The distinctive sound of The Jason Seed Stringtet is two parts classical, one part jazz, and more than a little bit rock and roll. Seed, who is both the ensemble's guitarist as well as its composer, has married the timbres of electric guitar, piano, violin, viola, cello, and double bass in both original tunes and covers since 2008.
Besides Seed, who now lives in Chicago, The Stringtet is bassist Dan Armstrong, violinist and violist Glen Asch, violist Helen Reich, cellist Scott Tisdel, and pianist Marianne Parker. Asch, Reich, and Tisdel have day jobs with the Milwaukee Symphony; Armstrong plays for the Chicago Symphony, and Parker is an active a freelancer. When he's not composing or performing, Seed is a psychiatric nurse.
The Stringtet performs some older favorites as well as some new music Friday at Linneman's in Riverwest. Earlier this summer, we had a chance to chat with the group and hear an informal concert, all recorded at Milwaukee’s Cloudland Recording Studio by sound engineer and owner Larry Phillabaum:
