Neil James Sinclair Swainson, born November 15, 1955, in Victoria, British
Columbia, is a Canadian jazz bassist. He started his career supporting American
musicians like Herb Ellis and Sonny Stitt, moving to Vancouver in 1976 and
Toronto in 1977. Swainson gained prominence in the 1980s, collaborating with
acts including Tommy Flanagan, Rob McConnell, and Woody Shaw, appearing on
Shaw's Solid (1987) and In My Own Sweet Way (1989). In 1986, he began a
long-standing collaboration with pianist George Shearing, replacing Don Thompson
in 1988. Their partnership lasted until Shearing's ...