"It's not about the flash, it's about the content," says jazz Everyman Bill King, in explaining why he thinks Mississauga's Nancy Walker pulled off a surprise win last night at the National Jazz Awards at the Palais Royale, where she was named Keyboardist of the Year.
King is a long-time Walker fan, whose known her for years, since she used to jog upstairs at a Toronto health club and he used to play basketball downstairs.
"She was just a fan of the music then but she got actively engaged as you could see by how actively she threw herself into it. She has a tremendous passion for it," says King, who is an accomplished performer, record producer, photographer, festival organizer (Beaches Jazz) show producer (The 2003 tribute to Oscar Peterson at LAC, the JazzFM91 annual concert series) broadcaster and publisher (of the now sadly-defunct Jazz Times.)
A Mr. Everyman of jazz, King also established and runs the NJAs, which have given jazz a national profile, despite the frequent criticism that they are too Toronto-centric.
So when King was looking through the early returns for this year's on-line balloting for the awards, he could see that Walker was doing surprisingly well, given the veteran, talented pianists who were also in her category, i.e. David Braid and Dave Restivo and the talented young lions Robi Botos, and David Virelles.
"I saw the numbers coming in and I could see this was going to be the surprise," said King.
Walker was truly surprised, and delighted. She may not match up technically with the rest of the muscle in the final group of pianists in the NJAs, but she plays with a captivating lyricism.
If Oscar Peterson's playing was a torrent or a waterfall, Walker's is a swirling eddy, subtly changing colours and textures.
"I think it's the sensitivity of her playing that people really gravitate to," said King. "She always uses a lot of harmonic colouration."
There's not much chance that the well-grounded Walker (she's a gardener don't you know) will let this honour go to her head.
She celebrated by driving home from the Palais Royale to Port Credit and went wild by dropping into Rabba to pick up a chocolate bar. Her husband, bassist Kieran Overs, another under-appreciated top-flight player, was in Seattle last night playing in Sophie Millman's band. Millman, fresh off her Juno win for Best Vocal Album for Make Someone Happy on Mississauga's Linus Entertainment label, will be at LAC Fri. May 2.
In the old days, winning a NJA or a Juno might have been a launching pad to a deal with a major label. These days, it's back to business as usual.
Walker's newest self-produced, self-financed record, Need Another, came out in October but still hasn't been distributed everywhere across the country and just got onto iTunes a couple of months ago.
In the tough new world of independent music production, you put the award on your mantle and try to figure out how you are going to raise the funds for the next CD.
Anyone who was lucky enough to be at the Mayor's Valentine Tribute to Oscar knows all about the magic that Walker can weave.
She and her Port Credit neighbour and friend Carol McCartney did a superb job of the striking ballad More Than You Know, in tribute to the Ella-OP version. Although she says she was extremely nervous for the event, it certainly didn't show.
Walker's own composition, Sweet Longings, was a highlight among many highlights that night in what must surely have been a career high-water mark, given the occasion. Sweet Longings was like a personal poem to Peterson, full of reverence, revelation and respect.
It's more than time Nancy Walker finally got her proper due.