Phil Dwyer (musician)
| Phil Dwyer | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Philip Richard Dwyer |
| Born |
December 17, 1965 Duncan, BC, Canada |
| Genres | Jazz, Classical |
| Instruments | Tenor sax, Alto sax, Soprano sax, Flute, Piano |
| Website | http://www.phildwyer.com/ |
Phil Dwyer is a jazz saxophonist, pianist, composer, producer and teacher who is now pursuing a law degree at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Dwyer has been nominated for Juno Awards six times and won Best Mainstream Jazz Album in 1994 with Dave Young for Fables and Dreams and Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year in 2012 for the recording Changing Seasons. Dwyer has also appeared on Juno Award winning recordings with Hugh Fraser (1988), Joe Sealy (1997), Guido Basso (2004), Don Thompson (2006), Molly Johnson (2009), Terry Clarke (2010), and Diana Panton (2015). He is an alumnus and Honorary Fellow of The Royal Conservatory of Music.
Dwyer was born December 17, 1965, in Duncan, BC, and went to high school in Parksville, and Qualicum Beach, BC.
Dwyer’s first national press exposure came from journalist Mark Miller, who profiled Dwyer in a piece filed for the Globe and Mail in 1982 from the Canadian Stage Band Festival (precursor to MusicFest Canada), held that year in Hamilton, Ontario. Dwyer performed with his Ballenas Secondary School group Triple Image and took the Gold Medal in the combo category.
Dwyer joined the American Federation of Musicians, Local 145, in 1983, at age 17, to perform with Fred Stride's West Coast Jazz Orchestra, 'subbing' for well known Vancouver saxophonist/flautist Tom Keenlyside. A recording of his first Vancouver performance as a bandleader led to his receiving a Canada Council grant in 1983 to study in New York with David Liebman, which led in turn to studies with Steve Grossman. Earlier teachers included saxophonists Steve Jones and David Branter, pianist Don Thompson, piano/theory teacher Joan Gosselin and high school band director Bill Cave. His high school contemporaries included trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, bassist Pat Collins, and singer/pianist Diana Krall, for whom years later Dwyer would compose the tribute song 'Diana Piana'.
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