MONTREAL JAZZ COMMUNITY SUFFERS A PAIR OF LOSSES
By Len Dobbin

December 29, 2002

Drummer Mark "Wilkie Wilkinson" died on December 25 and bassist Vic Angelillo on December 27.

"Wilkie" [who was 81] was (along with Walter Bacon) the first bebop drummer in Montreal, perhaps in Canada. His 1949 recording done here in Montreal for the Monogram label was certainly the first bebop recording. "All The Things You Are" and "Wilk's Bop" featured a 'Boptet' of Steep Wade, piano, Bob Rudd, bass, Willy Girard, violin, Allan Wellman, trumpet, Butch Watanabe, trombone and the saxophones of Herb Johnson and Freddie Nichols. "Wilkie" is also heard on four tracks and four alternates from an Oscar Peterson session of April 17, 1947 with Al King on bass - all are now available on the Bluebird double CD "This Is Oscar Peterson at the Piano". Wilkinson and many of the aforementioned musicians were part of the famed Louis Metcalf International Band that played the Café St. Michel here in the late 40s, early 50s.

Angelillo was in his late 50s and, despite keeping a rare profile, was the only Montreal bassist who ranked on a par with Michel Donato. Vic also showed considerable skills as a composer and arranger. He always left me impressed from the very first time I heard him many years ago in a duo with tenorman Billy Robinson. He's heard on a number of Denny Christianson releases on Justin Time and his arrangements of "I'm Flying" and "Dog In The Quicksand" are on Ranee Lee's "The Musicals" another Justin Time release, one that had Red Mitchell on bass. Vic appeared with Pepper Adams as a member of the Christianson big band and [along with Kenny Alexander and Cisco Normand] appeared on what was to be Pepper's last appearance ever. The place was the Spectrum during the 1986 Montreal International Jazz Festival. After the concert Pepper said to me: "You know I wrote most of that music with George Mraz in mind and the only other bassist in New York that can really handle it is Ron Carter - and this cat (Vic) SIGHT READ IT!" He was both happy and amazed. Vic also passed it on as a teacher.

Two very special people gone! In Wilkie's case there will be a visitation at Feron Funeral Home, 2630 Notre Dame, on Monday, December 30, from 2-5 and 7-10 (he was cremated on Friday). The funeral is on Tuesday at 10 am from the St. Pierre d'Apostle Church on Rene Levesque Blvd., near Amherst and there will be a gathering of his many friends on the third floor of the Winston Churchill Pub on Crescent Street at noon that day. The Angelillo arrangements are pending.

They both touched many people through their music and as fine human beings --very sad.

Dobbin's Den Sundays from 11am to 1pm, CKUT, 90.3 fm / www.ckut.ca and read