Concordia students share the lengths they have gone to attend the year’s biggest concerts.
This summer, pop superstars took the world by storm by concurrently embarking on international tours. With Taylor Swift and The Weeknd breaking records every week, their concerts have been flooding social media feeds for months.
However, none of these tours included any stops in Montreal. For Concordia students, this meant catching these shows would have been impossible without travelling considerably long distances. The Concordian spoke with some of the students who went the extra mile (thousands, even) to see these shows and asked about their experiences.
7000 kilometres for Harry Styles
After Harry Styles’ 2021 Montreal show was cancelled, second-year psychology student Samantha Vizzi decided she had finally had enough: “I took this opportunity to see him as many times as I could,” Vizzi said. Since last summer, she has put in 27 hours and 7700 kilometres of travel by bus, train, and flight to catch Love on Tour three times. Harry Styles waved at her on her birthday during his New York show, and she attended the tour’s final show in Italy.
Maria Luisa Velez, a second-year communications student, also caught Love on Tour last year in New York, flying in from Colombia. She explains that sometimes, travelling for a show is the easier solution: “They don’t do tours there [certain cities] or they only have a few dates available, which makes it harder to get tickets.”
5,500 kilometres for Beyoncé’s RENAISSANCEWorld Tour
Alexandre Jevans Silva —also in his second year in communications— credits his home country France with helping him secure tickets to see Beyoncé in Paris: “I would not have been able to get Club Renaissance tickets anywhere else” In France, Ticketmaster uses a first-come, first-serve system instead of verified fan presales. His €500 seats in Paris cost $1000 CAD in Toronto. He especially cherishes having made the trip home due to the “special feeling of wanting to see your city represent and be the loudest” (or for Beyoncé, the quietest).
The Eras Tour: turning dreams into reality
Daniela Orrego-Grosso, a first-year economics student, is seeing Taylor Swiftin Toronto next fall alongside her cousin, who is joining her all the way from Peru. The two share childhood memories of listening to Swift’s albums and dancing together. “My cousin didn’t hesitate to come, even if it meant lots of paperwork to get a Canadian Visa.”
For these students, travelling was not an obstacle, but rather an opportunity to create more memories beyond the shows.
Rap fans of all ages gathered at MTELUS in Montreal last Wednesday, as a duo of lo-fi hip hop mastodons Action Bronson and Earl Sweatshirt were headlining their NBA Leather tour accompanied by Boldy James & The Alchemist as their opening act. Fans were waiting patiently for both Bronson and Earl to come out and perform.
The show started off with Californian producer, The Alchemist, coming on stage and warming up the crowd, playing some of his more popular beats. Detroit rapper and Boldy James joined The Alchemist to perform their opening set. James’ set was definitely entertaining, with him playing most of his classic songs, and at least half of his 2021 amazing collaboration album with The Alchemist Bo Jackson, but his performance didn’t do justice to the quality of his music.
James’ music is more based on him spitting bars over a smoothly sampled instrumental. This style of rap is harder to decipher at a concert, resulting in the performance lacking a bit of energy, making it harder for people to connect with the music. Nonetheless, he still delivered a satisfactory performance and set the table well for the other artists yet to come.
The next artist to perform was Earl Sweatshirt, who delivered a solid performance, rapping most of his latest album SICK!, and some key songs off of his other records. The crowd lacked energy at the beginning of his set, but once he played his meme song “EAST,” they picked it up and started moshing. Earl was the chillest and most laidback guy ever. He had no difficulty showcasing his funny, nonchalant and sarcastic side we all came to know and love from his days as a part of Odd Future. Earl’s set was able to make people feel a plethora of different emotions.
The last but not the least artist performing was New York MC Action Bronson, who delivered a super loud and “in your face” set. Contrarily to Boldy James, his music sounded even better live. He was super theatrical with his rapping and the fans were really engaged in his set. It was definitely surprising to not see him rap much of his new album Cocodrillo Turbo as he only performed a song or two off of it, regardless, it was still great to see him live.
