Horn player Gabriel Mark Hasselbach counts his lucky stars in the hope of receiving his first GRAMMY® nomination
“Count Your Lucky Stars” is up for GRAMMY® consideration in three categories. The Juno Award-winning jazz musician makes his debut at the Catalina JazzTrax Festival on October 17.
VANCOUVER, BC (10 OCTOBER 2024): Juno Award-winning (Canada’s GRAMMY® equivalent) horn player Gabriel Mark Hasselbach hopes that the lucky stars are aligned for his first GRAMMY® nomination to cap a prolific year during which he released two albums. His latest Windtunnel Records release is “Count Your Lucky Stars” and music from that set is presently up for first-round consideration in three GRAMMY® categories: Contemporary Instrumental Album, Best Jazz Performance, and Best R&B Song.
Hasselbach wrote and produced “Count Your Lucky Stars” with Lew Laing Jr. (Paul Brown, Richard Elliot, Norman Brown). His 18th album is a 13-song exploration through contemporary jazz rhythms, grooves, and melodies. One of Hasselbach’s unique musical signatures is that he plays multiple horns – flugelhorn, flute, and trumpet - on every track, emoting through each distinctive horn voice, tapping into his fervent passion while displaying technical prowess and proficiency as he colors, shades, and texturizes each song.
Released in August, “Count Your Lucky Stars” is up for GRAMMY® consideration as Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. Hasselbach spent two years crafting the album that he considers to be his best to date, calling it “the crown jewel of my catalog.” Its title comes from Hasselbach’s years dedicated to personal development, including a gratitude practice that utilizes positive affirmations and visualization.
Hasselbach’s explosive multi-horn flugelhorn and muted trumpet solo in the album opener, “SunSeeker,” is in the running for Best Jazz Performance. He shares the spotlight with GRAMMY® winning and Billboard chart-topping saxophonist Marion Meadows. Both artists lived in Hawaii for a time, and they turn the magic and majestic beauty of the Hawaiian Islands into song on the track.
A standout tune vying for Best R&B Song, “We Are” features the distinctive and caramelly voice of Juno and American Music Award-winning singer-guitarist Alfie Zappacosta. Hasselbach has a long-running tradition of including one vocal song on every album and he wrote this dramatic showstopper with Laing Jr. and Zappacosta.
It’s rare for a jazz musician to have success on both sides of the genre – contemporary and straight-ahead - but Hasselbach is that artist who is equally comfortable in traditional New Orleans jazz settings as well. Having his peers and the Recording Academy voters recognize his body of work would bring the validation he craves along with the opportunities to perform on larger platforms.
“It’s said that one needs to put in 10,000 hours to be considered a pro or a master at their skillset. At this point, I have doubled or likely tripled that number. Downbeat magazine coined the term TDWR: Talent Deserving Wider Recognition. I believe that moniker aptly describes my career. The exuberant accolades have piled up over the years with my track record of gold-selling records, eleven Billboard hits, a Juno Award and many other national awards including Album of the Year from the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards. I have recorded and performed with GRAMMY® winners, GRAMMY® nominated artists, and Billboard chart-toppers (Michael Bublé, Jeff Lorber, Paul Brown, Paul Hardcastle, Bob Baldwin, Marc Antoine, Tom Scott, Greg Manning, Darren Rahn, Warren Hill, Rob Tardik, Bob James, Chuck Loeb, Larry Coryell, Ernie Watts and Bob Mintzer among them). I believe a GRAMMY® nomination would validate my work in the eyes of my peers and the industry, allowing me greater opportunities and wider exposure. We all strive to create a lasting legacy, so acknowledgment from the Recording Academy via a GRAMMY® win or nomination would dot the I’s and cross the Ts on the completion of my mission statement,” said Hasselbach, a Denver native who is a longtime resident of Vancouver, British Columbia.
Hasselbach opened summer with the release of “The Vocalists,” an album of 18 vocal tracks spanning straight-ahead jazz, R&B, blues, and adult contemporary pop selections culled from his catalog. The compilation features Bublé, Dee Daniels, and an accomplished assortment of Canadian vocalists along with Hasselbach at the vocal mic himself.
A consummate concert performer, Hasselbach has performed around the world at some of the most prestigious jazz festivals including Montreux, North Sea, and JVC. On October 17, he will make his debut at the Catalina JazzTrax Festival on the island 26 miles off the Los Angeles coastline.
He’ll share the marquee with GRAMMY® winner and Academy Awards nominee Ray Parker Jr.
