Greg Lowe has written and released seven CDs, the most recent being Guitar and Bass Sessions 2007 preceded by The Yellow Pelican 2004, Wake Up Time 2003, and Life So Far 2001 which coincided with the launch of www.greglowe.com. In '91 his first CD "The Art Of Bending" led to a distribution deal with Toronto label Jazz Inspiration Ltd. and the subsequent release of the CD "Greg Lowe" in '93 and Thrilled Against My Will '96.

He has been involved in many theater productions as sound designer and music director/guitarist. In the 2006-07 season Lowe arranged and performed in the Sheakspeare in the Ruins premier of the musical HEAD, created the sound design for the Prairie Theatre Exchange’s production of Apple, and played guitar for the Manitoba Theatre Centre production of the Rocky Horror Show. He was music director, arranger and guitarist in The River, a theatrical concert of Joni Mitchell's music, at the Vancouver Playhouse from Oct 14th to 30th 2004. This was a remount of the Prairie Theatre Exchange's production in 2002 conceived by Allen MacInnes. Other shows include Thirteen Hands by Carol Shields, Ian Ross's FarWel and The Gap, Walking on Water by Dave Carley, Unity 1918 by Kevin Kerr, Copenhagen by Micheal Frayn and many others.

He has scored radio dramas with CBC producer Tom Anniko and writers David Arneissen, Sandra Birdsell, Jake Macdonald, Nancy Botkin and others. His National Film Board work includes Rosies of the North by Kelly Saxberg and The True Story of Linda M. by Norma Bailey. He has also scored 52 television episodes of World's Greatest Spas for Credo Inc., and the theme for a WTN series Head Over Wheels. In 2001 he scored Tom Stroud's contemporary dance piece The Garden which was remounted Feb '04.

On Feb 4th 2005 Lowe performed a new commission co-composed by Lowe and Sid Robinovitch at the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra's New Music Festival. Shadow Play features many textures of the electric guitar blended with orchestra. Greg's first symphonic work Pressing Time was premiered and broadcast by CBC's Two New Hours in Jan '94. With the support of the Manitoba Arts Council three pieces for violin and guitar were written in the summer of '94 and were later recorded and broadcast by CBC's Arts Encounters. One of the pieces "Seventh Heaven" was premiered at the New Music Festival in Jan.'95 with WSO Concertmaster Gwen Hoebig. In '96 the Festival featured an electronic piece titled 'Arctic Jazz' which was broadcast by Two New Hours. Four Quartets for piano, violin, cello and electric guitar were written and recorded in '96 with assistance of the Man Arts Council and Manitoba Film and Sound. With the support of the Canada Council the electric guitar concerto Drastic Measures was written and premiered at the WSO New Music Fest '97 with Bramwell Tovey conducting. The event was recorded and broadcast by CBC. The following year a Concerto for Violin and Guitar was commissioned through the Canada Council by the St. Norbert Cultural Center and premiered at the summer festival in 1999
featuring members of the WSO with Gwen Hoebig and Lowe as featured soloists. His orchestra work Big Mossy was commissioned and recorded by the CBC in 2000, and can be sampled on the web site.

From 1986 - '90 he performed and toured throughout Canada with the Toronto R&B band The Lincolns as guitarist and bass vocalist. One of the first gigs with the group was the closing celebration of Expo '86 at the coliseum in Vancouver. The group shared billing with bands like "The Powder Blues Band", "The Downchild Blues Band", "The Beach Boys" and "Meatloaf" in clubs from Halifax to Vancouver.

In the fall of '97 he composed and performed with Vancouver guitarist Ron Samworth in a solo and duo electroacoustic concert for the Guitar Evolution Festival in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Winnipeg. The commissions and tour where sponsored by the Canada Council and the Toronto concert was broadcast by CBC's Two New Hours. The tour was produced by guitarist Tim Bradey.

The trio SwingSoniq, a collaboration with Greg Leskiw and Danny Koulak, released it's CD "Moonglow" in '99, and the next year performed a national Jazz Festival tour of 7 cities including Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

Lowe is presently a member of the (Glenn) Buhr Quartet and was commissioned by the Manitoba Arts Council to compose music for the group.

In 2003 Greg Lowe and Jack Semple (former Lincoln bandmates) debuted their new duo The Chess Club, premiering acoustic material they have composed with the support of the Canada Arts Council. The CD "Wake Up Time" was released in the spring.

Guitar and Bass Sessions quotes

Winnipeg Free Press , Chris Smith ...GUITARIST Lowe turns his jazzy touch to a disparate bunch of tunes from the pens of Roger Miller (King of the Road) to Carole King (I Feel the Earth Move) to George Harrison (Something) and four of his own compositions.

He performs seven tunes with bassist Steve Kirby; the other six with Gilles Fournier and the guitarist is at his deft-fingered best, especially on Willie Nelson's Crazy, where he pulls the Lenny Breau feat of making a country classic sound oh, so un-country.

Lowe sounds great with just the bass accompaniment; it's a rare chance to hear the intricacies of his playing. ****

Life So Far quotes (So Far...)

Winnipeg Sun, Darryl Sterdan...(Lowe) applies his precise tone and impeccably graceful execution to 10 origionals geared for late-night listening with a glass of wine in hand and a loved one in arms...Lowe's flawless playing is definitely the stuff of life. So far, so good.

Winnipeg Free Press, Chris Smith ...knows his way around a fretboard... Lowe can be an amazing guitarist, burning up the strings on one cut and playing a beautiful acoustic tribute to his parents on Golden Anniverary Waltz...more contemporary than straight-ahead jazz, but really it's just a good guitar album.****

Jazziz ...Not only is he from Canada, a country that's far from a jazz hotbed-even with Toronto and Montreal's thriving scenes- but he's from the midwestern city of Winnipeg...the primary emphasis is on streamlined playing. Instrumentals like the opening "Lowdown" reveal the influence of Larry Carlton and Pat Martino.
The track "Every Dog Has Its Day" is featured on the Jazziz March issue CD.
see: www.jazziz.com

Thrilled Against My Will quotes

Jazz Times, Hilarie Grey ...making unexpected orchestrations seem perfectly natural...Lowe's work is deliberate and clever.

Vancouver Sun, Marke Andrews ...Lowe's playing is sure and creative.

Winnipeg Free Press, Chris Smith The disc,.. is Lowe's third and it is good, very good.

The Toronto Star, Entertainment Arts ...The Guitarist assembles an army of jazz musicians, singers and classical players for 11 original tunes with strong melodies and radio friendly excursions into latin and funk.

greglowe@shaw.ca