Whether it was Boldy James’ gritty sound, Earl Sweatshirt’s more laidback and posed attitude, or Action Bronson’s aggressive and energetic performance, everyone brought something different to the table that saw fans feasting through it all.
Tyler, The Creator performing at Place Bell in Montreal last week. GUILLAUME LABERGE
Tyler, The Creator performing at Place Bell in Montreal last week. GUILLAUME LABERGE
Tyler, The Creator lit up the Place Bell on Wednesday
After Montreal have been deprived of large arena concerts for the better half of three years, Tyler, The Creator and friends made up for lost time with an electrifying performance at Place Bell on March 9 for the Call Me If You Get Lost tour. Fresh off the release of his massively successful 2021 record of the same name, it was only right for Tyler to go around the world to perform his beloved hits.
Before seeing Tyler play his set, fans were lucky enough to have three opening acts, courtesy of Teezo Touchdown, Vince Staples, and Kali Uchis. As the first of four acts, Teezo really set the bar high for the performing artists to come with an energetic and highly interactive performance centered around a construction theme decor. Following him was Vince Staples, who despite having a catalogue to deliver an interesting performance, had next to no stage presence. While the songs themselves made up for the lackluster performance, he was still the least interesting act of the concert. Last opening act but not least Kali Uchis was magnificent. She gave a sensual rendition of her material that saw her go back and forth between her biggest hits and her most recent Spanish cuts, all of which were executed graciously in both languages.
Now up to the showstopper. The stage was set to fit the luxurious vibe of Call Me If You Get Lost, fitted with a manor and balcony, a teal Rolls-Royce and even a boat which was fixed to the floor. Tyler was using the props in really interesting ways, navigating to the other smaller stage with the various means of transportation. The Californian rapper began his set with a couple of tracks from Call Me If You Get Lost like “SIR BEAUDELAIRE,” “CORSO” and “LEMONHEAD.” He followed by touching every studio album in his discography, performing at least one song from each of them, delivering some of the strongest material from his 15 year career.
A thing that makes Tyler stand out from others is his flashy personality. It is a well known fact at this point that he is one of the funniest rappers in the industry. Whether he is cracking jokes, interacting with his fans, or even getting booed at, which is something he likes, he always manages to be entertaining even when he isn’t performing. His stage presence is on another level and his good energy and solid dance moves play a significant role in why this man is such a captivating individual.
Tyler kept fans engaged from start to finish and the crowd’s passion and ardor were at peak form. It was definitely special to see live music again and Tyler was the perfect candidate to remind us how great concerts are.
Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists performed in solidarity at La Tulipe
“It does hurt his spirit,” Anachnid said after her performance at the Tio’tia:ke + Wet’suwet’en Concert last Thursday. “That’s why I sang that song for him.”
Anachnid is an Oji-Cree multidisciplinary artist based in Montreal. She performed “Braids,” a collaboration with saxophonist Ashton Phoenix Grey and producer Emmanuel Alias on Dreamweaver released Feb. 28. The song is written about Anachnid’s younger brother who is six years old.
With a techno beat that opens to a pulsating drum bass, Anachnid’s voice echoed encouragement for boys and girls who sport their braids. “Braids” embraces the flow of long hair because recently, her little brother was told to cut his lengthening strands at school.
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The Tio’tia:ke + Wet’suwet’en Concert was organized by multidisciplinary artist Natasha Kanapé Fontaine and musician Elisapie Isaac in solidarity with the hereditary chiefs opposing the Coastal Gaslink pipeline.
Random Recipe, Lydia Képinski, Jesse Mac Cormack, Les Soeurs Boulay, Nomadic Massive, and 2018 Polaris Prize winner Jeremy Dutcher and others were all there to perform and show their support.
Fontaine and Isaac performed music and poetry throughout the night and hosted a diverse range of artists in support of the railway blockades and demonstrations that denounced the potential pipeline passage across unceded ancestral land.
