In over 27 years in the music business Bill has tried a wide variety of
styles, always coming back to the blues oriented style of jazz that he was
exposed to in his teens and early twenties around the clubs of Ottawa,
Montreal, Boston and New York. With early influence from Otis Spann and Jack
Dupre came a raw feel that a young guy can strive for but, as his musical
tastes broadened, the works of musical greats like Count Basie and Ray Charles
started to creep into his repertoire. It was the intimate sound of the cabaret
voice and the friendship of fellow club musicians that led him to record his
first solo CD entitled "Shall we call it a night".
For the last couple of years the Bill Stevenson quartet has been working as
the show band or dance band aboard passenger ships. In the last 26 months, 12
have been spent on one of four vessels under both the Princess and Seabourn
flags. These contracts have taken The Quartet through parts of South East
Asia, China, Northern Australia, Alaska, West Coast of Canada and the US,
Mexico, Central America, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Uraguay, Paraguay, Argentina,
Brazil, the Caribean, Acores, Canary Islands, Gibraltar, Spain and Portugal.
While traveling, the band played swing blues dance style for people from all
walks in life as well had a feature presentation show, based on a loose
history of Jazz in the twentieth century.
The Quartet personnel has changed a bit in the last two years from time to
time. Tom Easley has played bass for most of the time, replaced Wes Neil
during the Panama runs. New York native, Tom Partington, has been the main
drummer in South East Asia and South America, spelled by Annapolis Valley
native Alex Porter for the Alaska and Panama runs. Evan Shaw has been the reed
man for all the cruises.
A tape project has been completed for sale aboard the ships, featuring the
Quartet's treatment of well known standards entitled "Let's Get Away From
It All"
Other projects have included a Jump band called the Tell All Your Troubles
Goodbye Band. Formed specifically for some dates during the G7 conference _95,
the band expanded to 5 piece with the addition of Scott Marshall on tenor sax.
This seeded a long term project that showcases some great jump tunes out of
the40's era as well a good helping obscure R&B and Blues Classics.
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