Legends of Jazz - They're Back!

Saturday, August 9, 2025 at 7:30pm

$35 per ticket - SOLD OUT!

The 31st concert in the York Place Musical Salon.

About the Event

The Legends of Jazz first performed in the York Place Musical Salon in January 2024. This concert is a reunion of three old friends who happen to be among the finest jazz musicians in Canada over the last forty years - Perry White on tenor saxophone; Phil Dwyer on piano; and Steve Wallace on bass. Although Perry and Phil both hail from BC, these veterans did most of their playing together in Steve's hometown of Toronto, where Perry still lives. Perry visits his mother in Comox Valley several times a year and when we got wind of this we quickly arranged a second presentation of this great trio! As usual they will play an energetic, varied and interactive brand of jazz with a repertoire of standards, bebop, jazz classics and more.

This concert sold out very quickly, but you can...

We gratefully acknowledge a generous donation from an anonymous patron who has sponsored the York Place Musical Salon since 2024. This support helps further our goal of presenting performances of the highest caliber. Thank you.

About the Musicians

In December 2013 Phil Dwyer was appointed as a Member of the Order Of Canada. He was cited for “his contributions to jazz as a performer, composer and producer, and for increasing access to music education in his community.” In January 2015 he was recognized by the Royal Conservatory of Music as an Honorary Fellow. These distinctions arise from an illustrious thirty year career collaborating with a storied roster of great musical artists, crossing stylistic and geographic borders. Phil has appeared on ten Juno Award-winning recordings, and over thirty nominated recordings. He is also a recipient of the prestigious K.M. Hunter Prize, for excellence in the arts. Phil is a practicing lawyer, with his own firm in Qualicum Beach. Phil is a litigator, working primarily in family, estate, and environmental law, and appears regularly in Provincial and Supreme Courts. He is currently a member of the Law Society of British Columbia mental health task force. As a musician he remains an active performer, writer, and recording artist. He curates “Phil Dwyer’s Jazz Canada” for CBC Radio Music, programs music for The Old School House, in Qualicum Beach, and is a partner in SeaWind Musical Instruments. This concert marks Phil's third appearance in the York Place Musical Salon.

Perry White's expressive tone and lyrical approach to playing the saxophone has kept him busy performing in Canada and around the world for over two decades. He has performed and recorded with a who's who of the Canadian jazz and modern music scene as well as a diverse cross-section of international artists including: Hilario Duran, Dave Young, Kevin Briet, The Shuffle Demons, Bill Mays, Mouse on Mars, Hugh Fraser, Phil Dwyer, Holly Cole, Michael White, John Alcorn, John MacLeod, Dave McMurdo, Mr. Something Something (yeah, google it!), Aretha Franklin, Michael Bublé, Raise the Roof, The Boss Brass, Reg Schwager, Planet Earth, Steve Wallace, Rob Armus, and many others. This is Perry's second appearance in the York Place Musical Salon.

Steve Wallace is one of Canada’s foremost jazz bassists. He was born in Toronto in 1956. Most of his career took place there and internationally, playing clubs, touring and recording with such American greats as Zoot Sims, Ray Bryant, Scott Hamilton, Rosemary Clooney, Woody Herman and many more, as well as with such Canadian giants as Fraser MacPherson, Rob McConnell, Oscar Peterson, Phil Nimmons, Ed Bickert, Mike Murley and many others. He moved to Courtenay in July 2021 where he now lives with his long-suffering wife Anna. This concert marks Steve's ninth appearance in the York Place Musical Salon.

www.wallacebass.com