There was traditional throat singing, drums, dance, contemporary song, rap, and poetry.
Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists filled the space with song and poetry, sharing their stories in solidarity amid the crisis to preserve Indigenous territories and culture, and in celebration of the earth.
Despite the dark and cloudy atmosphere of uncertainty as a result of COVID-19, there was clarity when the artists performed. From one artistic act to the next, there was pause, laughter, cheers, and applause for the diverse lineup, but also there was certainty in the eyes of the audience members and the performers. Everyone was there for the same reason: to show support during societal and political turbulence through music, art, and poetry.
The benefit carried and amplified the voices and songs of Indigenous artists too, both well-known and local.
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“Braids represent the past, the present, and the future,” explained Anachnid. “Children, adults, and elder, and all three phases in life, united.”
When men, two-spirit, LGBTQI+, or other minorities are forced to cut their hair, Anachnid said they are usually forced to do so to adapt under societal pressures. She said they lose part of their culture, explaining that the longer the braids, the closer it is to the sweet grass—to the soul. Sweet grass represents the grass of Mother Earth; when burned, it cleanses like sage.
She also said that it was fine for people to cut their hair if they wanted to. “That’s how people shapeshift,” she said
When it came to performing, and creating music together, at first, Anachnid and Grey spoke different languages.
“I’m air,” she said about her creative chemistry with saxophonist Grey. “He’s fire—it amplifies, if anything.”
While it took love, anger, pain, and joy, like any other relationship, to be able to collaborate smoothly with one another, the ingenuity of both artists blended together well that night. Anachnid uplifted the crowd with her vocals as Grey played his instrument.
“She’s the creator,” said Grey, “She’s the mastermind.”
U.S. Girls put on high energy and politically conscious show at Le Ministère
On Feb. 16, excited music fans packed into Le Ministère on Boulevard Saint Laurent to see Canadian experimental pop artist U.S. Girls, aka Meg Remy.
Local artist Lune très belle opened the show. Through her set, her French vocals were echoed as she bounced between two mics in front of her, one over her keyboard and the other over her synthesizer.
Lune très belle’s songs were sparse and pretty. This was matched by her quiet and seemingly timid stage demeanour. She didn’t have much candour with the audience, and the set felt more like an improvised recital than your typical concert affair.
After a short intermission, Remy’s band took to the stage. Band members entered one at a time. First, high synths filled the room, next the drummer kicked in, playing a few bars before the background vocalists took the stage and began to sing. Finally, Remy entered the stage and jumped into her brand new single “4 American Dollars,” a song about the failure of the American dream.
After a few songs, Remy stopped to chat with the crowd. She mentioned that the last time she played in Montreal, it was at a porn theatre (Cinema L’Amour). She went on to ask how the cops in Montreal were, a question that was not surprising considering Remy’s heavily leftist, political lyrics. The audience gave a decidedly negative response to her question. Remy responded, in a sarcastic manner, that even cops were babies once, and we should try to foster conversation. This tongue-in-cheek comment ended with her saying, “I think they’re crying out for help with their occupation—same with me.”
After a few low-key songs, Remy picked the energy back up with the swanky and danceable “Pearly Gates,” a song whose lyrics reference the #metoo era. This song got the audience moving and really showed off Remy’s infectious stage presence.
Near the end of the show, Remy stood at the centre mic in silence for a few moments and then asked the audience to pretend their head was being pulled up by a string in order to stand up straight. She then asked us to breathe deeply. Everyone in Le Ministère stood for the next few long moments in silent breathing meditation, before the band jumped into the next song.
For the finale, all the musicians left the stage except Remy and one vocalist to perform the 2010 song “Red Ford Radio.” The two started centre-stage, singing directly to each other. They started to repeat the lyrics, “I’d do anything to get out.” As they continued to sing those lyrics, they both dropped their mics, and the audience started chanting along with them. They proceeded to join the crowd as everyone sang in unison. After circling through the crowd, Remy and the vocalist sang one final “I’d do anything to get out,” as they exited through the stage door.
