Jackie Washington A Canadian Legend

Inducted into the Canadian Jazz & Blues Hall of Fame

Born in 1919, Jackie Washington has been a staple of the Canadian musical scene since the age of 5 when he sang with The Four Washington Brothers. With a repertoire that extends from the days of slavery to the present, Jackie knows well over 1,200 songs! His incredible life has been the subject of a biography and the number of artists he has known and worked with is staggering. The list includes jazz giants such as Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton and Clark Terry, songwriters such as Joni Mitchell and Gord Lightfoot and blues men like Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee and Lonnie Johnson. He is a recipient of the highly prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ontario Arts Council, and was recently inducted into the Hamilton Gallery of Distinction. Several Jackie Washington awards have been created to honour not only his outstanding musicianship but his ability to “get the joint jumpin” and “light up the world.”

Jackie currently has two albums on Borealis: “Keeping Out Of Mischief” in the Three By Three boxed set, and his latest, “Midnight Choo Choo” released in the Spring of 1998. He is also featured along with Mose Scarlett and Ken Whiteley on “Where Old Friends Meet”.

Awards

Received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from McMaster University

Inducted into the Canadian Jazz & Blues Hall of Fame

Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ontario Arts Council

Reviews

Midnight Choo Choo
Jackie Washington, born in 1919 and a lifelong resident of Hamilton, Ont., is especially partial to the tunes of Tin Pan Alley – from 1914 (the date of the Irving Berlin song When that Choo Choo Leaves For Alabam, which gives this set its title) through to the 1950s. Not for him such sophisticated Broadway lyricists as Cole Porter or Lorenz Hart. Instead, Washington revives the works of such now lesser-known lights as Harry Akst (Dinah) or; Buddy De Sylva (Alabamy Bound). Turkish Delight, written by British bandleader Ray Noble, is an example of the subgenre of song that might be called “Arab kitsch,” a form especially popular between the wars that included tunes such as Sheik of Araby or Dardenalla. Given a suitably raffish horn arrangement by Sarah McElcheran, Washington’s. warm,, good-humoured delivery is just right for this piece of nonsense. This could be said of much of the record, although Washington does have his serious side (Street of Dreams), “These songs may have been well~known once, but they sound fresh now. He also contributes a few originals, including Heilan’ Lassie, which is up to date enough to mention Ashley MacIsaac.
Chris Probert
The Globe & Mail, June 4, 1998
Rating: ***1/2

Just when you thought you couldn’t find a better Jackie Washing-ton recording than Keeping Out of Mischief, along comes the new Borealis recording .Midnight Choo Choo, which is simply the best Jackie Washington album in the catalogue. This album is the one that will stand as a monument to Washington as a Canadian legend. Capturing Washington’s infectious, mischievous voice and laughter the recording is a stroll through blues/jazz .standards. The mood is upbeat and light. and the musicianship is superb. Surrounded by players as diverse as Mose Scarlett on guitar. Ken Whiteley, on a variety of instruments, Graham Townsend and J.P. Cormier on fiddle, Colin Linden on guitar. and Chris Whiteley on trumpet, the album is a shining example of the right people coming together at the right time to record the right music.
Gene Wilburn
Folk Prints, Summer ‘98