WINNIPEG — A former Winnipegger’s new jazz album, in honour of his late daughter, has been nominated for two Grammy awards.
Jimmy Greene lost his six-year-old daughter, Ana Marquez-Greene, in the Newtown, Conn. school shootings three years ago. She was one of 20 students and six teachers gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.
READ MORE: Conneticut shooting rings close to home in Winnipeg
Greene started composing his latest album after the shootings as a way to heal and move forward.
The former University of Manitoba music professor released the album Beautiful Life in the fall of 2014 and dedicated it to Ana.
This year the album is nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental Album and his song ‘When I Come Home’ is also nominated for Best Arrangement in the instruments and vocals category.
The Early Years Choir at Linden Christian School, where Ana and her brother Isaiah attended while family lived in Winnipeg, also participated in the Beautiful Life project, collaborating on a song.
“I remember how we always kept trying if we made one little mistake,” said Grade 4 student Jax Pollard. Pollard is best friends with Ana’s brother Isaiah. “It was very emotional because we were singing about a death that happened, except it also made me happy because we were sort of acknowledging that we care.”
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“I wanted to honour the family and my sister was there too,” said Grade 6 student Isabel Thiessen. “It was heartbreaking for me and my family and I guess everyone around them, but my sister was devastated, she lost her best friend that day.”
WATCH: Remembering Ana Marquez-Greene
Linden Christian School principal Robert Charach said the song and recording was a way for Ana’s friends to heal and find a bit of closure.
Brenda Johnson, the school’s music teacher, worked with Greene and the children during the recording session which was done in Winnipeg at the school.
“We talked a lot about the words in the song and how Ana was a very exuberant student,” said Johnson. “I taught her in kindergarten. One of the lines from the song is ‘she had a way about her’ and she did. She had something special”
Johnson taught Ana when she went to the school and said the little girl was always running around with such energy and excitement.
“She was always signing, she was always dancing and for us to honour her singing, I think it’s a neat connection because she would have loved it.” said Johnson. She would have loved to be a part of that. So for us to do that in her memory… it was really great.”
Both Ana and her brother make a handful of appearances on the album, as well.
The first song “Saludos/Come Thou Almighty King,” includes a short clip, recorded a year before the shooting, of Isaiah playing piano and Ana singing.
WATCH MORE: Ana and Isaiah singing together
A portion of proceeds from Beautiful Life sales go to two charities set up in Ana’s memory: The Ana Grace Project and the Artists’ Collective.
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