Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

April 10, 1928

Swing/bop saxophonist Fraser MacPherson (1928-1993) possessed a style deeply rooted in the tradition of the great pre-bop saxophonists, owing a significant stylistic debt to Zoot Sims. Born in Victoria, British Columbia in 1928, MacPherson moved to Vancouver in 1948 and began a career as a studio and nightclub musician. In 1975, MacPherson formed a trio with guitarist Oliver Gannon and bassist Wyatt Reuther and began to focus solely on jazz. He won a Juno Award in 1983 for Best Canadian Jazz Recording and in 1987 was made a member of the Order of Canada (which is fundamentally the Canadian equivalent of being knighted). ~ Dan Cross