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 passing in 2011, during which they recorded numerous albums including A Perfect Match (1988) and Dexterity (1988). Swainson also released his own album, 49th Parallel, in 1989 under the name the Neil Swainson Quintet. He has toured worldwide with artists like Roberta Gambarini and Gene DiNovi, and worked as a professor at Humber College while composing music and freelancing in Toronto.
