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Vancouver Island musicians winners at Juno Awards

10 acts were finalists at Canada’s ‘biggest night in music’
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Nanaimo-born jazz saxophonist Christine Jensen won this year’s Jazz Album of the Year (solo) for her album ‘Day Moon’ at the 2024 Juno Awards. (Photo by G. Scott McLeod)

Canada’s “biggest night in music” was celebrated last weekend and two Vancouver Island-associated musical acts took home awards.

Halifax hosted the 53rd Juno Awards show at the Scotiabank Centre on Sunday, March 24, and most of Canada’s heavy-hitting musical stars came out to play.

Earlier this year, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences announced that a total 10 acts with connections to the Island were nominated for several awards.

Victoria-raised superstar Nelly Furtado acted as host during the televised event and performed some of her greatest hits during the award show’s opening.

The Island’s two winners were announced during the non-televised portion of the event.

Nanaimo-born Christine Jensen, who lives in Montreal, was awarded with the Jazz Album of the Year award for her latest album Day Moon. Last weekend’s win marked the saxophonist’s third Juno award, having won in 2011 and 2014 for Treelines and Habitat, respectively, both for Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year.

Husband-and-wife duo Jasmine Colette and A.W. Cardinal, known as Blue Moon Marquee, are based out of Cowichan Valley and took home their first Juno award for Scream, Holler and Howl as Blues Album of the Year. The duo was also nominated for the Contemporary Indigenous Album of the Year award, an award won by Inuk musician Elisapie.

Duncan-based bluesman Brandon Isaak’s latest album One Step Closer was also nominated for Blues Album of the Year.

Host Furtado saw a nomination for Dance Recording of the Year for her Eat Your Man album, but Felix Cartal’s Need Your Love won in that category.

Victoria’s Evan Crofton, who performs under the name Alistair Blu, and his band Busty and the Bass were up for Breakthrough Group of the Year, but were bested by Toronto-based group New West.

Nanaimo’s rising star Lauren Spencer-Smith, who received three nominations earlier this year, was surpassed by Charlotte Cardin’s 99 Nights for both Album of the Year and Pop Album of the Year. Spencer-Smith was a runner-up to Tate McRae for Artist of the Year.

The televised portion of the awards night can still be watched online at www.junoawards.ca.

READ MORE: Vancouver Island pop star Lauren Spencer-Smith up for three Juno awards

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About the Author: Nanaimo Bulletin News Staff

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