Friend. Father Figure. Bandleader.
Elder Stateman of Canadian Jazz.
Devoted Dad. Loving
Husband. Exciting Drummer.
I
first encountered the mastery of Norman Marshall Villeneuve when I heard him on
a double live album recorded by Oliver Jones called “Just In Time”. From the get go I knew that this guy could
swing, has a lot of pop, and brings a wealth of excitement and energy into what
he plays and so much more.
He
has certainly come a long way from the neighbourhood of Place St. Henri, the
same neighbourhood that fellow Montrealer and jazz legend Oscar Peterson and Norman’s
cousin Oliver Jones grew up. He got his
training and footing in the jazz scene of Montreal before moving on up to
Toronto where for 40 years he made his mark as a Canadian jazz legend and a
father figure to myself and many other young jazz musicians. I know he hears this many times, but
everytime I hear and encounter Norman Marshall Villeneuve he reminds me of the
great jazz drummer and bandleader Art Blakey.
Like Art, Norman plays with such explosive fire and at the same time
encourages young, up and coming musicians to play at their hardest and best
before they launch into careers of their own.
I am
forever indebted for the many chances I got to jam and play with Norman
Marshall Villeneuve, working on swing, feeling, rhythm and mastering the
concepts of the bebop language. Not
only I had such chances, but I am forever indebted for the many kind words,
fatherly advice, and life lessons that I have gleaned just by talking and
hanging out with him throughout the years of being a young jazz musician.
Last
year, Norman made the ultimate move of going back to his hometown of Montreal
after 40 years in the Toronto Music scene.
He is strongly missed, but in my opinion he has never left Toronto. This weekend, I was fortunate to catch him
twice through three of his only Toronto performances of 2014. The music swung, the energy was electric,
and I was encouraged to find that his performances were packed to capacity,
showing that real, unadulterated, swinging acoustic jazz is alive and well, and
we need to keep it alive in the 21st century. There may be a time and place for
innovation, but the real meaning of jazz is about swing, history, and blues
feeling, which has been embodied in Norman’s philosophy and groups.
To
close, I just want to say this to Norm if he reads this: Thank you Norm, for
keeping the jazz flame burning after all these years and bringing integrity
into music. I am honored to get to know
you and keep on playing, encouraging, and giving for many years to come.
NORMAN’S
OFFICIAL WEB SITE:
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