Lynn has been described more than once as “Superwoman” of the sax. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised outside of Philadelphia, Pa., she received a B. A. in Ethnomusicology from the University of Hawaii. Her time spent in Hawaii was influential in developing her sensibility to, and awareness of, different musical cultures.
She continued her musical studies at the University of Missouri Kansas City, studied privately with Doris Sellers (principal flutist of the Kansas City Symphony), and immersed in its rich jazz tradition, apprenticed and performed with many of KC’s jazz legends. She became involved with the Women’s Jazz Festival, an international festival highlighting women musicians. There she had the opportunity to play with luminaries like Carmen McRae, Marian McPartland, Shirley Scott, Emily Remner and Blossom Dearie. After 5 years on the Board of Directors, she headed back east.
Since returning to Philadelphia, Lynn has performed with many great artists like Grover Washington Jr., Philly Joe Jones, David Bromberg, Rachelle Farrell, Charles Earland, Gerald Veasley, David Murray and Johnny Pacheco, as well as leading her own groups. She was chosen to perform at the Painted Bride Arts Center for their series Women Leaders in Jazz in 2000. She has opened for artists such as Najee, Spyro Gyra, Nelson Rangell, Nester Torres, Andy Narell, the Indigo Girls, Brenda K Star, the Mahotella Queens and Compai Segundo of the Buena Vista Club. She has performed throughout the United States, as well as in Europe, Africa, South America and the Caribbean. Touring with diverse groups such as Sharon Katz and the Peace Train (”the South African band that rocks”), Ellas y Amigos (Funky Caribbean Latin Jazz) and FVC (Motown to Miles) has introduced new audiences to Lynn’s playing and gained her enthusiastic fans worldwide.
More recently Lynn has been expanding her composing vocabulary and style by traveling and performing in countries such as Cuba,
South Africa, Bolivia and Brazil. This multi cultural exposure gives Lynn’s music a unique traditional ethnic sound blended with her original ideas and jazz roots, culminating in a funky accessible world influenced mix.
She received a Window of Opportunity grant from the Leeway Foundation in 2004. Her proficiency has been recognized by the Trane Stop Resource Institute, which presented her with an award acknowledging her contribution in preserving and promoting Afro-American Classical Music. Lynn has been on the faculty of the Performing Arts Department of Drexel University since 1998 and she is the Artist in Residence for Opera Seabrook’s 2008-09 seasaon.
Collaboration with long time friend, and co-band member Rubin Edwards has generated many magical musical moments, from riveting live performances to beautiful compositions to production of Lynn’s new album Too Cool.
It was something about blank paper that was magic to me. On it, I could create whatever I wanted. A fascinating idea, I thought. Overtime, there was hardly a book in our house that I had not torn away “untarnished” introductory and closing pages to concoct my newest ideas. (I didn’t become interested in actually reading books ‘til high school.) Funny, I wasn’t even aware of actual art supply stores and the now ever-present white printer paper had not yet even been invented – so books became my “crack”. (Today I cringe at the idea of my own daughter doing the same thing, so I buy her plenty of paper -she, like my wife, has the ‘project” gene.)
Suddenly a three-month-old band was selling out large clubs in Boston. The first tracks garnered full pages in The Boston Globe, The Boston Phoenix, and The Boston Herald. “The sassy party of The New Collisions,” wrote The Phoenix, “has fallen into place so well it’s actually kind of fucked up.” “If there is another New Wave revival,” said The Herald, “credit The New Collisions and electric frontwoman Sarah Guild. She looks like a star waiting to happen.”
THE DAMNWELLS, who had previously recorded their albums in a storage space and their apartments, were not used to waiting. They had been in complete control of their music and their lives before they signed on the dotted line. Now, a year of their lives was sitting on a shelf waiting to be heard.
Frustrated he couldn’t learn other people’s songs, he started writing his own soon after. His songs tend to be about girls, socio-political issues, people on the edges, breakups, brotherhood, hate, love, fighters and hope. Sometimes all in the same song. He prefers to think of them as songs for humans. He’s released 10 records since his first record, May Day, was released in 1997.
“While I’m a ‘girly girl’ in the sense that I like to do my hair and wear makeup and look pretty, I never degrade myself. My sex appeal is a result of the raw confidence I have inside—and I’ve earned that.” Debbie Gabrione says with a self-assuredness that you have to admire. She’s the bold lead singer of Ten Year Vamp, a power pop band with energy to spare. Imagine Foo Fighters meets Green Day with Gwen Stefani on vocals and you have an idea of their sound.
Recently she has received her third “Individual Artist Grant” from the Indiana Arts Commission in support of her newest CD project. Her previous release 
