Comments on: Jazz Journalists Association honours Bill Smith at jazz fest opening gala http://vancouverjazz.com/2010/06/jazz-journalists-association-honours-bill-smith-at-jazz-fest-opening-gala.html The complete guide to jazz in Vancouver BC Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:07:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: moe bellman http://vancouverjazz.com/2010/06/jazz-journalists-association-honours-bill-smith-at-jazz-fest-opening-gala.html/comment-page-1#comment-380 moe bellman Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:40:09 +0000 http://vancouverjazz.com/?p=782#comment-380 Congratulations Bill.I even recognize you without your beard,you look great,life must be treating you well.Vancouver is lucky to have such a committed patron of the arts in it's area.Toronto's loss...I still carry with me the many Saturdays I spend in the jazz and blues shop,whether is was on Young St. north or south,or Dundas St.the fun of picking through all the records hoping to find a gem.I found many because of your guidance,those were great Saturdays and I miss them and I still feel the loss of what I thought could have been the best jazz club in Toronto had it gotten a better start,I'm referring to the Sandpiper....It's really nice to see you getting recognized for your "work",passion. Congratulations Bill.I even recognize you without your beard,you look great,life must be treating you well.Vancouver is lucky to have such a committed patron of the arts in it’s area.Toronto’s loss…I still carry with me the many Saturdays I spend in the jazz and blues shop,whether is was on Young St. north or south,or Dundas St.the fun of picking through all the records hoping to find a gem.I found many because of your guidance,those were great Saturdays and I miss them and I still feel the loss of what I thought could have been the best jazz club in Toronto had it gotten a better start,I’m referring to the Sandpiper….It’s really nice to see you getting recognized for your “work”,passion.

]]> By: Nou Dadoun http://vancouverjazz.com/2010/06/jazz-journalists-association-honours-bill-smith-at-jazz-fest-opening-gala.html/comment-page-1#comment-58 Nou Dadoun Sat, 26 Jun 2010 17:43:59 +0000 http://vancouverjazz.com/?p=782#comment-58 I don't know of anyone who has done more for Jazz in Canada. Not only through his more visible work like The Jazz & Blues Centre in Toronto, the Imagine the Sounds series (not only the film but the art series and book - featuring Bill's own classic photographs), Coda, Sackville Records, his own concert promotions in Toronto (some of my early jazz experiences were at the A-Space series and an infamous Cecil Taylor solo concert at the New York Theatre), as an improvising performer ... the list goes on. But also as someone who knows everybody and makes connections, Ken Pickering will be the first to say that Bill opened a lot of doors for Ken in the early years of the Vancouver festival - and Ken wasn't the only one. I first met Bill (and John Norris his co-recipient for the award) when I was working with the fledgling London Jazz Society at the University of Western Ontario back in the mid-70s. Bill and John drove up the 401 numerous times to give "Lectures with Musical Examples" (my first exposure to The Brotherhood of Breath and Such Sweet Thunder!) and to bring his rare jazz film collection (in a raging snowstorm) for screenings in the days long before youtube. I can only imagine how many other journeys he made that were similar to inspire other pockets of musical fanatics everywhere! Bill, I can fairly say that your passion for the music changed my life and many others, congratulations for this most deserving award! N. I don’t know of anyone who has done more for Jazz in Canada. Not only through his more visible work like The Jazz & Blues Centre in Toronto, the Imagine the Sounds series (not only the film but the art series and book – featuring Bill’s own classic photographs), Coda, Sackville Records, his own concert promotions in Toronto (some of my early jazz experiences were at the A-Space series and an infamous Cecil Taylor solo concert at the New York Theatre), as an improvising performer … the list goes on. But also as someone who knows everybody and makes connections, Ken Pickering will be the first to say that Bill opened a lot of doors for Ken in the early years of the Vancouver festival – and Ken wasn’t the only one.

I first met Bill (and John Norris his co-recipient for the award) when I was working with the fledgling London Jazz Society at the University of Western Ontario back in the mid-70s. Bill and John drove up the 401 numerous times to give “Lectures with Musical Examples” (my first exposure to The Brotherhood of Breath and Such Sweet Thunder!) and to bring his rare jazz film collection (in a raging snowstorm) for screenings in the days long before youtube.

I can only imagine how many other journeys he made that were similar to inspire other pockets of musical fanatics everywhere!

Bill, I can fairly say that your passion for the music changed my life and many others, congratulations for this most deserving award!

N.

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