July 1 marks yet another milestone in the evolution of our native land, as well as our musical landscape.
Canada has never really had to take a backseat to other nations in the arts, especially in music.
Legendary and iconic artists from our country have been revered for several decades worldwide. Some
of them include Wilf Carter and Hank Snow, two of the pioneers in country & western music, Guy and Carmen
Lombardo, who were arguably the first Canadian musical superstars in the 1930s, Ian & Sylvia, Joni Mitchell, Gordon
Lightfoot, The Guess Who, Glen Gould, Liona Boyd, Maureen Forester, Percy Faith, Robert Farnon, The Guess Who, Neil
Young, Jeff Healey, The 4 Lads, The Diaminds, The Crew Cuts, and the first solo superstar, Paul Anka. They all
paved the way for more contemporary heroes like Celine Dion, Bryan Adams, Sara McLaughlin, Shania Twain,
The Tragically Hip, Teri Clarke, Drake, Angela Hewitt, and Tracy Dahl.
Now what about the great legacy of jazz in Canada? Of course, many legendary figures from the U.S. were
making appearances throughout our country at least as early as the 1940s, when artists such as Louis Armstrong
and Duke Ellington performed in places like Winnipeg, Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto. However, some of the early
stars yet to be famous were travelling to either the land of milk and honey just south of us or Europe.
People like Gil Evans, Paul Bley and Maynard Ferguson thought it best for their careers to travel to the Big Apple
and other major cities in the U.S., while others, such as Robert Farnon and Kenny Wheeler, went to England. However
many artists fled to Canada for work and to gain greater recognition; people like Peter Appleyard,
Pat LaBarabra, Ranee Lee, Big Miller, Steve Kirby, Jon Gordon, Derrick Gardner, Sasha Boychuck, and Knut Haugsoen.
Thankfully, jazz soon-to-be stars like Oscar Peterson, Phil Nimmons, Rob McConnell, Eleanor Collins, Moe
Koffman, Ed Bickert, Del Richards, Tommy Banks, Ron Paley, Guido Basso, Vic Vogel, and so many others decided
to stay in their homeland, and create a path for future world-class artists like Diana Krall, Densil Sinclair,
Carol Welsman, Matt Dusk, Christine & Ingrid Jensen, Jill Townsend, Oliver Gannon, Fraser Macpherson,
Oliver Jones, Jane Bunnett, Holly Cole, Cory Weeds, and Ernesto Cervini.
While the number of jazz clubs has declined in the past couple of decades, at least the various festivals, schools
of music and record labels appear to be doing well enough to support the growing number of jazz artists honing their
skills in Canada. Bravo to such international festivals as the ones to be found in Montreal, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa,
Vancouver, and even in Brandon and other smaller communities. Then there are the strong record labels
such as Cellar Jazz, Justin Time, Chronograph, Orange Grove, and Naxos to expose our exports to the world.
Some cities like Winnipeg offer a Master’s Degree in Jazz Performance and Education. Oh, Canada, our home and
native land, please continue to allow our future and present artists to hone their skills to flourish in the fields
of education and performance at home and abroad so long as there exists a longing for improvisational
inclinations to nourish our often inquisitive, restless and sometimes troubled souls. God bless Canada.
ESSENTIAL CANADIAN JAZZ ALBUMS
- The Canadiana Suite ( 1964 Polygram Records) – Oscar Peterson Trio
- The Atlantic Suite (1975 Sackville) – Phil Nimmons with Nimmons ‘n’ Nine Plus Six
- Maple Groove – Songs From The Great Canadian Songbook (2003 Justin Time ) – Ranee Lee
- Trail Of Dreams – A Canadian Suite (2000 Verve) – Oscar Peterson & Michel Legrand
- Even Canadians Get The Blues (1996 Concord Jazz) – Rob McConnell & The Boss Brass
- She Bop! – A Century Of Jazz Compositions By Canadian Women (2003 Festival/Holy Mackerel)-Mother Of Pearl
- Suite 150 – A Big Band Portrait (2017 WJO/Canada Council) – Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra
- Canadiana – A Celebration of The Canadian Songwriter (2016 Antoinette Music) – David Clayton-Thomas
- The Personal Touch – A Tribute To Fellow Canadian Artists (Pablo Records 1980) – Oscar Peterson Qt.
- Africville Suite (1996 Sea Jam Recordings) – Joe Sealy
