Basso, Guido

Guido Basso. Flugelhornist, trumpeter, arranger, composer, conductor, harmonica player, b Montreal 27 Sep 1937.

Basso began playing trumpet at nine, studied at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal, and in his teens, under the name 'Stubby' Basso, worked in dance and show bands led by Al Nichols, Maury Kaye, and others. While playing at the club El Morocco with Kaye, he was heard by the US singer Vic Damone, who took him on the road 1957-8. Basso subsequently worked throughout North America 1958-60 with singer Pearl Bailey and the orchestra led by her husband, drummer Louis Bellson.

In 1960 Basso settled in Toronto, becoming a first-call studio musician trumpeter and leader. He also took assignments as a harmonica player. Basso was music director 1963-7 for CBLT's 'Nightcap' and 1968-9 for CBC-TV's 'Barris and Company.' He also co-starred in 1969 with vibraphonist Peter Appleyard on CBC-TV's 'Mallets and Brass,' was music director 1969-71 for CBC Radio's 'After Noon,' and led orchestras for two CBC-TV series devoted to the big band era, 'In the Mood' (1971-2) and 'Bandwagon' (1972-3). In 1975 he organized big bands for concerts at the CNE by Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Goodman.

Basso performed in Toronto nightclubs and hotel lounges with his own small groups - several of which brought together jazz and Latin music - and was an important soloist with the Boss Brass, the Rob McConnell Tentet, Nimmons 'N' Nine Plus Six, and the big bands of Ron Collier and others. With the downturn in studio work in the late 1970s, he began to lead what would become one of Toronto's most popular society orchestras.

Despite his pre-eminence among Canadian jazz trumpeters, Basso was reticent to work in that idiom. He was nevertheless known for the lyricism of his flugelhorn work on jazz ballads, a reputation taken far afield by his recordings with the Boss Brass, and was equally capable of incisive trumpeting in the bebop style. He was credited with the theory that one attacks the trumpet and makes love to a flugelhorn.

Basso was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1994.

Recordings

Basso did not make his first jazz recording under his own name - Guido Basso (Innovation) - until 1986. He followed that with collaborative efforts with Doug Riley (A Lazy Afternoon, Jazz Portraits, 1997), and Dave Turner (Midnight Martini, Justin Time, 1997). His recording Lost in the Stars (CBC) won the 2004 Juno Award in the traditional jazz category.

As a sideman he appeared on some 30 recordings by the Boss Brass, as well as on albums by such diverse performers as Holly Cole, Gene Lees, Jean-Pierre Ferland, Ranee Lee, Lenny Solomon, and Oliver Jones.

Author James Hale

Bibliography

Norris, John. 'Guido Basso,' MSc, 246, Mar-Apr 1969

Topalovich, Maria. 'Human experience is source of Guido Basso's music,' MSc, 286, Nov-Dec 1975

Adilman, Sid. 'Guido Basso,' (Toronto Star) Star Week, 7-14 Jan 1978

Sutherland, Greg. 'Profile: Guido Basso horn player deluxe,' The Jazz Report, vol 1, Apr-May 1988

La Barbera, J. 'Guido `Giusto' Basso: an interview,' ITG Journal, vol 19:4, 1995

Miller, Mark. 'Basso isn't the type to toot his own horn,' Toronto Globe and Mail, 6 Jan 1999

Barris, Alex. 'Sounds from above: a profile of Guido Basso,' The Jazz Report, vol 13, fall 1999

Miller, Mark. The Miller Companion to Jazz in Canada (Toronto 2001)

Links to Other Sites

Inside The Music
Listen to past episodes of CBC's "Inside The Music" program featuring some of Canada's leading musicians. Click on the audio player to start streaming.

Lost in the Stars
Album notes for Guido Basso's recording "Lost in the Stars," winner of a 2004 Juno award for best traditional jazz album of the year. From cbcshop.ca.

CBC Concerts on Demand
From country to calypso and the classics, the “Concerts on Demand” website offers hundreds of online recordings of outstanding concerts originally broadcast on CBC Radio 2. Search this site to find and listen to recordings of your favourite musician, group, or music genre.

Guido Basso - It's Not Unusual
A video clip of Guido Basso performing the song "It's Not Unusual." Check for additional music videos on the right side of this page. From the YouTube website.

Guido Basso sings it like he means it
A preview of a concert featuring Guido Basso. From thestar.com website.

Guido Basso
A profile of acclaimed jazz musician Guido Basso. Scroll down to his discography which offers links to online concerts. From the "Canadian Jazz Archive Online."