Guido Basso, (born 27 September 1937) is a Canadian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

musician who was a member of

Rob McConnell Robert Murray Gordon "Rob" McConnell, (14 February 1935 – 1 May 2010) was a Canadian jazz trombonist, composer, and arranger.Jeff Sultanof. Experiencing Big Band Jazz: A Listener's Companion'. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers; 8 November 20 ...

's Boss Brass

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

. He is a trumpeter, flugelhornist, arranger, composer and conductor.

Life and career

Basso was born in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, Quebec, and he began playing the trumpet at the age of nine. He studied at the

Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal The Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal (CMQM) is a music conservatory located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In addition to the Montreal region, the school takes in students from nearby cities, including Granby, Joliette, St-Jean, S ...

. His professional music career started in his teens, and American singer

Vic Damone Vic Damone (born Vito Rocco Farinola; June 12, 1928 – February 11, 2018) was an American traditional pop and big band singer and actor. He was best known for his performances of songs such as the number one hit " You're Breaking My Heart", an ...

included him on an international tour in 1957–58. In 1958, he joined singer

Pearl Bailey Pearl Mae Bailey (March 29, 1918 – August 17, 1990) was an American actress, singer and author. After appearing in vaudeville, she made her Broadway debut in '' St. Louis Woman'' in 1946. She received a Special Tony Award for the title role i ...

and her husband, drummer

Louis Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, ...

, touring North America with them and their orchestra until he moved to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

in 1960. There, Basso became a studio trumpeter and occasionally played harmonica. In 1963, he became

music director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the d ...

for

CBLT CBLT-DT (channel 5) is a television station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, serving as the flagship station of the English-language service of CBC Television. It is part of a twinstick with Ici Radio-Canada Télé outlet CBLFT-DT (channel 25). B ...

's ''Nightcap'', a job he held until 1967. He subsequently held a number of music director positions with the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

, as well as being active as a performer. Beginning in 1975, he organized and led big band concerts at Toronto's

Canadian National Exhibition The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third Friday of August leading up to and including Canadian Labour Day, ...

, featuring

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

and

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

. Basso has also worked with

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York ...

, Oliver Jones,

Carol Welsman Carol Welsman (born September 29, 1960)"Carol Welsman." ''Gale Biography in Context''. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, 2018-03-25. is a Canadian jazzy pianist who accompanies her own easy listening,conversati ...

Diana Krall Diana Jean Krall (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the US. On December 11, 2009, '' Billboard'' maga ...

and

Diana Panton Diana Panton is a Canadian jazz vocalist. She won a Juno Award for Children's Album of the Year in 2017 for ''I Believe in Little Things'' and a 2015 Juno award for Vocal Jazz Album for ''RED''. She has also received five JUNO nominations for he ...

, among others. Basso was a charter member of

's Boss Brass, playing with the band for over twenty years. He was also part of the ''Sound of Toronto'' series of reunion concerts by the Boss Brass in 2008. He was made a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

in 1994. Basso had one daughter, Mia Basso Noble, who was an accomplished musician and songwriter. She died of cancer in September 2013.

Awards and honours

* Member of the

, 1994 *

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

, Traditional Jazz Album of the Year, ''Turn Out the Stars'', 2003 * Juno Award, Traditional Jazz Album of the Year, ''Lost in the Stars'', 2004"CARAS Scores A Hit With 2004 Juno Awards"
. ''Soul Shine''. 2004-04-05

Discography

As leader or member

* ''Guido Basso'' (Innovation, 1986) * ''Bass Busters'' (Innovative, 1995) * ''Midnight Martini'' ( Justin Time, 1999) * ''Dedications'' (Justin Time, 2002) * ''A Lazy Afternoon'' (Justin Time, 2003) * ''Lost in the Stars'' ( CBC, 2003) * ''One Take, Vol. 1'' (Alma, 2005) With

* 1976 ''The Jazz Album'' * 1978 ''Big Band Jazz'' * 1981 ''Present Perfect'' * 1982 '' All in Good Time'' * 1984 ''Old Friends, New Music'' * 1985 ''Boss Brass & Woods'' * 1986 ''Mel Tormé, Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass'' * 1991 ''The Brass Is Back'' * 1992 ''Brassy and Sassy'' * 1992 ''Live in Digital'' * 1993 ''Our 25th Year'' * 1994 ''Overtime'' * 1995 ''Don't Get Around Much Anymore'' * 1997 ''Play the Jazz Classics'' * 2000 ''The Rob McConnell Tentet'' * 2002 ''Riffs I Have Known'' * 2003 ''Music of the Twenties''

As guest

With

Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian singer. Her albums, consisting primarily of pop, country, and adult contemporary music, have sold over 55 million copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray was the fir ...

