People & Places

...astonishingly vivid electronic colorations balanced within acoustic performances... Perhaps the strongest facet of Marc Seales' playing is that he's always "in the moment."
All About Jazz

His expansive, deeply lyrical and blues-drenched approach to modern jazz has made Seattle pianist Marc Seales a favorite sideman of touring luminaries for decades. In particular, long associations with Mark Murphy, Larry Coryell and Ernie Watts turned into albums, tours and lasting friendships. Seales returns the invite on People & Places by making a trip to saxophonist Ernie Watts' home turf in Los Angeles, teaming with him and Watts' longtime bandmate, bassist Bruce Lett, and taking advantage of the locale to reconnect with drummer Moyes Lucas, Jr., who goes back with Seales to the early '80s in Seattle. While pulling together a collection of originals that span the last 30 years, along with a take on Wayne Shorter's "Palladium," the album's through line slowly became apparent—it's all about the people & places, and the collaborations found & nurtured through the years. Though retired after an inspired 38-year career at the University of Washington, Seales continues on that fruitful path.

Production Info:

Produced by Marc Seales & Steve Rodby
Recorded by Paul Tavenner
at Big City Recording, Granada Hills, CA
Recorded by August 5-6, 2022 & February 10, 2023
Mixed by Steve Rodby, Seattle, WA
Mastered by Rich Breen
at Rich Breen Mastering, Los Angeles, CA
Musician Photos: Steve Korn (Seales, cover);
Paul Tavenner (Band); Jim Levitt (Seales/Lucas);
Don Saban (Bruce Lett)
Cover design & layout by John Bishop

Reviews of People & Places

Paris Move (Thierry De Clemensat)
5-STARS A Dream Album of People, Places, and Time: Marc Seales and Ernie Watts Deliver a Jazz Masterpiece for the Ages. The title, and even the opening notes, of this album might initially evoke the laid-back sophistication of a Michael Franks project. And indeed, there is something unmistakably refined, almost architectural, about this collabo ...

All About Jazz (Edward Blanco)
Seattle pianist Marc Seales, an established sideman and retired educator from the University of Washington, maintained a long-time friendship and collaboration with such jazz luminaries as Mark Murphy and guitarist great Larry Coryell, both of whom have since passed, and last, but certainly not least, tenor saxophonist Ernie Watts. Seales reunites ...

Making a Scene (Dee Dee McNeil)
The Marc Seales project starts out sweetly. His original tune is called "Rue Cler" and Ernie Watts is featured on tenor saxophone. His emotionally charged sax enchants, as Ernie introduces us to the melody. This tune is followed by Wayne Shorter's "Palladium" composition, arranged as straight-ahead jazz, played at a moderate tempo. This is not S ...

Marlbank (UK) (Stephen Graham)
There are few saxophonists who can melt the hardest of hearts as reliably as Quartet West player Ernie Watts. Eighty this autumn, Watts replicates that feat yet again on Seattle pianist Marc Seales' engaging opener ‘Rue Cler.' A quartet album, the line-up is completed by bassist Bruce Lett and by drummer Moyes Lucas Jr. There's an energetic ve ...

avxforum.hu (Budapest) (Rudolf Radnai)
Born in 1954, Marc Seales retired this year as a professor of jazz studies at the University of Washington, but his musical career is certainly not over, as evidenced by his new album People & Places, on which he can be heard with saxophonist Ernie Watts. The quartet is completed by bassist Bruce Lett and drummer Moyes Lucas Jr. One of the highligh ...

Jazz Weekly (George W Harris)
Nice and easy soul jazz in world view of Grover Washington Jr is laid out by Marc Seales, playing piano and keyboards and featuring the warm tenor sax of Ernie Watts alongside Bruce Lett/b and Moyes Lucas, Jr/dr. Seales goes does as easy as 25 year old Scottish Whiskey as he plays the keyboards on the dreamy "Rue Cler" and veers around Let on the s ...

Bman's Blues Report (Editor)
I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, People & Places, from Marc Seales with Ernie Watts and it's tasty. Opening with Rue Cler, with it's suspensive bottom created by Marc Seales on piano and floating lead by Ernie Watts on tenor sax sets a yearning feeling, anchored by Bruce Lett on acoustic bass and Moyes Lucas Jr on drums ...