Given the sterling international jazz reputation of his accomplished father, young Kwalikum Secondary School saxophonist and bassist Ben Dwyer has some pretty big shoes to fill. He is already doing a remarkable job of this with his own ensemble and turning many heads in the process. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear the premiere performance of this extraordinary father and son duo!
Phil Dwyer has been a force on the international jazz scene for over two decades. A critically acclaimed composer, arranger, and musical director, as well as gifted, intuitive perfomer on both saxophone and piano , Dwyer has performed with everyone from Aretha Franklin, Ian Tyson, and Gino Vannelli to jazz greats like Red Rodney, Ingrid Jensen, Randy Brecker, Tom Harrell, Jim Hall, Dave Holland, Don Thompson, and many others.
Before returning to his west coast roots on Vancouver Island in 2004, Dwyer spent 15 years as one of Toronto's busiest studio musicians appearing on hundreds of recording sessions, and working as a commercial composer and arranger. He also was a regular performer at Toronto clubs Top O’ The Senator and Montreal Bistro, with Dave Young, Marcus Belgrave, Renee Rosnes, Carol Welsman, Moe Koffman, Randy Brecker and many others.
Doubling on tenor sax and piano, Dwyer was a member of the Hugh Fraser Quintet when they won the Alcan Jazz Competitionin 1987 and the Juno Award for Looking Up in 1988. A long-time partnership with bassist Dave Young has produced a pair of recordings including 1993 Juno Award-winner, Fables and Dreams. Phil was also arranger, composer, and conductor on Guido Basso's 2003 Juno Award-winning recording, Lost in the Stars. Dwyer has also made three recordings with Robert Occhipinti and was a featured soloist on the bassist's Juno-nominated Yemaya.
Phil has recorded three times with Don Thompson, Forgotten Memories (with Dave Holland, Claude Ranger, and Kenny Wheeler), the 2006 Juno Award-winner, Ask Me Later, and the 2008 For Kenny Wheeler. The duo's ongoing, two-decade musical relationship was underlined when Phil was chosen by Thompson to take part in the May 2006 Tribute to Don Thompson along with jazz greats Dave Holland, John Handy,Terry Clarke, and Jim Hall.
Dwyer is a frequent collaborator with Kenny Wheeler and has been saxophonist for the British-based jazz star's Canadian performances for the last 15 years. Dwyer also has several ongoing musical projects with New York-based trumpet star Ingrid Jensen, including successful tours of Europe and Mexico, and a mutual interest in community involvement.
One of Dwyer's longest and most important musical relationships is with drummer Alan Jones. They met in New York City in 1985 and played together with the David Friesen Trio, touring from 1987-1990 and recording Other Times, Other Places also featuring Airto and Flora Purim. In 2004 Phil reunited with Jones, and with bassist Rodney Whitaker onboard, recorded Let me tell you about my day, a muscular, inspired collection of powerful and playful readings in the saxophone trio format. Dwyer and Jones recently recorded again with a new group, the Bridge Quartet, with pianist Darrell Grant and bassist Tom Wakeling. Their two recordings “Day” and “Night” are available through Origin Arts.
Dwyer is also enthusiastic to continue his development as a musical director, arranger, composer, and producer. Mentored by studio wizards like Doug Riley, Guido Basso, and Rick Wilkins and a student of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Michael Colgrass, Phil has written for theatre companies, dance groups, and symphonies around the world and received commissions from Mark Fewer, CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Gryphon Trio, Art of Time Ensemble, Hard Rubber Orchestra, and Duke Trio.
In 2001 Dwyer won the prestigious KM Hunter Award for Land of Sleepless Dreams, a composition he wrote for Amici Chamber Ensemble. That year, he was also featured soloist with Latvia's Liepaja Symphony. Dwyer was commissioned by CBC Radio Drama to write original music and serve as musical director for A Night at the Quinte Hotel, an evening of Al Purdy's poetry starring Gordon Pinsent.
Phil was musical director and composer/arranger for the World Leaders Tribute to Bernardo Bertolucci in Toronto in 2002 and musical director and arranger for the Canadian jazz super-group, Sax Summit's CD and nationally broadcast performances. He was also arranger for A Long Time Ago, a special Kenny Wheeler performance with a chamber orchestra and musical director for Maple Leaf Mojo, a post-Katrina three-hour live broadcast from House of Blues in New Orleans (2006).
