Jon Wyce was an English Singer Songwriter who lived and worked in Amsterdam from the late 1970s until his passing in 2002.

 

‘Shoreline’ compiles a number of Jon’s recordings rarely heard.

 

 

Jon blew in to Amsterdam like an exotic bird coasting on a trade wind from a magical far off land…

 

I first met him at a friend’s house near the Vondel Park where he was crashing for a while. He sang to us his beautiful songs, fingerpicking across the frets with his strange open tunings, those long fingers teasing the strings into rare and unusual places, framing that most distinctive voice into unforgettable melodies.

 

Jon came visiting quite often, his wild hair curtaining that thin face and those owl-like spectacles, velvet cape wrapped around his willowy frame. And always with his guitar. 

 

I had a good free-to-reel recorder and I would sit him down and record a new tune or two. Those were special moments…

 

Jon was special, and made his mark on the folk scene in the Amsterdam of the 1970s, playing wherever live music was heard, busking on the edges of the Albert Kuyp Market, jamming with friends, making magic…

 

…and then Jon was no more. 

 

…and then someone got in touch. Someone from our past. Jon was in our thoughts once more, and the idea came to us that maybe we could assemble some of those magic moments and create a musical legacy.

 

Jon touched so many of us that, to hear his voice now, is to transcend time. The songs he created were never of our time - they occupy their own time and space - at once ancient and mysterious, and then again futuristic and fantastical.

 

We hope that you will enjoy this compilation of everything we could find that Joh had recorded during his lifetime. The quality is lo-fi, home recordings, live recordings, demos and try-outs - but Jon’s music outshines all of that. 

 

Jon’s music is his lasting legacy.