Au revoir Bernard

[Van Basten II]

Published: Monday, October 09, 2006

Jazz drummer Bernie Primeau died of cancer Monday at St. Luc Hospital, the day before he was to be honoured at the launch of his 11th album this evening at the Salles du Gesù. He was 67.

Primeau began his professional musical career in 1956 doing drum rolls at the Rodeo, a Montreal strip club. Practising daily, he went on to become one of the city’s best known musicians.

For years, he played in a trio with pianist Oliver Jones and bassist Charlie Biddle.

Bernard Joseph Roland Primeau was born Jan. 5, 1939, in Montreal. He took lessons from Guy Nadon then studied percussion at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal.

Primeau played with show bands in Montreal clubs, then went to Bermuda and California to improve his English skills.

In 1984, he founded the Montreal Jazz Sextet. He hired some of the best young talent around – musicians like Rémi Bolduc, Yannick Rieu and Norman Guilbeault – and took them on the road, a local version of Art Blakey and his Jazz Messengers.

Primeau received last year’s Oscar Peterson Prize for his contributions to Canadian jazz.

Funeral arrangements have not been finalized.