While U.S. Girls’ show was short, clocking in at only around an hour, it was high in the energy and charisma that matches her recorded material. Overall, U.S. Girls played a tight set that was artfully arranged. Years-long fan or newcomer, this show would make anyone fall in love with Meg Remy.
There was a soft, cloudy set-up on stage as if you and all your friends were at a dreamy sleepover. The crowd was very calm and very young, in the far reaches of the venue parents waddled, waiting for those that they had to accompany.
There was no opening act, it was straight to the point. He entered the stage wearing baggy jeans and a baggy sweater, and said, “Hello, my name is Rex, and I’m going to start with some songs from Pony.”
Rex Orange County, or Alexander O’Connor, is from a small town near Surrey, England. According to an article in The Guardian, “[the name] stems from a nickname an old teacher gave him, “the OC,” after his initials.” The 21-year-old artist has released three studio albums since his debut in 2016. Pony is the most recent, launching his career into mainstream pop.
The concert kicked off with “10/10,” a song about acknowledging one’s potential for growth— that they’re not quite the best version of themselves yet but are becoming better. The majority of Rex’s songs call out to notions of love, sorrow, acceptance, and joy—the roles that exist within platonic and romantic relationships.
Partway through his set, as tears rolled down my face, Rex performed his cover of Alicia Keys’ “No One.” At that moment, it became clear that it was a song integral to the concert, and perhaps even to Rex’s journey as a musician.
The tunes that followed were from his previous albums, and had a stronger pop-feel to them. In the 2017 single, “Best Friend,” Rex recounts an all-too-familiar tale of accepting that the person you like is just your friend and having to grow over time to be okay with that because they are that important to you—that having them in your life in this way is better than not at all.
While trumpet and saxophone players took to the stage, Rex broke out into my personal favourite, “Sunflower.” “Sunflower” makes me feel okay; that I am loved and held by those I care about. That no matter how bad and shitty I feel, there will always be people who “don’t wanna see you cry” and “don’t want you to feel that emptiness.”
The song is about true love, and maybe it’s not the love you were expecting; but it’s love nonetheless. And regardless, you’ve just got to “keep [your] mind at bay” and “diggy dig down down, du du du duuu.”
It goes without saying that Rex Orange County is the most tender in the world of indie-pop. With relatable lyrics, a friendly voice, and catchy tunes, it’s hard to stay still.
Japandroids' Brian King rallying the Corona audience into a frenzy
Since the release of their 2012 sophomore opus, Celebration Rock, Japandroids have occupied a spot in the musical zeitgeist as one of Canada’s all-time greatest bands. These droids are manufactured in Vancouver, which is evident in the group’s repertoire of songs, which often namedrop geographical locations in British Columbia.
When Japandroids’ first chord rang across the stage of the Corona Theatre last week, the audience was instantly transfixed and didn’t divert their attention until the end of the 15-song set. The Vancouver natives kicked off their first Montreal performance in years with the title track off their latest release, Near to the Wild Heart of Life. Japandroids’ music operates on sheer kinetic energy, so it wasn’t much of a surprise that guitarist and vocalist Brian King’s vivacity on stage perfectly paralleled his playing and singing on the record.
Filling the venue to its absolute brim, the show was an amazing presentation of synergy formed between audience and performer. The crowd was moshing and singing along with untutored enthusiasm throughout the show. Such was the case for the performers themselves, who transferred this energy back and forth like wildfire. The energy was tossed to-and-fro from band to audience and vice-versa.
The Canadian icons were poised and confident.
King asked if anyone in the crowd was at the band’s Cabaret Mile-End show, which took place all the the way back in December 2012. A few zealous responses were scattered throughout the crowd. King devoted “Younger Us” to the dedicated few who attended that show.
