Featuring:

VIOLIN AND ELECTRONICS
Jesse Zubot

VIOLIN AND ELECTRONICS
Josh Zubot

GUITAR, KORA, AND KALIMBA
Tony Wilson

BASS AND MUSICAL SAW
Russell Sholberg

DRUMS AND PERCUSSION
Kenton Loewen

In the mid-eights guitarist Tony Wilson studied jazz guitar at Malaspina College in Nanamio, BC. It was during this time that he met composer and saxophonist, Peder Long. Initially the two musicians played jazz standards together. As their musical relationship developed they began to perform the original compositions of Peder Long. Over the next few years they performed Peder’s unique music in various ensembles. Wilson then moved to Vancouver and focused on his own career as a composer and bandleader. Throughout this time, Wilson would bring some of Peder’s tunes to his own ensembles and he thought about making a dedicated recording of Peder’s music.

The Longhand Trio, led by Wilson, has been together for fifteen years, recording original music and performing within Canada and Europe. With the support of Canada Council funding, Longhand was able to add violinists Jesse and Josh Zubot to the trio and record ten of Peder’s tunes which were arranged for the quintet by Wilson.

Longhand Plays Long touches on many musical genres. The opening track Fantasy Alternatives is a straight, hard hitting rocker with some surprising melodic detours. Akimbo has an afro beat vibe. The appearance of the Kora (a West African string instrument) offers a sonic surprise while improvisation takes place over an insistent bass vamp. Soul Internal, a most pensive composition, is performed by solo guitar. Chicken Grease alternates between funk and swing grooves in the melody and solos. The last track Let’s Call it a Night has the Zubot’s playing an unpredictable melody over guitar loops along with musical saw with free drum accompaniment. Long’s compositions are unpredictable with many twists and turns but somehow make musical sense and offer many surprises for the musicians and the listeners.