Free Trade

Free Trade is a quintet made up of Ralph Bowen, Peter Leitch, Renee Rosnes, Neil Swainson and Terry Clarke. What these Canadian musicians have in common is that they have moved to the United States (with the exception of Neil Swainson who chose to remain in Toronto), thus the name Free Trade. Individually, the members of free trade have established themselves as outstanding musicians of international acclaim.

Now, they come together as one unit to stress the significant Canadian contribution to the universal language of jazz. The members of "Free Trade" have performed and recorded with a who's who of jazz including: Oscar Peterson, J.J. Johnson, Wayne Shorter, Woody Shaw, George Shearing, Milt Jackson, James Moody, Jim Hall, Hank Jones, Joe Henderson, Rob McConnell, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Jay McShann, Dizzy Gillespie, Slide Hampton, John Handy and Herbie Hancock.

The members of this band have worked with each other in various contexts over the years, developing a mutual respect for each other's artistry. It is because of this organic musical understanding that Free Trade has finally come together. There is a natural chemistry that abounds and the results are obvious.