The two fans fixed at the front of the crowd were sporting homemade “North East South West” baseball caps, which caught King’s eye. The titular song off the band’s latest effort, “Near to The Wild Heart Of Life,” was dedicated to those two, who seemed to be revitalized with new energy that somehow topped their initial gusto.
And of course, there had to be that one guy who, at every concert, yells out a request to play “Free Bird.” Not usually in the band’s lineup of songs, but the request caught the interest of King, who, for a brief moment, considered covering the song with his ill-prepared drummer, David Prowse, so that they could both botch the song together.
Japandroids rocking the night away.
The set ended on a particularly climactic note, with an especially stomping rendition of the band’s biggest anthem, “The House That Heaven Built.” There was no encore, but it wouldn’t be too far of a stretch to say everyone in attendance felt satisfied with King and Prowse’s performance.
Washington MC’s laid-back attitude counterbalanced his fast-paced flow
For those who do not know him, Goldlink, also known as D’anthony Carlos, is a rapper out of DMV, a district located in Washington, D.C. He made waves with his debut mixtape God Complex and has since been one of the freshest voices in music right now. Ecstatic, funky and charismatic, Goldlink is part of futuristic bounce, a genre that intertwines soul fusion, R&B and hip hop viscerally through the infectious energy of its fans.
April + Vista playing songs from their EP Note to self. Photo by Kirubel Mehari
The show started off with a performance by music duo, April and Vista, who delivered a soulful performance that resonated through the crowd. Defined as pioneers of the stresswave genre, they brought a sound that is both soothing and raw. April’s voice has a powerful and invigorating tone, and used this to her advantage. Before performing her last song, she asked the crowd an important question that sounded more like an affirmation:
“Do y’all know that you can do anything the fuck y’all want? If you put your mind to it, you can do anything,” she said.
April’s passionate persona shined through her performance that night, alongside Vista on the keyboards. Songs such as “Beasts” and “Daggers” were perfect for setting a chill and vibrant vibe for the night ahead.
Masego swaying the crowd with his smooth jazz house trap style. Photo by Kirubel Mehari
Masego made an appearance with his trusted saxophone named Sacha. Known for his unique blend of styles such as jazz, house and trap music, he performed his new singles, “Tadow” and “Navajo.” The crowd was pleased beyond measure, as he played songs from his own tracklist as well as classics such as “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson. During his “Billie Jean” performance, as an hommage, Masego showed up with a similar red leather jacket from the late pop star. Spontaneous and versatile, Masego then created his own freestyle with a MIDI controller at the request of the crowd. The freestyle track garnered a positive reaction from the audience, as they sang along to Masego’s passionate refrain. Enthusiasm filled the room throughout his performance, leaving the crowd ready to welcome GoldLink.
GoldLink performing his hit track, “Crew” to his fans. Photo by Kirubel Mehari
The crowd’s energy peaked at it’s highest level as GoldLink took center stage. His laid-back and cool attitude provided a nice counterbalance to his rhythmic and fast-paced flow. The hip hop artist opened up his act with his track, “Some Girl,” which caught the undivided attention of all the ladies at the show. Fast-forwarding to GoldLink’s “Kakamoe Freestyle,” his performance made it obvious why the 24 year-old artist is becoming an imminent figure within the culture of hip hop. He had the audience in the palm of his hands, as they chanted his lyrics word by word. Afterwards, much to the crowd’s pleasure, Masego returned to the stage with GoldLink to perform a duet called “Late Night.”
Towards the end of the show, the experience became a thrilling one, with everyone in the room shouting for an encore and constantly making noise to show their love and support to the young rapper. GoldLink returned the appreciation by thanking his fans once again and performing his hit song, “Crew,” twice in a row.
The singer’s performance made the audience see double—literally
Playing for the first time in Montreal under his new moniker, Nick Murphy, formerly known as Chet Faker, delighted his fans with a riveting concert last Friday. It was a performance that managed to blend his past, subdued records with his new, eclectic persona.