* 1993 ''Croonin' '' * 2002 ''Country Croonin' '' * 2004 ''I'll Be Seeing You'' * 2005 ''All of Me'' With

Emilie-Claire Barlow Emilie-Claire Barlow (born 6 June 1976) is a Canadian singer, arranger, record producer, and voice actress. She has released several albums on her label, Empress Music Group, and has voiced characters for animated television series. She performs ...

* 2001 ''Tribute'' * 2005 ''Like a Lover'' With

Holly Cole Holly Cole (born November 25, 1963) is a Canadian jazz singer and actress. For many years she performed with her group The Holly Cole Trio. Background Cole was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her father, Leon Cole, was a noted radio broadcaster ...

* 2001 ''Baby, It's Cold Outside'' * 2003 ''Shade'' With

Sophie Milman Sophie Milman (born 1983) is a Russian-born Canadian jazz vocalist. After emigrating from Russia in the early 1990s, Milman, who is Jewish, spent most of her childhood years in Israel where she listened extensively to jazz. Her family later emigr ...

* 2004 ''Sophie Milman'' * 2007 '' Make Someone Happy'' * 2009 ''Take Love Easy'' With others * 1977 ''Peter Appleyard Presents'',

Peter Appleyard Peter Appleyard, (26 August 1928 – 17 July 2013) was a British–Canadian jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, and composer. He spent most of his life in the city of Toronto, where for many years he was a popular performer in nightclubs and ho ...

* 1979 ''Back Again'',

The Hi-Lo's The Hi-Lo's were a vocal quartet formed in 1953, who achieved their greatest fame in the late 1950s and 1960s. The group's name is a reference to their extreme vocal and physical ranges (Bob Strasen and Bob Morse were tall, Gene Puerling and Cla ...

* 1986 ''Night Flight'',

Sammy Nestico Samuel Louis Nistico (February 6, 1924 – January 17, 2021), better known as Sammy Nestico, was an American composer and arranger. Nestico is best known for his arrangements for the Count Basie orchestra. Early life and education Samuel Luigi ...

* 1994 ''Masterpieces'',

The Singers Unlimited The Singers Unlimited was a four-part jazz vocal group formed by Gene Puerling in 1971. The group included Len Dresslar (better known as the Jolly Green Giant in General Mills commercials), Bonnie Herman, and Don Shelton. History Gene Puerlin ...

* 1995 ''Velvet & Brass'',

Mel Tormé Melvin Howard Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999), nicknamed "The Velvet Fog", was an American musician, singer, composer, arranger, drummer, actor, and author. He composed the music for "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roasting on an Op ...

* 1996 ''From Lush to Lively'', Oliver Jones * 1996 ''You Must Believe in Swing'',

Ranee Lee Ranee Lee, CM (born October 26, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York City) is an American jazz singer and musician who resides in Montreal, Quebec. She is also an actor, author, educator and television host. Referred as “''Montreal's Queen of Jazz,''� ...

* 2005 ''A Dream Come True'',

Trudy Desmond Trudy Desmond (October 11, 1945 – 19 February 1999) was a Canadian jazz singer. Career After moving from New York to Toronto, she worked as an actress, interior designer, club manager, and theatrical producer. She was one of the 16 original me ...

* 2006 ''I Love Being Here with You'',

Dione Taylor Dione Taylor is a Canadian blues, roots, soul and jazz singer/songwriter, born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan. Dione calls her music the “''Prairie Blues''”, which is a mixture of Roots, Blues, Gospel and Americana. She is influenced by ...

* 2007 ''From Sea to Sky'',

Laila Biali Laila Biali (born 3 October 1980) is a Canadian Vocal jazz, jazz singer and pianist. She has been nominated for and won a Juno Award and has worked with Chris Botti and Sting (musician), Sting. Career Born in Vancouver, Biali began playing pi ...

* 2008 ''The Other Woman'',

Chantal Chamberland Chantal () is a feminine given name of France, French origin. The name Chantal can be traced back to the Old Occitan word ''cantal'', meaning "Rock (geology), stone." It came into popular use as a given name in honor of the Catholic Saint, Catholi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basso, Guido Canadian harmonica players Canadian jazz trumpeters Male trumpeters Members of the Order of Canada Living people 1937 births Juno Award for Traditional Jazz Album of the Year winners 21st-century trumpeters 21st-century Canadian male musicians Canadian male jazz musicians