Phil Nimmons Celebration of Life
A celebration of the life and career of Phil Nimmons (b. Kamloops, BC 3 June 1923; d. Toronto 5 April 2024) was held at Walter Hall in the University of Toronto on the evening of Wednesday, October 23, 2024. Before a packed crowd of friends, family, colleagues, and former students, the many invited speakers and performers offered a fitting tribute to this great composer, arranger, bandleader, clarinettist, and educator. Phil was a ubiquitous presence in Canadian music circles across this country during a career that lasted some 70 years. Although best known for his work as a jazz musician and educator, he was also a gifted classical music composer and worked tirelessly behind the scenes to improve the lot of all Canadian musicians. Much loved by all who knew him, he remained active as an educator and performer well into his 90s.
Heather Bambrick was the host for the evening, interspersing witty, entertaining, profound, and always beautifully expressed commentary throughout the evening. She told a story about a student workshop run by Phil at which he played a recording of environmental sounds … waves, birds, perhaps a random dog barking. The students were mystified by the purpose of the recording. “Ok,” Phil then said, “What metre were the ocean waves in? What key was the loon call in?” Phil’s message, Heather observed, was that music is all around us … all we have to do is listen carefully.
After welcoming remarks from Acting Dean Ryan McClelland, the Nimmons Tribute Band (Kevin Turcotte, Tara Davidson, Mike Murley, William Carn, Perry White, Dan Fortin, and Ethan Ardelli, with Phil’s grandson Sean Nimmons on keyboards) played Phil’s Think Nice Thoughts, as arranged by Sean. The title is a fitting characterization of Phil’s own thought processes; he was always ready to think the best of others and give the benefit of doubt whenever possible.
The eminent accordion virtuoso Joe Macerollo reflected amusingly on his brief career as a jazz artist playing with Phil (he replaced Vic Centro in Phil’s CBC combo), before Joe turned definitively to classical performance. Joe introduced the next work on the program, the enigmatically titled PS42JS for accordion and clarinet (on this occasion played by Matti Pulkki and Andrew Neagoe). Macerollo explained that James Campbell had commissioned a work for clarinet and accordion from Phil, titled Duologue. Phil used a tone row of eight pitches in that work. He so enjoyed the process of writing for this talented duo that he supplied another work for them gratis, using the four pitches he had not used in Duologue. The resulting piece he called PS42JS: Postscript 4 (on 4 notes for) 2 (two) Js (James and Joe). The short and lively work was brilliantly performed by these two young musicians.
The next speakers were the husband and wife duo of Paul Read (former head of jazz at U of T) and Trish Colter (former head of voice at Humber College). Paul told an amusing story about how Phil preferred to call the sharp 9th the flat 10th. To make his point, Phil laid a role of dimes on a railroad track and after they had been flatted by a passing train, he drilled a hole in them, engraved them with a flat sign, and made them into necklaces. Paul then pulled his own “flat tenth” necklace out of his jacket pocket to laughter and warm applause. Trish spoke very movingly about how Phil not only mentored and encouraged her, and supported her career, but also invited her into his family circle. She then acknowledged with love the many Nimmons family members who were present.
The University of Toronto Jazz Orchestra under Shirantha Beddage next gave a spirited performance of Phil’s Nufsicisum (“music is fun” spelled backwards), with standout ensemble playing and some fine solos from the young musicians. This provided a fitting introduction to the next speaker, Mark Laver, whose biography of Phil will also be called Nufsicisum. Mark was an 18-year-old high school student when he first met Phil. Mark went on to study with Phil at University of Toronto, and completed a PhD in ethnomusicology there in 2011. For the past ten years Mark has been on faculty at Grinnell College in Iowa, where he chairs the Department of Music and directs the jazz ensemble. His witty and informative remarks whetted the appetite of all present for the forthcoming biography.
David Braid in video remarks reflected on his extraordinary collaboration with Phil which began when Phil was 81 and David was 30. Phil spontaneously decided at their first session that they would do completely free improvisation, and so it miraculously continued until Phil was 96. The pair travelled from Newfoundland to British Columbia to the Yukon, giving 100 concerts—some 200 hours of free improvisation—in those 15 years. Anyone who was fortunate enough to have caught one of those performances can attest to the remarkable singularity of the experience. Oscar Peterson’s daughter Céline in a recorded tribute spoke movingly of her father’s friendship and collaboration with Phil, and of Phil’s sterling qualities as a teacher. Steve Butterworth of Yamaha Canada also spoke of travelling across the country with Phil, in his capacity as a Yamaha artist.
The standout musical performance of an evening full of standout musical performances was given by Nimmons ‘N’ Nine Plus Plus in their rendition of Phil’s The Dorian Way. The wall of sound coming from the 18-member big band, with Sean Nimmons again at the keyboard, was overpowering; the ensemble playing was precision personified, and the individual solos were at the highest level of virtuosity. Stunning!
Joseph Glaser, the director of Canadian Music Centre Ontario Region, noted Phil’s many contributions to classical music culture in Canada by way of introducing the superbly gifted and always brilliant pianist Cecilia Lee, who played the lovely Adagio Sostenuto second movement of Phil’s Piano Sonata (1984). This was followed by impromptu remarks from Bob Rae, the Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations and a longtime family friend. The last speaker was Phil’s daughter Holly Nimmons, CEO of the Canadian Music Centre, who offered a loving tribute as only a daughter following in her father’s footsteps can. The celebration ended with the return of the Nimmons Tribute band to perform Carey Dance (named after Phil’s other daughter). Holly introduced it by noting that in one of her last conversations with Phil, he singled this work out as “a pretty good tune”. And that it is.
The musical performances and tributes collectively presented a rich, detailed, and loving portrait of one of the great Canadian musicians of all time. He will be so missed, and so lovingly remembered.