Guido BassoFlugelhorn & Trumpet

1937 (75 years old)

Montreal, Canada

...Guido Basso is quite simply the best damn fleugel horn player in the world...

His e

arly

life…

He started playing the trumpet

 when he was nine. Settling in 

Toronto in1960, he became a studio

trumpeter. He also occasionally

played harmonica in-studio. In

1963, he became a music director

for CBLT, a post he held until 1967.

He was made a member of the 

Order of Canada in 1994. [1]

He is a trumpeter, flugelhornist,

harmonica-player, arranger,

composer, conductor. He studied at

the Conservatoire de musique du

Quebec. His career started in his

teens, when singer Vic Damone

included him in an international

tour.

His e

arly

care

er

In 1958 he joined singer Pearl

Bailey and her bandleader

husband, drummer Louis Bellson, touring North America

with them for three years

before moving to Toronto to join

the studio and television scene

there. Beginning in 1975, he

frequently organized and led

big band concerts at Toronto’s

Canadian National Exhibition

featuring jazz luminaries including Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy

Jones, Woody Herman, Benny

Goodman, Duke Ellington, and

Count Basie.

Late

r car

eer

He can be heard on hundreds of

record albums, playing and

recording with stars from Buddy

Rich and Oliver Jones to Carol

Welsman and Diana Krall. He is

currently featured on vocalist

Diana Panton’s release “Pink”.

Guido Basso was a charter member

of Rob McConnell’s group, The Boss

Brass, and the Rob McConnell

Tentet, playing with The Boss Brass

as a featured soloist throughout

their lifetime, and appearing on 30

Boss Brass recordings. He was part

of the “Sound of Toronto” series of

reunion concerts of the Boss Brass

in 2008.

Guid

o in

196

5 Click to Watch Guido!

Wha

t I h

ear…

I really enjoyed hearing one of Guido’s earlier recordings. It was cool to hear the contrast between Arnie & Guido who have two unique styles. Arnie uses the higher range a lot and Guido is so smooth and lyrical.

My fa

vour

ite

fluge

lhor

n so

lo o

f all

time!

I recall listening to this recording of ‘Portrait of Jenny’ over and over again

in grade 9 trying to write out what I heard. Transcribing it took me over

a month. When I met Guido in New York a few years ago I told him the story. He was touched that

his solo had been so meaningful to me that I had

taken the time to transcribe

it!

“Por

trait

of

Jenn

y” Click to Watch Guid

o!

Musicians Guido has played with…

Phil Woods, Fernando, Rob McConnell, Guido Basso

Guido Basso & Rob McConnell

The Boss Brass

With Benny Goodman, 1971

Guid

o sa

ys…

When asked, ‘do you read the chord changes?’

“I can, but whenever I blow I play by ear. I use my instincts rather than my eyes .”

Guido plays harmonica too…

Guido with Morgan Moore

Guido on the TV series ‘Night Cap’ 1965

Guido with Rob McConnell on valve trombone

One of Guido’s Albums

Guid

o sa

ys…

On the sound of the flugelhorn... “A lot of players don’t have enough time to become intimate with the instrument. They’ll grab it and blow the hell out of it, like the trumpet. Well, when you do that it ends up sounding something like a tubby trumpet.”

Concert featuring Guido

Looking casual…

Recording session with the Boss Brass

An older album

Receiving the Order of Canada

Page

s of n

ote… http://trafficeast.com/arc

hives/issue-ten/a-study-i

n-grace-by-tom-fleminghttp://www.trumpetguild.

org/journal/m95/9505Laba.pdf