Tom Lyne is a successful and in demand bassist in the Scottish jazz and contemporary music scene. He is the regular bassist for the Dave Milligan Trio and Sophie Bancroft; and directs his own group The Band Lyne.

Bassist 1998 - current (permanently settled in Scotland August 1998)

The Dave Milligan tro is an esteemed piano trio that has performed at many venues and festivals around Scotland, England, Germany and Wales. The trio has also worked as backing trio for visiting jazz artists such as Jaleel Shaw, Bill McHenry, Sam Newsome, Charlie Mariano and David Gordon (Sun Ra Band) and has one CD ‘The Late Show’ and a forthcoming CD of works commissioned by An Tobar, the arts center in Tobermory which will be titled ‘Shops’.

Sophie Bancroft is an influential improvising singer songwriter who has been working with Tom Lyne since 1998 and played many festivals including the Shetland Jazz Festival, the Edinburgh Fringe, in concert at Edinburgh Queens Hall, The Tollbooth in Stirling, The Halfmoon in Putney London, An Tobar on Mull, the Lyth Arts Centre, the Lemon Tree in Aberdeen and the Bongo Club. Recent CD ‘Hot and Cold’ (spring 2005) is the third release on LisaLeo Records since 1999.
www.sophiebancroft.co.uk

The Band Lyne. Since it’s inception in november 2005, it has become the vehicle for Tom Lyne to showcase his compositions, step forward as a soloist, and explore a refreshing and modern take on the electric improvising band. Joined by keyboardist Chick Lyall, accordionist Martin Green, and drummer Tom Bancroft, this quartet has struck up an unique sound and delivers a exciting concert. www.tomlyne.co.uk

In addition to his regular groups, Tom Lyne has been working as a freelance bassist with Brian Kellock, Tommy Smith, Fionna Duncan, Martin Green (the Green Machine), Joakim Milder, John Rae, Tom and Phil Bancroft, Sandy Wright, Donald Hay, Ian Copeland, Rick Taylor, Kevin Mackenzie, Simon Thoumire, Catriona MacDonald and Alyth McCormack. More recently I have been working with Lianne carol, Simon Purcell and Julian Seigel.

Tom has always been involved in music education throughout his time in Scotland. Some of the teaching includes:

  • The Fionna Duncan Jazz Vocal Workshop.
  • Residential vocal workshops with Sophie Bancroft
  • 5 years teaching music technology at Loretto school Musselburgh.
  • Supply teaching of bass and double bass at Perth College, Stevenson College, and Napier University.
  • Napier Jazz Summer School
  • The DBS summer school of voice.
  • The International Jazz Summer School 2007- Ardeche, South France

Bassist 1987 - 1998 (Montreal ’87-91, Europe, Amsterdam ’91-‘98)

Whilst based in Amsterdam, Tom made numerous trips to Scotland to work with Tom, Phil, and Sophie Bancroft in various different bands; The Orange Ear Ensemble, The Phil Bancroft Octet, Trio AAB, Sophie Bancroft & Gina Rae, Kilt Couture. This work involved Assembly Direct tours around Scotland in addition to the Glasgow International Jazz Festival, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Dunoon Jazz Festival and several BBC radio broadcasts. The work continued in Europe at the Banlieues Blues Festival, Paris, the Grenoble Jazz Festival and a tour of Hungary with Trio AAB.

After travelling to Nice, France in 1991 to help establish the band ‘Men Without Heads’ with his song writing partner, saxophonist Calder Spanier, Tom played, toured, recorded, and wrote music, living in Nice, Paris, Zurich, and Amsterdam where he finally settled. In 1993 the band became ‘Granny Smith’ and recorded the CD ‘Red Door’. Elstar Management and Rennet Records stepped in to handle management, touring, promotion, and distribution of the Granny Smith CD. The band ended as the result of the tragic death of writing partner and band member Calder Spanier.

At McGill University Tom was a performance bass major with Michel Donato (bassist with Oscar Peterson, Toots Thielman, Carmen McRae, Clark terry) and also studied composition, theory and orchestration. It was during this period in Montreal he met and became involved with a great many musicians: Mike Rudd, PJ Perry, Calder Spanier, Tommy Banks, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Mike Allen, Gary Guthman, Ted Warren, Tom Bancroft, Charlie Hunter, Denzal Sinclaire.

Thomas Lyne – Discography

  • · Dave Milligan Trio ‘The Shops,
      to be released early 2008 (a production of An Tobar - Mull
  • Sophie Bancroft ‘Hot and Cold’, released spring 2005
  • Kevin Mackenzie’s Vital Signs, ‘Another New Horizon’ released spring 2004
  • Sophie Bancroft ‘Modern Love’, released spring 2003
  • Dave Milligan Trio ‘Late Show, released spring 2003
  • Andi Neate’s ‘Flutter By’ 2002
  • Jenny Gardner’s ‘Cho Chuk’ 2002
  • Miles Away, The Sophie Bancroft & Tom Lyne Duo, spring 1999.
  • Always Returning, Trio AAB (Tom & Phil Bancroft, Tom Lyne) 1997
  • Red Door from Granny Smith Elstar Management & Rennet Records 1995 Amsterdam

Equipment:

Double Bass

  • Carved 3/4 Gamba bass.
  • The Realist acoustic transducer from Ned Steinberger and David Gage, a little on the soft edge of the sound but works a treat live.
  • Thomastik Weich on the D & G and Pirastro Obligatto for the E & A

Electric Bass

  • Fender Jazzbass ('82 - '72 crossbreed with EMGs and a brass nut)
  • Fender Jazzbass ('72 - '82 crossbreed with all the old fittings for that authentic buzzing ground loop and fantastic rubber band sound.
  • DDR strings.
  • EBS Black Label compression,  Boss CH-1 chorus, Ibanez distortion and a zoom multi FX

Amplification

  • David Eden traveler series 400
  • 2x12 cabinet made by Quee (Edinburgh)
  • Gallen Krugger 200 MB - small and useful.