Showing posts with label Phil Dwyer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phil Dwyer. Show all posts

Sunday, November 17, 2024

Diana Panton - Blue

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:50
Size: 149,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:13) 1. Where Do You Start?/once Upon A Time
(4:01) 2. Yesterday
(3:42) 3. Without Your Love
(4:16) 4. Losing My Mind
(3:08) 5. This Will Make You Laugh
(4:33) 6. The Trouble With Hello Is Goodbye
(3:47) 7. I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out Of My Life
(3:54) 8. To Say Goodbye
(5:22) 9. Meaning Of The Blues
(2:14) 10. I'll Only Miss Him When I Think Of Him
(5:52) 11. It's Always 4 Am
(5:08) 12. Just Sometimes
(2:17) 13. How Did He Look?
(3:27) 14. Nobody's Heart
(4:12) 15. Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year
(2:36) 16. You Are There

Two-time JUNO Award winner Diana Panton has established herself as one of the brightest lights on the international jazz scene, a songbird praised by listeners, musicians, and critics alike for her thoughtful song selection and emotional intensity. Diana is pleased to announce the October 28 release of her tenth album, blue.

Blue represents the culminating gesture in a musical narrative of romance that began with pink (2009 JUNO nominee in Canada and Silver Disc Award winner in Japan), followed by RED (2015 JUNO winner). With release dates spanning more than a decade, this trilogy charts the emotional arc of an ill-fated romantic relationship. The eponymous colours symbolically suggest content: pink is the infatuation of first-time love, RED, the passion of true love, and blue, the heartbreak and mystery of love lost.

"The release dates were deliberately spread over a decade from the first to the final album in the trilogy in order for the music to better reflect different stages in a relationship," says Diana Panton. "I knew that my voice and perspective would be more mature if I waited to record the blue album a little later in my life."

blue showcases Diana Panton, exuding confidence and completely in command of her interpretive powers. Her lustrous, evocative vocals are backed by the artistry of four longtime musical colleagues who made significant contributions to the beauty and passion of the RED album of 2015. The four include three Order of Canada honourees: tenor saxophonist Phil Dwyer C.M., guitarist Reg Schwager C.M., and pianist/arranger Don Thompson O.C., plus first-call bassist Jim Vivian. The sonic landscape of blue also features the extraordinary talents of the Penderecki String Quartet, who acquired their name in 1986 upon the invitation of the great Polish composer himself.

Diana Panton's tenth release is not a casual listen, but a penetrating delve into feelings that accompany the fragments of a broken relationship. "Where Do You Start?" shows that Panton knows precisely where to start, and that is by delivering the pure, unaccompanied poetry of her beautiful, clear voice with its bold superiority of interpretation and intonation. Pianist Don Thompson provides his own musical commentary to the quixotically titled "Where Do You Start?" and the pair segues into the haunting strains of the popular song from the '60s, "Once Upon a Time."

Highlighting his interpretative gifts as a composer/arranger and pianist, talents required to create the unfiltered emotive content permeating blue, is Don Thompson's work on "The Trouble with Hello is Goodbye." This song from the '70s showcases the Penderecki String Quartet's artistry, features a supremely emotive sax improv by Phil Dwyer, and underpins Diana Panton's uncomplicated, honest way with a musical phrase.

In "To Say Goodbye," Panton dips into the rich lower register of her vocal range to capture the profound sadness of the song's lyrics, an expression so true that the listener instinctively feels she is living every word. Also noteworthy is Diana Panton's interpretation of Norma Winstone's poignant lyrics for "Just Sometimes," inspiring another flawless solo from tenor saxophonist Phil Dwyer.

In command of a keen aesthetic sense, Diana Panton has attracted the attention of some of the jazz world's most respected masters. When legendary multi-instrumentalist Don Thompson first heard the nineteen-year-old Diana sing, with unabashed enthusiasm he urged her to audition for the renowned Banff Centre for the Arts Jazz Workshop. It was there that she studied under Norma Winstone, and, in subsequent visits, with Sheila Jordan and Jay Clayton.

When the time arrived for her to go into the recording studio, award-winning guitarist Reg Schwager was invited to join Don Thompson in laying down a collaborative sound that has proved to be, on all of her albums, the perfect setting for the delicate nuance of Diana's pure vocals. The late, great jazz critic Len Dobin called the product of that first session, ...yesterday perhaps, one of the finest debut albums he had heard in years.

Since the release of that first album in 2005, Diana Panton's career has gathered astounding momentum, drawing international acclaim for her nine albums and the impressive variety and quality of her catalogue of songs. The numerous honours garnered include JUNO Awards for RED in 2015 and I Believe in Little Things in 2017, two Silver Disc Awards in Japan, seven JUNO nominations, nine Hamilton Music Awards, and a host of National Jazz Award nominations and Canadian and American independent music award nominations.

I Believe in Little Things charted simultaneously on Billboard's Jazz and Children's Music charts and went to #1 on Amazon's "Movers and Shakers" chart, following an interview on NPR. The album received a four-star review in DownBeat magazine and was one of their Best Albums of 2016. Panton's albums have made the year-end lists of ICI Musique, NOW Magazine, Jazz Critique Magazine, the Montreal Mirror, and DownBeat, among others, and, in addition to reaching #1 on Amazon and iTunes in Canada and the US, have made bestseller lists in Hong Kong, Japan, and Taiwan.
By Michael Major https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwmusic/article/Diana-Panton-Announces-New-Album-blue-20220912

Personnel: Diana Panton – Vocals, Producer; Phil Dwyer – Saxophone; Reg Schwager – Guitar; Don Thompson – Piano, Arranger; Jim Vivian – Bass; Penderecki String Quartet:; Jerzy Kaplanek – Violin; Jeremy Bell – Violin; Christine Vlajk – Viola; Katie Schlaikjer – Cello

Blue

Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Cory Weeds - What is There to Say?

