Ron Collier, (July 3, 1930 – October 22, 2003) was a Canadian jazz trombonist, composer, and arranger. He performed in and led a number of jazz groups, and created orchestrations for and recorded with Duke Ellington.
Early life and education A native of Coleman, Alberta, Collier began his musical training in Vancouver. He was a member of the Kitsilano Boys' Band. He studied music privately in Toronto with Gordon Delamont."Ron Collier". AllMusic biography by Eugene Chadbourne. Accessed April 3, 2024. The first jazz musician to receive a Canada Council grant, he studied orchestration in New York in 1961 and 1962.
Career Collier formed the Ron Collier Jazz Quartet, which performed in the 1950s at the Stratford Festival and on CBC's Tabloid with Portia White,"Canadian contralto Portia White's life on the stage". Tabloid, CBC Television, February 1, 2019. and in 1963 with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.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.
Duke Ellington performed with the Ron Collier Orchestra on the 1969 album North of the Border in Canada.Karen Bliss. "Canadian Jazz Great and 'Musical Force' Ed Bickert Remembered By His Son", Billboard, March 9, 2019. The album included compositions by several Canadian composers, including Collier."Duke Ellington North of The Border in Canada". Oswego Palladium Times, via Newspaper Archives, January 25, 1969, pg. 9. Collier created orchestrations for a number of Ellington's concerts and recordings.Don Mather. "Jazz CD Reviews", Music-Wev International, June 2, 2002.
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."The Best Seat in the House", Winnipeg Free Press, via Newspaper Archives. December 7, 1976, pg. 47 His band won the big Band Open Class at the Canadian Stage Band Festival in 1982 ."Relax'". Winnipeg Free Press, via Newspaper Archives, December 6, 1991, pg. 35.
In 2003, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.Order of Canada citation, gg.ca. Accessed April 3, 2024. He died in October that year in Toronto, aged 73.
References
External links
Archival papers and manuscripts at University of Toronto Music Library