Bill Coon is a Juno nominated artist and recipient of the 2009 National Jazz Awards, Guitarist of the Year.
Coon leads several of his own groups including the BC Double Quartet whose recording, Departure with Brad Turner on trumpet and violinist Cameron Wilson was nominated for a 2019 Western Canadian Music Award. He is featured on two Western Canadian Music Award winning recordings, including Down in the Bottom by Night Crawlers and the Big Band Sound. He has performed with jazz artists Jimmy Heath, Peter Bernstein, Eddie Daniels, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Lewis Nash, Peter Washington, Lorne Lofsky, Sheila Jordan, Jiggs Whigham, Hugh Fraser, P.J. Perry, Grant Stewart, Pat Bianchi, Rebecca Kilgore, Ian McDougall, Mike Murley, Phil Dwyer, Mike Rud, Carol Welsman, and Dee Daniels.
Coon is well-known for his many collaborations, most recently recordings with vocalist Sienna Dahlen Balladextrous (Cellar Live), Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble and the Jodi Proznick Trio Jasmine Jazz, Laura Crema, and Bill Coon StringSongs, featuring Peggy Lee and Jon Bentley. He performs regularly with Triology (Miles Black and Jodi Proznick), Oliver Gannon, Campbell Ryga, Steve Kaldestad, Dave Robbins, TLC Trio (Brad Turner and Andre Lachance) Tom Keenlyside, BBC Trio (Cameron Wilson and Brent Gubbles) Sharon Minemoto and more.
He has composed and arranged works for large and small ensembles, including The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, The National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, the Jill Townsend Jazz Orchestra, and John Korsrud’s Hard Rubber Orchestra. Trumpeter/vocalist Bria Skonberg has commissioned his symphony arrangements, while recordings of his orchestral works are on Eleanor McCain’s True North: The Canadian Songbook. Coon has collaborated with jazz vocalist Denzal Sinclaire on the Juno nominated CD, I Found Love, and with hip-hop artist K-os on his Juno awardwinning CD Joyful Rebellion.
Having completed a BFA in music at Concordia University in Montreal and a MEd at SFU in Vancouver,Coon has been awarded grants and commissions from the BC Arts Council, the SOCAN Foundation, and has received several Canada Council Arts Awards to study with guitarists Jim Hall, Dr. Louis Stewart,and arranger-composers Neil Chotem, Rick Wilkins. He is a faculty member of the Jazz Studies department at Capilano University in North Vancouver, teaching composition, large ensemble arranging, improvisation, jazz ensembles, jazz history and private guitar lessons. He has adjudicated and taught at music festivals and workshops throughout Canada, including the VSO School of Music’s Summer Jazz Workshop and the BC Swing Workshop in Sorrento BC.