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Waxwing

Formed in 2007, Waxwing is a co-led group created by three veterans of the Vancouver music scene: Tony Wilson on guitar, Peggy Lee on cello and Jon Bentley on saxophones. The trio has released three studio recordings featuring their original compositions: "Flicker Down" (2021 Songlines Recordings) , "A Bowl Of Sixty Taxidermists" (2015 - Songlines Recordings), and "Escondido Dreams" (2007 - Drip Audio). The recipient of numerous Canada Council Grants, Waxwing has performed their unique works in concerts across Canada and has been a regular favourite in the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. The trio has also been featured many times on various CBC radio programs, both from live performances and studio recordings including a live SignalFest recording at CBC Vancouver in 2011.

Awards

Waxwing was nominated for Instrumental Artist of the Year at the 2022 Western Canadian Music Awards for Flicker Down.

Waxwing: Flicker Down

Read "Flicker Down" reviewed by Alberto Bazzurro

by Alberto Bazzurro
March 17, 2022

Disco elegante e al tempo stesso di nerbo, attento al dettaglio ma capace di lasciarsi andare quando necessario, riflessivo e pensoso, aereo, a tratti persino elegiaco (in particolare quando a prendere in mano le redini è il violoncello della sempre impeccabile Peggy Lee), quanto, altrove, deciso, affermativo, il tutto svariando da brani brevissimi (cinque attorno al minuto) a elucubrazioni ben più distese (fino agli otto minuti di “Joe's Time"): ecco cosa ci offre questo album del trio Waxwing, contraddistinto da ...

Album Review

Waxwing: A Bowl Of Sixty Taxidermists

Read "A Bowl Of Sixty Taxidermists" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
July 28, 2015

The second album from this Vancouver-based trio--originally going by Wilson/Lee/Bentley, now known as Waxwing--is a study in contrasts. Idiosyncratic miniatures sit shoulder to shoulder with statements of serenity, eerie constructs and macabre scenarios are quickly replaced with comforting sounds, and uncertainty peaks around every corner. But there's a distinctive group sound and aesthetic here that transcends individual song structures or directions. Tony Wilson's mastery of subtle guitar effects, Peggy Lee's serious-minded turned stoking cello work, and saxophonist Jon Bentley's melodic ...

Recording

'Flicker Down,' New Release From Modern Chamber Jazz Trio Waxwing, Available On May 21

Source: GoMedia PR
May 7, 2021

"Elegant and bittersweet…The original compositions, by each of the three band members, accommodate fluttery abstraction as well as glowing consonance. Everything—the shifting interplay, the shape of the tunes, the mood—communicates a sense of proportion." —Nate Chinen, New York Times Following their 2015 Songlines release, A Bowl of Sixty Taxidermists, Vancouver’s premier chamber jazz trio Waxwing (formed in 2006) returns with a flowing program of compositions and improvisations that again combines delicacy and strength, melodic beauty, and textural sophistication. Theirs is ...
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A Bowl of Sixty Taxidermists: "Elegant and bittersweet…. the original compositions accommodate fluttery abstraction as well as glowing consonance" - Nate Chinen (New York Times) "Top drawer modern chamber jazz" - Ken Pickering (Artistic Director, Vancouver International Jazz Festival) "Quietly gorgeous music….. contemplative and delicate, the product of a careful conversation between the three players" - Alexander Varty (The Georgia Straight) "This is music that is introspective in spirit and outward bound in action. And it’s music that is sublime in any number of ways. Don’t wait for more words… go buy it now" - Dave Sumner (Bird Is The Worm) "Often elegant, consistently crafty and unpredictable.... economical & thoughtfully expressed. In other words, magical" - Bruce Lee Gallanter (Downtown Music Gallery) "A thoroughly satisfying collection...that confidently explores multiple moods and styles.. a recording that eschews histrionics and aggression for playing of a more peaceful character" - Ron Schepper (Textura) "Waxwing explores the outer reaches of the sonic universe and the inner workings of human emotion, reflecting the perplexing nature of that phrase... Through these intriguing and sonically diverse mood paintings, Waxwing proves that substance is of greater importance than stylistic single-mindedness" - Dan Bilawsky (All About Jazz) "A treasure-trove of melody, emotion, and masterful musicianship... This is bold, exciting, fervent, often daring, but always eminently listenable jazz" - Derek Stone (The Free Jazz Collective) "A Bowl of Sixty Taxidermists stands out on multiple-listens as a thoughtful, serious, chamber triumph" - Grego Applegate Edwards (Gapplegate) "Fascinating, appealing and highly individual music from the fertile Canadian scene" - Peter Bacon (The Jazz Breakfast) "A trio that seems to create its own genre…. the mood is reflective, at times playful, rather than somber. The work is less about loss than passage, a gentle trip into the unknown." - Stuart Broomer (The WholeNote) "Brilliant, exhilarating performances which combine lively momentum with a sense of poise... beautifully characterized in all its varied aspects. All of the music is especially fine, actually, full of energy and grace, and the barnstorming finale, is quite the crowning glory of this ever so memorable record." - Raul da Gama (JazzdaGama) Escondido Dreams: "...a gorgeous release." - Panpot.ca "...the album drips with relentless energy..." - Gaz-Eta "...a career highlight for guitarist Wilson and cellist Lee." - Eye Weekly "...rich in stylistic range." - textura.org "...a distinct sound that will appeal to fans of both free-improv and the ever-growing contemporary third-stream scene." - Left Hip Magazine "...a refreshing dose of exciting rist-taking." - La Scena Musicale

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