Introduction:
The best way to experience Landis Dell’s music is to simply sit back and close your eyes. Each piece immerses you in a new environment to which you can have your own response. Harmonies flow from one chord or key to the next, sometimes in unexpected ways, as classically-structured melodies wind their way deliberately through them. Influences from artists as diverse as Wayne Shorter, Charles Mingus, Steve Coleman, Thelonius Monk, and Ornette Coleman coexist in a unified voice that is more collage than fusion. Modern elements can challenge the listener at times, but the music is composed in such a way that it remains accessible to any listener.
Landis Dell is an alumnus of St. Francis Xavier’s Bachelor of Music: Jazz Studies program. While at St. Francis Xavier University, he learned the traditions of jazz music and was exposed to some of the cutting-edge sounds that continue to evolve in New York, Boston, and other centres. Since graduating, he has had ample opportunity to refine his sound and gain valuable performance experience. While living in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he performed with some of the best musicians in the industry, including occasional appearances with the Prime Time Big Band. He is an experienced music teacher and has worked throughout the music industry in numerous roles: most notably as a live sound technician and a backline technician.
Of course, as someone who grew up during the 1990s, contemporary music has always been equally important. Landis Dell’s voice as a composer may have emerged through instrumental music, but he can also be heard playing with a wide variety of contemporary artists and groups.
The biggest lesson Landis learned from his study of jazz music is that jazz, at its core, is an exciting, unpredictable, spontaneous, and immensely expressive art form. He applies those qualities to his own performances, regardless of the genre in which he is performing. Like the listener’s experience, each performance is unique in that moment. Please explore this site learn more about Landis Dell and to hear samples of his music.
