Bill Coon Trio

Bill Coon, born July 10, 1959, in Etobicoke, Ontario, and raised in Montreal, is a JUNO-nominated Canadian jazz guitarist and one of Canada's most highly respected musicians. He is the winner of the 2009 National Jazz Award for Guitarist of the Year. He graduated from Concordia University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jazz Studies in 1988 and a Master of Education from Simon Fraser University in 2012. A recipient of multiple Canada Council for the Arts awards, he has studied with Jim Hall, Neil Chotem, and Louis Stewart. He first began playing jazz guitar in Montreal when he joined Andre White's band in his last year of high school in 1976-77. He has played with many significant jazz artists including Jimmy Heath, Peter Bernstein, Eddie Daniels, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Bucky Pizzarelli, Sheila Jordan, Hugh Fraser, P.J. Perry, Phil Dwyer, Dave Restivo, Carol Welsman, Dee Daniels, and Rebecca Kilgore. Currently based in Vancouver, he is on faculty at Capilano University in North Vancouver, teaching composition, arranging, jazz history, small and large ensembles, and jazz guitar. His writing and performing has been documented on over thirty CDs to date, while jazz ensembles and symphony orchestras throughout the world have performed his arrangements. The Bill Coon Trio showcases his sophisticated guitar work, blending traditional jazz sensibilities with contemporary influences and demonstrating his mastery of both performance and composition.

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