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:51
Size: 113,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:43) 1. At Dawning
(6:12) 2. The Phantom In The In Crowd
(5:58) 3. What Is There To Say
(6:06) 4. Love Is Wild
(4:46) 5. Waltz For Someone Special
(6:33) 6. Alana Marie
(6:35) 7. I Wish You Love
(6:54) 8. There's A Boat Leavin' Soon For New York

Tenor saxophonist Cory Weeds continues to search for new ways to explore and expand his personal musical horizons. In the release What Is There To Say?, Weeds looks to the expression "everything old is new again" and delivers an album backed by a fulsome string section reminiscent of sessions that both Charlie Parker and Bobby Hackett undertook in the 1950s. With sumptuous arrangements from pianist Phil Dwyer, Weeds is provided with a framework with which to explore the four corners of the compositions that were chosen for the recording.

To start this session, Weeds reaches back to the early part of the 20th Century(1906) for a little known song "At Dawning." This lovely winsome ballad is taken in a straight ahead fashion with Weeds keeping close to the melody to focus on the intimacy of the composition. Of the eight compositions recorded, three are originals by Weeds; "Waltz For Someone Special," "Alana Marie"and "Love Is Wild." Each is a diversified tasty morsel of style, substance, and mood, that provides a musical relationship between the strings and Weeds' horn.

An interesting double header is the coupling of Duke Pearson's "The Phantom" with "The In Crowd," a number that was made popular by pianist Ramsay Lewis. The tie that binds these numbers is the intricate rhythmic beat laid down by drummer Jesse Cahill and bassist John Lee. Weeds dances between the two themes with ease while picking up the layers of nuance that exist between them. Dwyer's piano sparkles with characteristic embellishments on the tonal associations with the compositions. To wrap things up, Weeds offers "There's A Boat (Dat's) Leavin' Soon For New York" written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin for their ground breaking folk opera "Porgy & Bess." The number swings along gaily with Weeds offering straight melody playing but making every note count. Dwyer takes his solo opportunity to indicate that he is a wellspring of improvisation. This is an attractive addition to the Cory Weeds discography.By Pierre Giroux https://www.allaboutjazz.com/what-is-there-to-say-cory-weeds-with-strings-cellar-music

Personnel: Cory Weeds: saxophone, alto; Phil Dwyer: saxophone, tenor; John Lee: bass; Jesse Cahill: drums.

What is There to Say?

Monday, October 25, 2021

Dave Young, Phil Dwyer Quartet - Fables And Dreams

Styles: Bop, Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:04
Size: 132,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:58)  1. Darn
(7:34)  2. NPS
(6:16)  3. All Of Me
(9:47)  4. Fables Of Faubus
(6:21)  5. Himh
(6:59)  6. Shifting Emphasis
(6:41)  7. Winter Song
(5:57)  8. Dobro
(3:29)  9. Whims Of Chambers

This CD features a quiet quartet that is often filled with inner tension and low-volumed heat. Bassist Dave Young engages in close interplay with guitarist Rob Piltch (whose tone is sometimes reminiscent of the late Jimmy Raney's), Phil Dwyer contributes lyrical tenor solos and some moody piano (sometimes sounding a bit like McCoy Tyner on the latter instrument) while drummer Michel Lambert is fine in support. Five of the nine songs are originals by bandmembers while the other pieces (including an abstract "All of Me" and a rather passionless version of Charles Mingus's "Fables of Faubus") almost sound like new compositions; the closing tenor-bowed bass duet on "Whims of Chambers" is most memorable. If the overall results on this session are are not all that unique, the well-played set does serve as a a good example of today's modern mainstream acoustic jazz and should satisfy most listeners. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/fables-and-dreams-mw0000963650   

Personnel:  Phil Dwyer - tenor saxophone, piano, composer;  Michel Lambert - drums, composer;  Rob Piltch - guitar;  Dave Young - acoustic bass.

Fables And Dreams

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Phil Dwyer, Alan Jones, Rodney Whitaker - Let Me Tell You About My Day

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:50
Size: 159.9 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[6:07] 1. Afternoon In Paris
[4:54] 2. Narcolypso
[4:59] 3. The Black Beer
[5:57] 4. Refuge
[7:58] 5. I Can't Believe That Your're In Love With Me
[7:33] 6. Two White Heads
[6:29] 7. Thangs
[6:53] 8. Camp Whitaker
[5:06] 9. Airegin
[4:59] 10. Winter Moon
[4:22] 11. For Garrison
[4:28] 12. Let Me Tell You About My Day

Canadian saxophonist Phil Dwyer and American drummer Alan Jones join forces with veteran bassist Rodney Whitaker to uncork a series of warm and powerful readings of originals and standards on this album, which was nominated for thie 2006 JUNO awards (the Canadian Grammys).

Let Me Tell You About My Day mc
Let Me Tell You About My Day zippy