Fraser MacPherson

Fraser MacPherson (1928-1993), a saxophonist steeped in swing and bop, drew his approach from the lineage of major pre-bop players and carried a pronounced debt to Zoot Sims. Victoria, British Columbia, was his birthplace in 1928; he relocated to Vancouver in 1948 and established himself there as a studio and nightclub performer. In 1975 he assembled a trio that included guitarist Oliver Gannon and bassist Wyatt Reuther, after which his work centered exclusively on jazz. A Juno Award for Best Canadian Jazz Recording reached him in 1983, and four years later he received membership in the Order of Canada, the distinction that stands as that country’s nearest counterpart to a knighthood.