Devin Patten's the Afton Project
November 25 @ 5:00 PM

Laura Swankey - voice + electronics

David Riddel - electric guitar

Devin Patten - double bass

Aaron Blewett - drums

No Reservations
Pay What You Can

Devin Patten is a Toronto-based bassist and composer who has studied double bass with Neil Swainson, Matt Brewer and Don Thompson, and composition with Glen Hall and Gabriel Kahane. As a bassist, he has performed with artists including AHI, Adrean Farrugia, Allison Au, Eli Rodriguez, Terry Clarke, Reg Schwager, and many others. 

He leads the chamber-jazz ensemble the Afton Project, featuring vocalist, composer, and improviser Laura Swankey. The ensemble brings together original compositions, reimaginings of works by singer-songwriters, improvisation, and impressionistic soundscapes. Their debut album, the ardent companion to your own most daring emotion (2024), was independently released and features Swankey alongside vibraphonist Michael Davidson, guitarist Andrew Marzotto, and drummer Eric West, with production by Jean Martin. The album also incorporates texts adapted from the poetry of Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke. 

Their follow-up, the Afton Project vol 1: between fading photographs (2025), was released through Elastic Recordings and received critical acclaim for its intimate approach to collaboration, improvisation, and reinterpretation.