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Canadian musician Ian McDougall fell in love with music early on in life, embracing the trombone at his father’s suggestion.
As his son, managing director of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra Nelson McDougall shared on social media, those words of encouragement “would inspire a remarkable career spanning seven decades.”
McDougall went on to become a professional musician and composer. He won a Grammy Award and a Juno Award, and was eventually appointed to the Order of Canada.
McDougall died last week, on Jan. 26, at the age of 87.
In a post on social media, McDougall’s son Nelson confirmed his father’s passing, noting that while McDougall’s professional career is certainly impressive, he was, most importantly, “a wonderful grandfather, a loving father, and a devoted husband.”
McDougall is survived by his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, five children including Nelson and his wife, Barb.
Born on June 14, 1938 in Calgary, Alta., and raised in Victoria, McDougall played in the Victoria Boys’ Band and went on to study music at the University of British Columbia.
In the early 1960’s, McDougall spent time with the John Dankworth Band, touring Great Britain, launching him into the international jazz scene, Nelson says.
On its website, the University of Victoria, where McDougall taught and was the director of its school of music, described McDougall as one of Canada’s most distinguished jazz trombonists, composers and educators.
“Ian’s contributions to jazz were profound,” it said, noting his time as lead trombonist with Rob McConnell’s The Boss Brass, the Grammy Award-winning group he performed with for two decades.
He also founded The Brass Connection, which won a Juno Award in 1992, and in 2008, he was appointed as a Member to the Order of Canada.
Saxophonist Cory Weeds said that while McDougall was certainly a gifted musician, it’s his warmth that he will remember most.
“You could just hear the warmth of his horn and he was like that as a person,” Weeds told CBC’s All Points West.
Weeds opened a jazz club in 2000, where McDougall was a regular performer. Still early on in his career, Weeds said he learned a lot from the experienced trombonist.
“He did everything with such kindness and grace,” Weeds said.
Weed said McDougall never got angry or raised his voice with the musicians he mentored, but instead worked to “coax” out whatever sound it was that he was looking for.
“When I think of Ian, of course I think of his music, but I just remember him as being such a kind and warm soul. And that’s a pretty cool legacy if you ask me.”
LISTEN | Remembering Ian McDougall:
All Points West10:56Remembering jazz musician Ian McDougall
Saxophonist Cory Weeds reflects on the death and musical career of jazz trombonist and former Victoria resident Ian McDougall.