Tyler Summers

"Mirror Of A Man" from the EP "Whatever It Takes" took 4th place in the American Songwriter Magazine Lyrics Contest. To see more, check out...

http://www.americansongwriter.com/lyric-contest/winners/
- American Songwriter Magazine

Who says that all "Young Lions" revere only the Blue Note label? On the evidence of this enormously impressive debut, the peach fuzz on these guys' faces has been blowin' in the wind of imprints like Soul Note, CIMP, abd ESP-Disk. "'Young' Has Ended" indeed, as one of their titles states; when the music is this good, considerations of age become moot.


I haven't been so blown away by an opening blast of free-bop since Side One, Cut One of Anthony Braxton's New York, Fall 1974. "Metropolis" building on a familiar melodic kernel, is an excellent demonstration of this trio's considerable talents. With a fabulous sense of structure and an involving tone, Tyler Summers kicks serious butt in his long alto solo. "Contemplation" and "Subterfuge" show him to have equal facility on soprano, with good pitch control, and a tone that ranges from Lacy-tart to Fasteau-round. Matt Wigton's "Patience" shows off his wiry, flexible chops on bass, supporting some hair-raising soprano moves from Summers.


On drums, Stockton Helbing plays quiet assurance,using his kit with busy intelligence. He stokes Summers' rising fire on the 15-minute "Comprimising Fate" with rolling snare and cymbal work, and kicks assertively alongside Wigton's atmospheric arco solo. Reminiscent at times of the Threadgill/Hopkins/Mcall cooperative, Air, at others of Steve Lacy's various trio's, Trinity's freshman effort deserves to be heard by anyone with an ear for creative music. - Cadence Magazine

Interview with Arnold van Klaveren for his show Rhythm-a-ning in Victoria, BC - CFUV

Hey, so the trio is actually a quintet. Sort of. In any event, there’s a healthy dose of telepathic interplay on this disc. I particularly like how Summers plays his soprano sax (he plays alto as well) off of David Braid’s piano on “Contemplation.” There are also long-form compositions (“Solitary Candle”) and tracks that build drama with inventive use of unison lines. “Patience” (my favorite track) is such a tune, torquing up the electricity with some exhilarating starts and stops. The back & forth between busted passages and straight ahead swing is a load of fun.
- blogcritics.org

This certainly seems to be a good month for indy jazz as this crew comes back together for a new set that finds them right in the pocket throughout. Led by a sax man that can blow 200 mph licks with the best of them, it’s energy, chops and skill add up to one killer package. Impressively kicking it out on all originals, the contemporary jazzbo will be thrilled to be the first on his block to be blasting this with the windows open. Engagingly creative and heartfelt, this is a date that’s sure to grab you by the ear and not let go. - Midwest Record

The Galaxie Rising Star Award - 2004

The Galaxie Rising Star Award is sponsored by Galaxie and administered through IAJE Canada and the National Jazz Awards. It is a cash award of $2000 and was presented at this year’s National Jazz Awards in Toronto on February 24, 2004. The award is intended to identify and honour an emerging young Canadian jazz artist (under 28 years old). The winner this year (chosen by adjudication) is 23 year old alto saxophonist Tyler Summers from Toronto and originally from Langley, BC.
- IAJE Magazine