'Absolute surprise': Winnipeg jazz legend Ron Paley awarded Order of Manitoba

Ron Paley, who received the Order of Manitoba, Manitoba's highest honour, is photographed after an investiture ceremony at the Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg Thursday, July 25, 2024. (John Woods/The Canadian Press)

WINNIPEG — A longtime fixture in the Manitoba music scene who has played with legendary artists including Frank Sinatra has been awarded the province's highest honour.

Ron Paley was among 12 Manitobans to receive the Order of Manitoba at an investiture ceremony Thursday.

Paley, 73, said being made a member of the order came as an "absolute surprise."

To those who have followed Paley's decades-long career in Winnipeg and beyond, it may come as less of a shock.

"Ron's impact on the jazz scene in this city can't be underestimated," said Angela Heck, executive director of Jazz Winnipeg.

"For a career that has spanned decades, you can only imagine the artistry and expertise that he has continued to share, with audiences and artists alike. We all owe him much respect and a debt of gratitude for his talent and commitment to jazz in Manitoba."

The Winnipeg-raised multi-hyphenate has toured internationally with the Buddy Rich big band and the Woody Herman big band. The latter gig afforded Paley a chance to play electric bass alongside Frank Sinatra on the U.S. crooner's 1974 album "The Main Event - Live."

"Sinatra carried his own bass player but he wanted an electric bass for one song ('Let Me Try Again')," Paley recalled in an interview this week.

"I played that one song and for the rest of them I got to sit there and just watch him and listen to him."

Paley feels fortunate to have been able to connect with the popular entertainer through their musical talents.

When it came to conversation, Paley recalled a brief moment between the two.

"I waited and he was waiting backstage. One time he said 'hello' to me and I said 'hello' to him," said Paley.

"But that's the only chance I got."

Paley got his start as a youngster when his father taught him how to play the accordion. As the boy grew older he added the electric bass, piano and clarinet to his skill set.

He joined his high school band and then studied classical piano at the University of Manitoba. Paley later moved to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music, a renowned music school whose alumni include Paula Cole, Melissa Etheridge and Quincy Jones.

It's there that Paley's love of the sound and energy that come from big bands burgeoned.

After years of travelling, Paley returned to Winnipeg in the 1970s to form what would become known as the Ron Paley Big Band.

The perennial act has performed at various Canadian jazz festivals.

Paley was the musical director for the University of Manitoba stage band and worked on local shows including CKND's "Friday Night Live" and CBC's "Jerry and Ziz."

He is also a composer and arranger who has been commissioned by the National Arts Centre and the Royal Canadian College of Organists.

Paley was presented with the BreakOut West Heritage Award in 2014, which recognizes artists who have demonstrated an outstanding body of work over a long period of time.

Reflecting on a lifetime of work in Canada's jazz scene, Paley is hard-pressed to pinpoint a favourite career highlight but one that he holds dear is his work with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

The company enlisted Paley and his band to perform live for their production of Val Caniparoli's "A Cinderella Story," which made its world premiere in October 2004.

Paley spent more than a year rehearsing with the dancers and the choreographer in what he describes as a major moment that contributed to his musical growth.

"That's something that's forever emblazoned in my brain and my psyche...working with the dancers was amazing."

Paley's life has slowed down a bit, but he doesn't mind. It gives him time to spend with his wife and son, and to keep practising and playing.

   This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 26, 2024