It’s the last thing you said which rings in your ear when someone you care about dies. More than the accomplishments or acquisitions, our legacy is determined by the experience left behind. For those who knew Greg Lowe, a prolific Manitoban musician who passed away this May, those experiences were ones of respect, trust, professionalism, […]

I was saddened to hear that the great Al Jarreau passed away on February 12. Al was a prolific writer and performer with a strong gospel and R&B flavour to his music. His music consistently pushed the envelope for music as a whole, infusing elements such as vocal percussion and spoken word seamlessly. His live […]

We join the community in sending condolences to the family of Bob “Moose” Jackson, elder statesman of jazz here in Winnipeg, who passed away at the end of January. He was 84. “Moose” played the upright bass, and he welcomed me here when I arrived in 2003. He was a generous, happy, kind spirit with […]

I first was aware of the Belgian harmonica legend Toots Thielemans through Sesame Street—the harmonica playing in that theme music is amazing! I wasn’t sure who it was at first, but you could hear a fair amount of jazz in that folksy melody. Then I heard him on Quincy Jones’s Walking in Space. That’s some […]

Bobby Hutcherson is easily one of the most important vibraphonists of the twentieth century, an artist who really opened a new era for this instrument. Coming into his own in the sixties, Hutcherson helped modernize his instrument by bringing it into the world of hard bop and avant-garde jazz, with all the associated technical and […]

Pianist George Reznik, a pillar of the Winnipeg jazz community, died this August at the age of 86. He is perhaps best known amongst today’s listeners for his trio’s extended run at The Pemby Hotel. He and long-time friends Bob “Moose” Jackson and Bill McMahon played there every Saturday afternoon for over twenty years. He […]

When I was little my mother would play all types of music in our home, but what they all had in common was that they were, in her words, “feel-good music”—music that spoke to the soul, music that felt comfortable but also energizing. Natalie Cole, along with Frank Sinatra and Marvin Gaye and many other […]

When I first heard Mark Murphy’s rendition of “You Go to My Head,” the lead track on Songs for the Geese, I remember being in absolute awe of his unique style and completely free rhythmic phrasing. His nimble voice jumps from low gravelly tones to soaring high falsetto with ease, leaving behind a trademark sound […]

Phil Woods was my first hero. I heard a recording of his when I was 16, and had that magic moment where I realized, “Now that’s why I’m playing this instrument!” I followed him around NYC to hear him and ask for lessons. But he told me he wasn’t teaching. So I pestered him over several […]

With the death of Ornette Coleman in June, we lost another jazz legend. A fiercely independent artist and a controversial figure pretty much his whole musical life, Coleman ushered in a new way of thinking about improvising—he was determined to shake free of the restrictive structures of show tunes and blues, and to push his […]

I first met saxophonist Bob Belden when he joined Woody Herman’s Young Thundering Herd in 1979, replacing Joe Lovano. He was recruited out of North Texas State, like a lot of young musicians joining big bands on the road at that time. He loved Wayne Shorter and was influenced by his playing in a very […]

Drummer Archibald Alexander Alleyne, a much-loved and highly respected veteran of Canada’s jazz community, passed away on June 8 at age 82, following a lengthy battle with prostate cancer. ArchiegrewupintheKensingtonMarketareaofTorontoatatimewhenitwaslargelypopulatedbyEasternEuropeanJewishimmigrantsandAfricanCanadians.Aprimarilyself-taughtmusician,hiselegantyetdrivingswingandmelodicismledtocomparisonswithfirst-generationbebopdrummerslikeKennyClarkeandMaxRoach. Duringthe1950s,whensegregationandracialdiscriminationstillimpactedmanymusicvenues,hewasamongthefirstblackmusicianstobreakthoughthe“colourline.”HesoonbecameafixtureatTorontoclubsliketheColonialandtheTownTavern,frequentlybackingvisitingstarssuchasLesterYoung,BillieHoliday,BenWebster,Harry“Sweets”Edison,StanGetz,Eddie“Lockjaw”Davis,andTeddyWilson. Alleynetemporarilyretiredfromplayingin1968followingamajorautomobileaccident,butmadeacomebackintheearly1980s,amongotherthingsco-leadingaquartetwithvibraphonistFrankWrightandtouringextensivelywithpianistOliverJones.Later,in2000,heandthelatesaxophonistDougieRichardsonformedthehardbopcomboKollage,whichhadanumberofincarnationsandservedasanurturinggroundforyoungermusicians. Atirelesssocialactivist,AlleynespearheadedsuccessfuleffortstopushtheCanadaCouncilfortheArtstomakerecordinggrantsavailabletojazzmusicians,andtheTorontoJazzFestivaltofeaturemoreblackartists.Later,heestablishedtheArchieAlleyneScholarshipFundtoassistpromisingyoungperformers.In2012hewasnamedanOfficeroftheOrderofCanada. A memoir, Colour Me Jazz: The Archie Alleyne Story, co-written with Sheldon Taylor, was due to be launched this month, but has […]

On October 14, 2014, Winnipeg’s music education community lost one of its most dedicated champions. Through his work as a loved and respected high school band director at the Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute, and then over two decades as the Executive Director of the Manitoba Band Association, Ken Epp mentored countless students and band directors. […]

“Little” Jimmy Scott—born James Victor Scott—had one of the most distinctive voices and styles in jazz. Both his small stature and his unusually high contralto sound were caused by a rare genetic condition, but he was not hampered by that. He rocketed to attention in the 50s and 60s, performing with Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughan, […]

We’re in a period where many of the musicians who helped develop and refine the jazz art form are leaving us. On December 23, we said farewell to Yusef Lateef Dr. Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston) was a respected and influential multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator. He was best known for his work on […]

Jim Hall made a big impact on the world of jazz, with almost forty recordings as a leader, and countless others as a sideman. He continued to perform and tour into his elder years, including gigs at the Blue Note and other clubs in his home city of New York, and concerts at a number […]

Butch Warren was one of the most ubiquitous and irreplaceable voices of the hard bop era, yet not many people can quite place the name. He was the house bassist for Blue Note records in the late 50s and early 60s. His deep and thumping bounce helped catapult Herbie Hancock into stardom on his 60s […]

The fact is, each era in the history of jazz has a canon of great pianists, and Cedar Walton was one of a stellar cluster in the hard bop era. He’s in good company with Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, Keith Jarrett, Bobby Timmins, Horace Silver, Bill Evans, and Kenny Barron. Cedar Walton had […]

I first saw Mulgrew Miller almost three decades ago, playing with Tony Williams in a nightclub in St Louis. I remember thinking that was about the most elegant jazz piano playing I’d ever heard. The lines were smooth and swinging and flowing out like waterfalls cascading—gorgeous! Then somebody said his name was Mulgrew and I […]

Paul Motian, drummer, composer, bandleader, and an important figure in the jazz world for over five decades, died November 22 at the age of 80. Motian is not known for flashy rhythm inventions or wild drum solos. I think of him as more of a tai chi drummer, understanding exactly what was necessary and never […]