”, gained national recognition for his command of the drums through touring with the Maynard Ferguson band. He has performed and recorded with artists such as Mike Stern, John McLaughlin, Dianne Schur, Michael Feinstein, Chris Potter and Billy Sheehan. Throckmorton is a band leader for his own quartet and is touring and recording with DTC organ trio Dan Wilson and Cliff Barnes.
Ava Lintz, of Morgantown, West Virginia, grew up in a family of musicians. She attended Duquesne University where she earned a bachelor’s degree of music performance and Carnegie Mellon University where she earned her master’s degree. Currently, Lintz has a diverse career in Pittsburg where she leads her own jazz groups and performs with drummer Roger Humphries, the Boilermaker Jazz band and the Reggie Watkins Trio.
The guest artist series is named for UT Martin alum Ed Sargent, of Bolivar. Sargent is a
Grammy-nominated producer, also tour managing musical acts extensively in the US and Canada along with 38 countries around the globe. Ed currently serves as Tour Coordinator for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame icon Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Prior to the Blackhearts Ed spent 25 years as tour manager and director of operations for the late jazz trumpet player Maynard Ferguson and his orchestra. Sargent’s musical career is directly linked to his time with the UT Martin jazz and concert band while Sargent was a student and artist liaison.
“The impact of bringing musicians of this caliber to campus isn’t just about the performance event, which will no doubt be a fantastic, memorable experience,” said Dr. Kurt Gorman, professor of music, trumpet and jazz. “It’s also a great source of inspiration for students embarking on careers as teachers and performers to envision what they might one day be able to do themselves.”
For more information on the UT Martin Department of Music or to make a donation to the Ed Sargent Guest Artist series, contact the department at 731-881-7402 or visit https://www.utm.edu/departments/music/.