Roy Patterson Bio

  “Patterson…a perfectionist with a big, round and dominating sound that turns every tune into a stimulating experience.” – The Toronto Star

 “Every note that he plays seems to have a purpose and a place, and both purpose and place usually have something to do with melody.”-The Globe and Mail

Catching the tail end of the 1960s provided Nova Scotia guitarist Roy Patterson a broad palette of musical styles to draw from. He performed with local groups touring Atlantic Canada and in 1978 the 24 year old made the move to Toronto bringing along an intense practice routine and a burning desire to play. Since then Roy has performed with many of Canada’s elite, including Don Thompson, Terry Clarke, Doug Riley, The Bob Mover Quartet, Pat Labarbera and many other highly accomplished artists. His style has drawn comparisons with some of the most respected guitarists in North America, and his playing has taken him to Finland, Istanbul, Italy, Taiwan and the U.S.A. In the spring of 2002 Roy was invited to take part in a series of concerts south of the border and played with a number of U.S. musicians including John Faddis, Keeter Betts, Jay Leonhart, Akira Tana and Fred Wesley. Since the release of his first recording in 1989, Roy has built a body of original work that demonstrates a personal, evocative style with melody at its core. In 1996 the Roy Patterson Quartet won the coveted Prix de Jazz at Montreal’s Festival International de Jazz, the first Toronto based band ever to win this competition. The award brought exposure through national radio, television, and a tour that concluded at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C. To date, seven CDs have been released under his own name and one as co-leader with Brazilian singer/composer Maria Farinha called Uwattibi, released in 2012. Other credits include the Jazz Report magazine award for Guitarist of the Year for 2000 and a profile in a new book called, “The Great Jazz Guitarists: the Ultimate Guide” by Scott Yanow. (Backbeat Books, 2013)

Along the way, Roy earned a Master of Music degree and has taught at McGill University, the University of Toronto, workshops in Poland and Italy and is currently an adjunct faculty member at York University. He also passes his experience on as a regular contributor to the US quarterly, “Just Jazz Guitar.”

Coming full circle, Roy’s current band, Jacob’s Cattle represents a return to his roots with a hybrid form of instrumental Roots/Americana drawn from impressions of the music he heard on a daily basis on the radio growing up in rural Nova Scotia during the late 1950s, 60s and early 70s. The band’s current release, “Songs From My father’s House” is currently available.

 

Discography

The Release, 1989, Unity Records

The Acadiana Suite, 1993, Unity Records

The Coming of Angels, 1995, Unity Records

Inland Passages, 1997, Justin Time Records

On a Cloud, 2000, Unity Records

Live at Zooma Zooma, 2008, Toronto Jazz Composers Collective

Uwattibi (with Maria Farinha Band) 2012 (indie)

Songs From My Father’s House, 2014 (indie)