A Profile of U of T Jazz
By Sean MacKay
It’s 6:30 on a Monday night at The Rex, Toronto’s preeminent jazz and blues bar. A sextet of young musicians sets up their instruments on the faded brown, half-moon stage. “Faculty of Music” is painted on the back of their music stands.
The members of the sextet are students from the University of Toronto Jazz program. Live performances, like tonight’s show at The Rex, are a regular part of the curriculum. According to the group’s bassist, Alex Fournier, the experience of playing for an audience is invaluable for a jazz musician.
“Performing live is something you need to mature into. It’s not as easy as it looks.”
Watching the sextet’s show at the Rex, their art looks anything but easy. Fournier’s fingers travel up the neck of his bass with incredible speed and finesse and then back down just as quickly, maintaining the precision that can only be achieved through years of intense training.
One of seven programs that comprise the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music, U of T Jazz is a small and tight-knit community of approximately 80 students, all working toward undergraduate, Masters or Doctorate degrees in jazz performance. Professor Paul Read established the program in 1990, and served as director until 2004, when Professor Terry Promane took over the role.
“Jazz is composed of intricate melodic and harmonic musical systems. Many hours of practice, rehearsal and research are required to achieve elite status. It lends itself to an academic setting.” Promane explains.
Alex Fournier is well on his way to achieving this elite status. He manages to balance his busy class schedule with eight hours of daily practice. The friendly atmosphere within the program and its low student-to-teacher ratio have helped Fournier cope with his gruelling schedule for the past four years.
“Everyone is on a first-name basis. Some teachers actually get pretty annoyed if you call them Mr. or Ms. So-and-so. Everyone is accessible, friendly and willing to spend a little extra time with you to help explain a concept or an approach. Most teachers are not above going out for the occasional beer with a student.”
Now entering its third decade of existence, the program has already built an impressive roster of alumni. Many of the most prominent and promising young jazz musicians in Canada today are graduates of this program. With a bright new crop arriving each year, the future is bright for U of T Jazz.
This article was originally published in Varsity Magazine.