Ron Collier

This talented Canadian trombonist, composer, and arranger is best-known for his collaborations with Duke Ellington within the ’70s, but was also section of a little Canadian third stream jazz scene in the late ’50s, supported visiting jazz dignitaries such as for example Billie Vacation, and caused iconoclastic bandleaders such as for example George Russell and Charles Mingus. Collier’s capability to obtain financing in the Canada Council to attempt with the previous musician represented the very first time this financing body acquired tossed nickels in a jazz musician, an achievement that Collier continues to be happy to consider credit within the grant-happy Canadian environment. In the first ’50s, Collier was the award student from the Delamont family members, an Ontario dynasty of bandleaders and composers. He got his focus on the Kitsilano Young boys Band beneath the path of Arthur Delamont and later on studied structure in Toronto with younger era as displayed by boy Gordon Delamont. This is Collier’s so-called experimental period: He knocked mind with Russell and oozed plenty of third stream vibes to be looked at part of a little third stream jazz motion in Canada in the past due ’50s, the stream without doubt freezing over by one particular storm blasts referred to as a “northerner.” In fact, the Toronto jazz picture is occupied enough such that it would not become inaccurate to state the town gets even more jazz than snow and Collier was constantly able to discover excited accomplices for whatever task he wished to take on. Regarding the 3rd stream paddling, a composer a decade his senior called Norman Symonds was one of is own regular collaborators. The trombonist also worked well beyond the jazz picture, touring Canada with Mart Kenney and His Traditional western Gentlemen, an clothing that appears like it wouldn’t be permitted to perform jazz if it wished to, and offering live music for the Country wide Ballet. He researched with orchestrator Hall Overton, once again with financing through the Canada Council. In 1967, maker Louis Applebaum come up with the project that could bring Collier as well as Ellington, certainly the hero of any jazz participant. It was an application to feature the task of three Canadian composers, the triumvirate of Symonds, Gordon Delamont, and Collier. Ellington decided to participate in the function, leading to an recording on Attic which has two of Collier’s most well-known compositions: “Aurora Borealis” and “Silent Night time, Lonely Night time.” Another year, Collier carried out an orchestra with Ellington as visitor soloist. This concert occurred in Detroit and once again highlighted Collier’s compositions. Quickly thereafter, Ellington summoned Collier to create the agreements for a fresh album, to all or any smooth sailing initially. Evidently when Collier provided the first group of graphs to trombonist Lawrence Dark brown, one of is own great inspirations, the Ellington veterinarian viewed the component and announced: “I’m not really gonna play that! I don’t possess the chops!” The single was paid to altoist Johnny Hodges. Collier was once again called directly into help Ellington assemble a concert in a Benedictine monastery in Oregon. Collier afterwards do the orchestrations for Ellington’s ballet collection The River. As in the event with a lot of the great bandleader’s organizing and composing collaborators, there’s a lot of Collier over the web page and in the music, as Ellington was probably to start out him off merely with one melody lines and chords, informing Collier to accomplish the others. In 1974, he became a member of the faculty at Toronto’s Humber University. Before retiring out of this service, he proved mounds of ratings, typically under pressure due to insufficient proper agreements for the school’s decreased size ensembles. Along the way, he wrote for each device combination device imaginable, including single flute with piano, strings, woodwind groupings, brass groups, complete orchestra, concert music group, big music group, and studio room orchestras. He created such functions as “The Humber Collection,” “Four Kisses,” and “Gentleman Harry,” among the many musical tributes that is created for Ellington’s longtime baritone saxist Harry Carney. In the first ’70s, he also developed three film ratings, including A Fan’s Records. Since retiring from the faculty, Collier has held occupied with writing tasks. In 1997, he finished an ambitious edition of Oscar Peterson’s currently breathtaking “Canadiana Suite,” organizing the piece for jazz orchestra. The eight-movement function, in some methods the musical exact carbon copy of a travel over the prairies from Winnipeg to Calgary, endures only one hour rather than the solid 12 that could actually be needed for this undertaking. Collier’s edition was premiered in Vancouver in 1997 and performed once again in the Toronto and Ottawa jazz celebrations the following yr. Ron Collier’s Jazz Orchestra was presented inside a 1999 Ellington Centennial concert using the Nathaniel Dett Chorale. Following a occupied profession, Collier succumbed to tumor on Oct 22, 2003. He was 73.