After over 15 years in Toronto Phil returned with his family to Vancouver Island in 2004. Since moving to the island Phil has remained busy as a performer and writer, but has also become very involved in the community as a music mentor. He operatesthe Phil Dwyer Academy of Musical and Culinary Arts and acts as a resource to the local school music programs throughout theyear. He has also been an active fundraiser for the Bill Dwyer Memorial Scholarship Fund, which each year awards music scholarships to deserving local students.
In 2008 Phil was recognized at the National Jazz Awards with awards for Saxophonist and Arranger Of The Year. Other highlights of the year included performances in Chile with Dave Young and Mike Murley, composing and performing with the the Gryphon Trio in Toronto, jazz club appearances with Robi Botos (Vancouver) and Joe Labarbera (Edmonton), and touring and festival appearances with Don Thompson, Laila Biali, and Molly Johnson. Albums with Thompson (For Kenny Wheeler) and Johnson (Lucky) are nominated for the Juno Award. As well Phil is nominated in 6 categories at the 2009 National Jazz Awards.
2009 has seen Phil arranging a symphony show for singer Sophie Milman, completing a commission for CBC Radio and the Gryphon Trio, teaching at the Banff Centre, and overseeing the continued expansion of the PDAMCA program. He is also looking forward to dates in Berlin, Copenhagen, and Stockholm with friends from overseas.
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Jim Kilburn was born on October 3, 1927 in Winnipeg, Manitoba and moved to Vancouver in 1929. He inherited his musical genes from his mother (piano) and father (guitar). His occupations were journeyman, electrician and electrical technician. Always musical, at about age 12 or 13 he heard, for the first time, the Benny Goodman Sextet with Lionel Hampton and Charlie Christian and immediately fell in love with both the guitar-vibes combination and the astounding solo work of Charlie Christian. He was so impressed with Charlie Christian that he salvaged an old junk guitar and learned to play on it all of the Charlie Christian solos that were available at that time. Eventually he studied with Felix Smalley, a well-known guitarist and teacher, who taught him the harmonic side of the instrument. As Jim progressed musically, he played with vibes at every opportunity.
In the late 40’s and early 50’s Jim started playing with a local Vancouver trio consisting of Dave Wright on vibes, Jim Thomas on bass and Danny Crooks on drums. This group was frequently joined by vocalist Austin Gibson, and it was through Austin that Jim eventually got to know several other musicians. By the mid 1950’s bebop was the mainstream jazz for many Vancouver musicians. By that time, Jim was a reasonably competent guitarist, steeped in the Charlie Christian tradition and ready to move on. Like most of his other musical acquaintances he had no interest in playing commercial gigs, nor did he need to, having a steady job that paid a comfortable wage. Nevertheless, the urge to play jazz was overwhelming, and jam sessions were about the only available means of doing so. Jim began by playing sessions in basements, living rooms and backroom bistros with the musicians of his acquaintance. Together they eventually became the prime movers in the formation of the Cellar Jazz Club, which operated from about 1957 to 1965 and was an extremely important enterprise in the history of jazz in Vancouver.
The Cellar not only provided a dynamic venue for Vancouver jazz musicians (as well as other types of artists), but also brought in the biggest and best names in jazz for regularly scheduled performances (and, of course, after hours jam sessions). It was in this context that Jim met, played music with and developed a strong friendship with Wes Montgomery.
Daryl Jahnke: Since my first performance in ‘82, I've been playing jazz and Latin music with great enthusiasm, enjoying appreciative responses from listeners and musicians alike. Five years later, I began my own creative jazz project which led to the recording of my critically acclaimed CD "In Other Words". Since then, I've been busy as a performer, studio musician, composer, producer, musical director and teacher and have been involved in creative projects led by some of Canada’s best musicians. My travels as a performer have taken me to New York, Cuba, Tokyo and across Canada where I've worked with highly respected musicians, including members of Cuba’s premier Latin jazz band "Irakere", Tokyo/New York trumpeter Terumasa Hino and bassist Paul Jackson of Herbie Hancock’s "Headhunters’" fame. On the local scene, I have been a featured performer in the Vancouver International Jazz Festival since 1986. |
