The Live at Studio 64 crew always get excited when a saxophone concert is in the offing; it’s an instrument not often heard at Studio 64. But on Saturday, September 29, they will be greeting the arrival of Nelson’s premier saxophonist Clinton Swanson with great anticipation when the Clinton Swanson Trio arrive in Kimberley to play an acoustic R&B/blues concert at Studio 64.

Swanson suggests that the trio ought really to be called the Kelly Fawcett Trio as Fawcett will be the main featured artist, being the vocalist and guitarist. Whatever the name, we can anticipate some excellent musicianship from them both and from the third member of the trio, an old favourite at Studio 64, Doug Stephenson, who will be playing acoustic bass.

Clinton Swanson (pictured above) has been a professional musician for 29 years. As a saxophonist he has performed nationally and internationally in a variety of styles and ensembles (blues, funk, jazz, R&B) and in a variety of venues (concert theatres, festivals, night clubs, show lounges). He has performed with Lloyd Jones, Sonny Rhodes, Frazey Ford, Ricky Martin, Pee Wee Ellis, and has opened for Tower of Power, Charles Bradley, and Five Alarm Funk.

Since 2000 Swanson has also worked in Nelson as a producer and co-producer, helping produce seven albums for independent artists. His latest completed project is his own solo album, Comp 1 – Clinton Swanson, released on his own label, Big Fir Records. Swanson has been tagged as ‘the hardest working musician in the Kootenays,’ leading or playing with a number of Kootenay bands.

Kelly Ward Fawcett has led his own bands and been sideman to many prominent Canadian performers. He’s toured North America, Hong Kong, China, the Caribbean and Europe and appeared alongside Dutch Mason and Rick Jeffries, Buddy Guy, Amos Garret, Shari Ulrich and Sarah McLachlan. He has toured with Earl Pereira of Widemouth Mason, with Rita Chiarelli and others.

A former Nova Scotian, he is now resident in Nelson where he was formerly an instructor in the Selkirk College professional music and digital media program.

Doug Stephenson’s reputation as an outstanding guitar, bass, and keyboard player is often overshadowed by the more widely known success of his jazz vocalist wife, Melody Diachun, with whom Doug often appears. Indeed, he and Swanson have previously performed at Studio 64 as part of Diachun’s backing band and Doug has almost become a regular at Studio 64, appearing with Laura Landsberg and several other outstanding Nelson-based performers.

This acoustic R & B / blues concert starts at Studio 64 at 8 p.m., doors open at 7.30 p.m., and tickets are available at Centre 64 (250-427-4919 or [email protected]) or online at eastkootenay.snapd.com.

It is the second concert in this season’s spring Live at Studio 64 program, following hot on the heels of the brilliant Gabriel Palatchi concert on September 8 and preceding concerts featuring Guy Davis on October 14 and the Cecelia La Rochelle Jazz Combo on November 17.

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