Ron Collier, OC (July 3, 1930 – October 22, 2003) was a Canadian jazz trombonist, composer, and arranger.[1][2] He performed in and led a number of jazz groups, and created orchestrations for and recorded with Duke Ellington.
Ron Collier | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ronald William Collier |
| Born | July 3, 1930 Coleman, Alberta, Canada |
| Died | October 22, 2003 (aged 73) Toronto, Ontario |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, arranger |
| Instrument(s) | Trombone |
Early life and education edit
A native of Coleman, Alberta, Collier began his musical training in Vancouver. He was a member of the Kitsilano Boys' Band.[3] He studied music privately in Toronto with Gordon Delamont.[4] The first jazz musician to receive a Canada Council grant, he studied orchestration in New York in 1961 and 1962.[1]
Career edit
Collier formed the Ron Collier Jazz Quartet, which performed in the 1950s at the Stratford Festival[5] and on CBC's Tabloid with Portia White,[6] and in 1963 with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.[7][8]
Duke Ellington performed with the Ron Collier Orchestra on the 1969 album North of the Border in Canada.[9][10] The album included compositions by several Canadian composers, including Collier.[11] Collier created orchestrations for a number of Ellington's concerts and recordings.[4][12]
Collier composed the scores to the films Face-Off (1971), A Fan's Notes (1972), and Paperback Hero (1973). In the 1970s, he began directing a student orchestra at Toronto's Humber College.[13] His band won the big Band Open Class at the Canadian Stage Band Festival in 1982 .[14]
In 2003, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.[15] He died in October that year in Toronto, aged 73.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b c Helen McNamara, Betty Nygaard King. "Collier, Ron". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2010-08-08.
- ^ Richard Cook; Brian Morton (2000). The Penguin guide to jazz on CD. Penguin Books. p. 465. ISBN 9780140514520.
- ^ "Ron Collier". Canadian Jazz Archive Online. Archived from the original on May 14, 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b "Ron Collier". AllMusic biography by Eugene Chadbourne. Accessed April 3, 2024.
- ^ The Canadian Music Journal. Canadian Music Council. 1957. p. 41.
- ^ "Canadian contralto Portia White's life on the stage". Tabloid, CBC Television, February 1, 2019.
- ^ Winnipeg Tribune, via Newspaper Archives, January 4, 1963, pg. 14.
- ^ "A Question of Terms", Winnipeg Free Press, via Newspaper Archives, January 4, 1963, pg. 11.
- ^ Karen Bliss. "Canadian Jazz Great and 'Musical Force' Ed Bickert Remembered By His Son", Billboard, March 9, 2019.
- ^ Stereo Review. Vol. 22. CBS Magazines. 1969. p. 115.
- ^ "Duke Ellington North of The Border in Canada". Oswego Palladium Times, via Newspaper Archives, January 25, 1969, pg. 9.
- ^ Don Mather. "Jazz CD Reviews", Music-Wev International, June 2, 2002.
- ^ "The Best Seat in the House", Winnipeg Free Press, via Newspaper Archives. December 7, 1976, pg. 47
- ^ "Relax'". Winnipeg Free Press, via Newspaper Archives, December 6, 1991, pg. 35.
- ^ Order of Canada citation, gg.ca. Accessed April 3, 2024.