Phil Dwyer -Changing Seasons (ALMA RECORDS 2011)

Award-winning saxophonist/composer/bandleader Phil Dwyer's Changing Seasons is a jazz orchestral piece featuring violin soloist Mark Fewer. The composition, recorded in Vancouver, was performed by a 47-piece jazz orchestra featuring Canada's finest with a couple of international guests joining in including BC native Ingrid Jensen on trumpet.

The work has some structural similarities to Vivaldi's "Four Seasons," but it's inspired by John Coltrane as much as Vivaldi, and the combination of a large band with horns and a massed string section integrates these diverse musical elements in a truly fresh and accessible way.

Acclaimed saxophonist/composer/bandleader Phil Dwyer terms Changing Seasons "my most ambitious project yet, without a doubt." That's saying something, given his resume and adventurous spirit. Changing Seasons is a compelling violin concerto, featuring internationally renown violin virtuoso Mark Fewer, that bridges the jazz and classical worlds in seamless fashion. Changing Seasons is inspired by John Coltrane as much as Vivaldi, and the combination of a large band with horns and a massed string section integrates these diverse musical elements in a truly fresh and accessible way.
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Review: 2011′s most ambitious Canadian jazz disc (CD review) / Peter Hum

"Above all, the music is lyrical and listenable, with palpable emotional and logical momentum driving it forward as well as Dwyer’s deft integration and variation in orchestrating his music.

Canada’s jazz festivals and chamber music festivals alike would do well to figure out how they might present Changing Seasons in 2012. Its the kind of first-class work that takes the best from jazz and classical musics to create something new and appealing for listeners of all stripes."