XSL

John John Larsen, bass player and vocalist born in Victoria, formed the band Earthbound playing Yes, Genesis and progressive music of the 70's. Earthbound moved to Vancouver and was part of the rock scene in the A room club era. After several R&B bands, John turned to jazz fusion in the 90's, playing covers and originals. With XSL, John diversifies his style further with improvisational jazz. John's favs include Bill Bruford, Wayne Krantz, Dennis Chambers, John Scofield and Igor Stravinsky.

Wes Wesley Skakun began classical piano studies at age 6, and turned to drums and percussion at 15. A year later in 1978, the Rock scene entered his life. Since completing Jazz and Performance at VCC in 1983, Wesley has appeared with orchestras such as the Calgary and Vancouver Philharmonics, and has contributed to various original and experimental music and theatre projects. In his view, collaborative freedom resonates in current musical projects.

Rick Rick Xavier, guitar player, dabbled in various rock bands and jazz workshops before finding himself as a fusion musician with an affinity for close voicings and angular lines. He currently plays electric and nylon-string acoustic instruments, and continues to work on his improvisational vocabulary. Rick admires the music of Allan Holdsworth, John Scofield, Bill Bruford, Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland and others.

XSL Progressive Improvisations

XSL
Progressive Improvisations