Ember Swift
Ember Swift (born in Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who has been writing songs since she was nine years old and performing since she was ten. In 1996, she released her first self-titled album.
Ember Swift | |
---|---|
Also known as | 子玉 |
Origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Genres | Singer-songwriter, folk, jazz, world |
Years active | 1996–present |
Labels | Few'll Ignite Sound |
Website | www |
After graduating from the University of Toronto with a degree in East Asian Studies in 1998, Swift and regular band member Lyndell Montgomery (electric violin) began touring North America, Australia and later, New Caledonia. These live shows featured the additional talents of Toronto-based percussionist and drummer Cheryl Reid as of 1998. Later, the duo began working with Michelle Josef (also of Toronto) and finally, Adam Bowman (of Elmira, Ontario) on drums and percussion. Cheryl Reid continued to work with Swift and Montgomery until 2008 as a part-time player. She has continued to work directly with Swift from 2008 until the present.
In 2008, Ember Swift and Lyndell Montgomery, who were also life partners, went their separate ways and ceased their working relationship. Swift had always dreamed of going to China. She had visited in 2007 and had fallen in love with the country and culture there. In 2008, she moved to Beijing and continues to live and work part-time in Beijing, China and Toronto. In Beijing, she assembled a new band consisting of Zac Courtney of Australia on drums, Paplus Ntahombaye of Burundi (Africa) on bass, and China's Wang Ya Qi 王雅琪 on the traditional Chinese instrument, the erhu. All of the members are long-time residents of Beijing. Tours now include many stops throughout in Asia.
Discography
Albums
- Self-Titled (1996)[1]
- InsectInside (1997)[2]
- Can't Corner Me (1998)[3]
- Permanent Marker (1999)[4]
- The Wage is the Stage (live) (2000)[5]
- Snapshots (live EP) (2000)[6]
- Stiltwalking (2002)[7]
- Disarming (2004)[8]
- Witness: Live in Australia (2005; DVD)[9]
- The Dirty Pulse (2006)[10]
- LENTIC (The new project by Ember Swift) (2009)[11]
- 11:11 (2011)[12]
Awards
Personal life
Swift married Chinese musician Guo Jian (国囝), and gave birth to a daughter and a son.
References
- Swift, Ember. ""Self-Titled":Part 1". Ember Swift. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- Swift, Ember. ""InsectInside":Part 2". Ember Swift. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- Swift, Ember. ""Can't Corner Me": Part 3". Ember Swift. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- Swift, Ember. ""Permanent Marker":Part 4". Ember Swift. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- Swift, Ember. ""The Wage is the Stage" & "Snapshots": Part 5". Ember Swift. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- Swift, Ember. ""The Wage is the Stage" & "Snapshots": Part 5". Ember Swift. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- Swift, Ember. ""Stiltwalking": Part 6". Ember Swift. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- Swift, Ember. ""Disarming": Part 7". Ember Swift. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- Swift, Ember. ""Witness: Live in Australia 2005(DVD)": Part 8". Ember Swift. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- Swift, Ember. ""The Dirty Pulse": Part 9". Ember Swift. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- Swift, Ember. ""Lentic": Part 10". Ember Swift. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- Swift, Ember. "11:11: Part 11: The Final Chapter". Ember Swift. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- "The Jer's Vision Gala celebrates the transformation from a Scholarship into a National Charity". OttawaStart.com. 4 October 2006. Archived from the original on 22 October 2006. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
- "CIRAA – Board of Directors – Ember Swift". Ciraa.ca. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2012.