Farewell to jazz legend Hugh Fraser

Jun. 23, 2020 | News

Canadian music has lost a giant in the form of pianist, trombonist, and composer Hugh Fraser (1958-2020). In addition to his teaching at UVic, Hugh was head of the Banff Centre for the Arts Summer Jazz Program and taught at the Royal Academy of Music. A two-time Juno winner and leader of his own groups, his performance credits represent one of the most outstanding, original, and prolific careers of any Canadian musician. If you are a fan of Kenny Wheeler’s Music for Large & Small Ensembles recording on ECM then you’ve enjoyed Hugh playing the bass trombone part (on a tenor trombone!). VEJI (Vancouver Ensemble of Jazz Improvisation), founded by Hugh, “doesn’t fit any convenient mold. It’s neither a traditional big band nor an avant-garde outfit, but an eclectic ensemble playing a mix of jazz genres, with influences from world and classical music” (Georgia Straight). That is simply the tip of the iceberg of his mammoth career, which includes work with Chucho Valdes, Billie Eckstine, Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie, Clifford Jordan, Maynard Ferguson, Jaki Byard, Slide Hampton and many others.

Hugh brought original music to every corner of this country and beyond. Many of his students, colleagues, and friends feel this enormous loss. In this CBC article about his passing, they describe Hugh as a “stalwart of Vancouver’s music scene.”

Hard Rubber New Music Society presents videos by several of Vancouver’s creative composer/performers, created during the 2020 quarantine. Each video captures the unique personality of creators in highly eclectic ways. This video of Hugh from John Korsrud was just released on June 16.

Our thoughts are with his friends and family.