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Solon McDade

Solon McDade grew up in a musical environment constantly surrounded by music and musicians. He began playing the washtub bass as soon as he was big enough to pick it up, and later moved on to the larger upright bass. He and his siblings were trained as musicians from a young age and exposed to their parents’ extensive and eclectic record collection. They were soon playing alongside their parents in the McDade Family Band, a group that toured Canada with their own brand of Canadiana folk music at festivals and theatres throughout the 1980s and 1990s. These gigs and particularly the late-night jam sessions at folk festivals left a lasting impression on Solon. From these experiences he retained a love of music, an openness to new sounds and a vision for musical possibilities which contribute to his versatility as a performer in a variety of musical genres. His style is described by Dirty Linen magazine as “complex and literate bass playing.” ​ His distinctive melodic and powerful bass playing provides the foundation upon which numerous recordings have been built. Recordings that feature Solon on bass have been nominated for five Juno Awards (Bill Bourne and Shannon Johnson, Maria Dunn (twice), Susie Arioli Swing Band, The McDades). His group, The McDades, won a 2007 Juno Award and two Canadian Folk Music Awards for their album “Bloom”. Solon has been a part of multiple tours of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, France, Luxemburg, Scotland, England Belgium and China. He has performed with a varied cast of artists such as blues musicians Luther “Guitar Jr.” Johnson, Billy Boy Arnold, Major Handy, Wild Child Butler and Michael Coleman; songwriters John Allen Cameron, Bill Bourne, Alejandra Ribera, Maria Dunn, David Wilkie, Rob Lutes and Thomas Hellman; jazz musicians such as the Susie Arioli Swing Band, Jan Jarczyk, Dawn Tyler Watson, Jordan Officer, Mike Rud, Ralph Sutton, Tim Tamashiro, Kent Sangster, Jon McCaslin and Bluegrass bands Guy Donis Trio and Notre Dame de Grass. ​ Solon holds a Diploma in Performance (1998) from MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta, a Bachelor of Music (jazz) (2002) and a Master’s in Performance (jazz) (2017) from Montreal’s McGill University. He was presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award from MacEwan University in 2014. Along with the five Juno nominations his recordings have also been nominated for 5 Canadian Folk Music Awards (won two), Five Independent Music Awards (won three), Three Western Canadian Music Awards and seven ARIAs.

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Album Review

Melissa Pipe Sextet: Of What Remains

Read "Of What Remains" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian


On the enchanting Of What Remains, her debut as a leader, Canadian saxophonist and bassoonist Melissa Pipe delightfully blurs the boundaries between jazz and western classical music. Pipe leads a cohesive sextet on seven of her haunting originals, on the theme of time, and an arrangement of Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits' “Puudutus." For instance, “La Part Des Anges" opens with Pipe playing the main motif on her airy bassoon, with support from drummer Mili Hong's effervescent beats. After ...

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Album Review

Melissa Pipe Sextet: Of What Remains

Read "Of What Remains" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Montreal-based multi-reedist Melissa Pipe's artistic vision is fully formed. Her debut recording, Of What Remains, features a sextet which explores darkness with deep tones--Pipe plays baritone sax and bassoon here--by delving into temporality, the shifting of time and being, via chamber music reveries and jazz grooves. Noir is a word which comes immediately to mind on the disc's opener, “Complainte du vent," and its follow-up, “La part des anges." a pair of somber tunes which may evoke a ...

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Album Review

Sebastian Bailey: Ensemble de Magnac

Read "Ensemble de Magnac" reviewed by Jim Olin


Quebec-based composer-saxophonist Sebastian Bailey is primarily focused on chamber jazz on his latest EP, and his innovative ear guides each track. Ensemble de Magnac summarizes Bailey's creative vision quite well, especially his ability to create a diverse and engaging soundscape. The music on this release has a classic sound and the production aesthetics are solid, highlighting the natural chemistry between these talented musicians. The record's spotlight on chamber jazz allows the line-up to create a thick sonic fabric ...

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Album Review

Solon McDade: Murals

Read "Murals" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


This is the debut release by ace Canadian bassist and Juno Award winner, Solon McDade. And it's a welcome surprise, to say the least. Think of classic small ensemble Prestige or Blue Note recordings with a modern uplift and state-of-the-art recording processes to conjure a good idea of the quintet's deportment and stylization. McDade is an impressive composer, demonstrated via these effervescent, buoyant and melodic works, to complement the quintet's first-rate musicianship and inimitable synergy. With bop phraseology, ...

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Album Review

Solon McDade: Murals

Read "Murals" reviewed by Anya Wassenberg


An inventive sense of composition characterizes Murals by Toronto-based jazz bassist and composer Solon McDade. As a composer, McDade possesses a dramatic sense of structure that is always multi-layered, and constantly shifting in mood and tone. “He's A Problem In The Locker Room" intertwines tenor and alto sax over a driving drum and busy bass line. It's alternately dissonant and melodic, always rhythmic. The piano dances in, then bass and drums take their turn in an interesting and ...

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Album Review

Solon McDade: Murals

Read "Murals" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


This all started with the washtub bass for Solon McDade, slipping into the switch to the more refined upright bass, and years of performance with the McDade Family Band, Canada's contribution to roots music. His career branched out and resulted in his playing bass on several recordings that won the coveted Juno Award, perhaps most notably with the Suzie Arioli Swing Band and The McDades. But roots music isn't his only game. Murals finds the composer/bassist embracing mainstream ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Of What Remains

Odd Sound Records
2023

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Ensemble de Magnac

Self Produced
2019

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Murals

Solon McDade
2018

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La parte des anges

From: Of What Remains
By Solon McDade

Ali's Second Line

From: Murals
By Solon McDade

He's A Problem In The Locker Room

From: Murals
By Solon McDade

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