In A Mellow Tone, March 20: 2024 Juno Nominees (and Eleanor Collins)
Playlist and background on the jazz instrumental nominees for solo and group
This week on In A Mellow Tone, I feature the jazz nominees for the 2024 Juno Awards. The Junos will be handed out this weekend for albums released in 2022 and 2023. But before diving into the recent music, I will play a track from Eleanor Collins, a Canadian jazz singer who died on March 3rd, at the age of 104.
Eleanor Collins
Eleanor Collins performs with her band, 1 January 1948 (photo by Jack Lindsay, courtesy City of Vancouver Archives)
Eleanor Collins was a trailblazer who was the first Black person to host a national TV series on CBC in 1955. She recorded with Ray Norris in 1951 and on CBC broadcast albums by Chris Gage and Dave Robbins in the 1960s. In 1962, she recorded in Vancouver with the Dave Robbins Quintet and the Fraser MacPherson Quintet for the Jazz From Canada series. She also recorded “Meet the Girls” with Monique Leyrac, Neil Chotem and Chris Gage. Most of her recordings were with the CBC and consequently hard to find. In 2004, at the age of 84, she recorded a track with the Mothers of Pearl, on their album Shebop! A Century of Jazz Compositions by Canadian Women. The track is “I’ll Never Smile Again”.
Here is a good overview of her amazing career.
2024 Juno Nominees
The rest of the show is an overview of all the nominees for instrumental jazz (solo and group). You can see the full list of Juno nominees here. Here’s the playlist:
I'll Never Smile Again
Mother of Pearl (feat. Eleanor Collins) - Shebop! A century of jazz compositions by Canadian women - Mopster Records, 2003Wind Up
Christine Jensen - Day Moon - Justin Time, 2023Balcony Rules
Christine Jensen - Day Moon - Justin Time, 2023Steals on Steeles
Noam Lemish - Twelve - TPR Records, 2022Aves Rara
Alison Au with the Migration Ensemble - Migrations - self-released, 2023Un pied en dehors du nid
Gentian Mg - Walls Made of Glass - TPR Records, 2022The Moon, the Sun, the Truth
Gentian Mg - Walls Made of Glass - TPR Records, 2022Tender is the Night
Jocelyn Gould - Sonic Bouquet - self-released, 2023Is that So?
Jocelyn Gould - Sonic Bouquet - self-released, 2023Kelowna
Russ Macklem - The South Detroit Connection - TQM Recording, 2023Who is Genuine?
Russ Macklem - The South Detroit Connection - TQM Recording, 2023Night in Tunisia
Hilario Duran and his Latin Jazz Big Band - Cry Me a River - Alma Records, 2023Claudia
Hilario Duran and his Latin Jazz Big Band - Cry Me a River - Alma Records, 2023Soul Wise
Mike Murley and Mark Eisenman - Recent History - Cornerstone Records, 2023Someday
Mike Murley and Mark Eisenman - Recent History - Cornerstone Records, 2023Butterfly
Nick Maclean Quartet (feat. Brownman Ali) - Convergence - Browntasaurus Records, 2023Brotherhood
Nick Maclean Quartet (feat. Brownman Ali) - Convergence - Browntasaurus Records, 2023One Thing Led to Another
Canadian Jazz Collective - Septology - The Black Forest Session - HGBS Blue Records, 2023
Listen to the show here either live at 9 p.m. (EST) on March 20, or stream on demand shortly after broadcast.