Jason Collett

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Jason Collett

| image = Jason Collett (E-Bar, Guelph).jpg

| caption = Jason Collett performing in Guelph, Ontario (January 17, 2008).

| image_size =

| background = solo_singer

| birth_name = Jason Robert Collett{{cite web|url=https://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/workID/390977765 |title=I'LL BRING THE SUN |website=ASCAP |publisher=American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers |access-date=March 13, 2023}}

| alias =

| birth_place = Bramalea, Ontario

| birth_date =

| death_date =

| origin = Toronto, Ontario, Canada

| instrument =

| genre = Alt-country, indie rock

| occupation =

| years_active = 1999–present

| label = Arts & Crafts

| associated_acts =

| website =

| past_member_of = Bird, Broken Social Scene

}}

Jason Robert Collett is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Toronto, Ontario. He has released six solo studio albums, and is a former member of Broken Social Scene.

Early life

Collett was born in Bramalea, a Greater Toronto Area suburb. He began writing songs at a young age to escape the boredom of his suburban life, and cites Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson and Nick Lowe as influences. Eventually, Collett moved to downtown Toronto where he worked as a woodworker and carpenter, doing renovations and custom home building, while he pursued his music.

In the late 1980s, Collett co-founded the band Lazy Grace with Kathryn Rose and Kersti McLeod,Michael Barclay, "A source of good sounds; Jason Collett, Michelle Shocked, Metric, Boy all have links to the Hillside stages". Guelph Mercury, July 24, 2003. performing every Monday at Toronto’s Spadina Hotel at the popular indie music gathering, Radio Mondays, alongside The Weakerthans and artists on the record label Arts & Crafts, who would perform and write songs together. Collett has mentioned how Radio Mondays were great community-building events, with five or six artists on stage at a time."Radio Mondays 'a kitchen party with an audience'". Toronto Star, January 30, 2003.

Around 2000, he was a part of the short-lived alternative country group Bird, of which Andrew Cash and Hawksley Workman were also members. Bird released one album, 2000’s Chrome Reflection.{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r593396|first=Jason|last=MacNeil}}

Broken Social Scene

It was his work with Broken Social Scene that allowed Collett to give up woodworking and become a full-time musician. Collett became a member of Broken Social Scene, serving as one of their guitarists, after the band’s album You Forgot It In People. Collett was eventually convinced by Kevin Drew to join the band once they moved from a strictly instrumental band into one that wrote their own songs.

Though Collett took a break from touring with Broken Social Scene in the fall of 2005 to pursue his solo career and spend time with his family, Collett has made many musical connections through the band. His 2005 album, Idols of Exile, produced by Howie Beck, featured many prominent Canadian artists. Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew, Leslie Feist and Brendan Canning all contributed, as did members of bands Stars and Metric.

Solo work

File:JasonCollett3.jpg 2006 concert at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, Canada.]]

In 2001 he released his debut solo album Bitter Beauty.Stephen Clare, "Indie scene not broken". Halifax Daily News, July 20, 2006. AllMusic gave it a 3 out of 5 rating, and Canadian Musician gave a positive review.{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/bitter-beauty-mw0000980565#review|title=Bitter Beauty Review|author=MacNeil, Jason|website=AllMusic}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/CM-Canadian-Musician/00s/Canadian-Musician-2001-09-10.pdf|title=Showcase|last=Kelly|first=Jim|year=2001|magazine=Canadian Musician|issue=5|page=78|access-date=28 November 2024}} In 2002 he followed up with Motor Motel Love Songs.

In 2005, he released Idols of Exile, his first for Arts & Crafts.Vit Wagner, "Solo scenester; Singer/songwriter Jason Collett pursues musical life outside Broken Social Scene: Idols of Exile album presents well-crafted tunes in a variety of styles". Toronto Star, August 4, 2005. Here's to Being Here was released in February 2008.Mary Christa O'Keefe, "Here's to Being Jason Collett; The Broken Social Scenester invites you to remember the music you love". Calgary Herald, February 1, 2008.

In 2007 Collett and poet Damian Rogers began coordinating The Basement Revue, a recurring concert series at Toronto's Dakota Tavern which saw writers and musicians collaborating on performances, with lineups not announced in advance of the show.Ben Kaplan, "Moving up from below; Basement revue; Jason Collett's music & lit love-in closes a chapter". National Post, December 6, 2011. The event later graduated to larger venues, most notably the annual Luminato Festival.Peter Robb, "Basement Greats; Jason Collett's out of the kitchen and into the Basement Revue, but on a much larger scale". Ottawa Citizen, April 27, 2015.

Formerly touring with backing band Paso Mino, made up of members Robbie Drake, Afie Jurvanen, Mike O'Brien and Michael P. Clive, in 2008 he debuted a new band consisting of Robbie Drake, Mike O'Brien, Carlin Nicholson and Neil Quin, who also released music separately as the band Zeus.Khanna, Vish. [https://archive.today/20120711202157/http://exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid1=141&csid2=778&fid1=44523 "From Scene to Shining Scene"], Exclaim!, March 2010.

In 2009, Collett took part in an interactive documentary series called City Sonic. The series, which featured 20 Toronto artists, had him reflecting on his longtime relationship with Kensington Market.Guy Dixon, "City Sonic series". The Globe and Mail, September 14, 2009.

Collett's fifth solo studio album, Rat a Tat Tat, produced by O'Brien and Nicholson, was released in March 2010.Joshua Love, [https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13911-rat-a-tat-tat/ "Rat a Tat Tat, Jason Collett"]. Pitchfork, March 2, 2010. He followed up later the same year with Pony Tricks, an album which featured re-recorded alternate versions of songs from his prior albums.Gregory Adams, [https://exclaim.ca/music/article/jason_collett_announces_new_pony_tricks_lp "Jason Collett Announces New Pony Tricks LP"]. Exclaim!, October 4, 2010.

His seventh solo studio album, Reckon was released in September 2012.Ben Kaplan, "A Force To Reckon With; Jason Collett gets vocal on his latest solo album". National Post, September 26, 2012.

In 2013, he had an acting role in a stage production of Sam Shepard's play Cowboy Mouth, staged at Toronto's Cameron House.Ben Kaplan, "Playing the field; Jason Collett trades the music stage for a theatrical one with Cowboy Mouth". National Post, January 22, 2013.

He released his eighth album, Song and Dance Man on February 5, 2016.Kyle Mullin, [https://exclaim.ca/music/article/jason_collett-song_and_dance_man "Jason Collett Song and Dance Man"]. Exclaim!, February 3, 2016. The following year he coordinated New Constellations, a collaborative concert tour which paired established Canadian pop and rock artists with emerging Indigenous Canadian artists.Eric Volmers, [https://calgaryherald.com/entertainment/music/new-constellations-mixes-indigenous-and-non-indigenous-performers-for-all-star-revues "New Constellations mixes Indigenous and non-Indigenous performers for all-star revues"]. Calgary Herald, November 22, 2017.

In 2018, he contributed the song "Sensitive Man" to the compilation album The Al Purdy Songbook.[https://nowtoronto.com/music/features/al-purdy-songbook/ "Canadian poet Al Purdy inspires songs by Jason Collett, Sarah Harmer and more"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190203084800/https://nowtoronto.com/music/features/al-purdy-songbook/ |date=February 3, 2019 }}. Now, January 22, 2019.

His ninth album, Head Full of Wonder, was released in 2022.Brad Wheeler, [https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/article-jason-collett-new-album/ "At age 55, indie-rock elder Jason Collett perseveres in a genre in decline"]. The Globe and Mail, November 30, 2022.