Chet Faker and Nick Murphy may be the same person, but they are two very different beasts. In five short years, Murphy’s sound and name metamorphosed from the moody and sensual tracks of Thinking in Textures to the bass-heavy, electronic tracks of Missing Link. Making a cohesive concert out of an extremely varied discography is no easy feat. But that’s exactly what fans were treated to.
The opening act consisted of techno music from Heathered Pearls and Montreal’s very own Charlotte Cardin. These performances consisted of an unexpected mix of electro and slow, grinding music, respectively. In retrospect, the first part of the show was a very good preview of what was to come.
Murphy started his set with new songs like “Your Time” and “Fear Less,” which were perfect choices to heat up the somewhat unenthusiastic crowd. From there, he moved on with fan favourites “1998” and “Talk is Cheap,” which were greeted with ardent acclamation. Combining his performance finesse with a fervent, on-stage charisma, Murphy, with sweat dripping from his long hair and beard, seemed in complete control.
Despite incorporating a plethora of different sounds, the concert never felt disjointed. The set list was crafted in a way that allowed the crowd and Murphy to breathe during calmer songs and then erupt with energy during the more bombastic pieces. The contrast in sound, which could have tanked the whole show, turned out to be one of its strongest assets.
Unfortunately, the sound quality wasn’t up to par with the performance. Too often, Murphy’s voice was almost impossible to hear because of the overpowering bass of the backing track and synth. This happened mainly during his more recent tracks, as they are typically more vivid in sound. It’s a shame; Murphy’s mellow voice is one his trademarks.
Choosing to drop his stage name and completely revamp his musical style was quite a risky move. Without very dedicated fans, his career could really have taken a hit. But, as two sold-out nights in a row clearly demonstrate, Nick Murphy has a very loyal fanbase.
His latest EP may have been greeted with mixed reception. But, after such a strong performance, hindered only by a few technical snags, the fans can now rest assured: Chet Faker may be gone, but Nick Murphy is here to stay.
Last Friday, the Philly band delivered a refined performance that felt inherently punk.
Shuffling casually on stage and picking up his guitar with no acknowledgement or nod to the audience, Kyle Seely launched Sheer Mag’s Montreal performance with a series of crunchy guitar chords that would have fit snugly on any AC/DC album.
The band’s performance at La Sala Rossa on Sept. 1, in support of its new record, Need To Feel Your Love, was brimming with colossal riffs and bruising political flare.
The audience’s anticipation was apparent. Before the show, there was little to no room in front of the stage, and the banter was kept to a minimum. This set the tone for the rest of the night.
Ignoring any sort of mindless pretense, pauses between songs were reserved strictly for the audience’s passionate cheers. Drummer Allen Chapman played in front of a banner that displayed Sheer Mag’s endearingly dated logo. That was about the extent of the show’s production value—no flashy flourishes, no glitzy showmanship, just uncompromising rock-and-roll swagger.
Throughout the performance, Sheer Mag aimed to cram its ambitious sounds into a short, yet unyielding 45 minutes, combining all the attitude with riffs ripped straight from Thin Lizzy’s songbook. It was a perplexing mix to witness, sure, but this is revivalism we’re dealing with. And yet, it’s revivalism edged with a brawny and confident type of artistry that feels both honest and bold.
Sheer Mag’s crux, despite all their vintage 70s adornments, is keeping its sights fixed firmly on the future. While “Button Up” pushes at breakneck speeds with a blast of fiery Southern rock and harmony-laden melodies at the forefront, it remains an anthemic protest song about refuting societal oppression. “I know they don’t like the way that I talk / Don’t like the way that I walk,” sings vocalist Tina Halladay. The lyrics act as a comment on the backseat role women have historically played in rock music, especially in the 70s. Sheer Mag’s army was the denim-clad misfits assembled at the front of the stage, grooving uniformly throughout the night.
The show wasn’t all politics, however. “Nobody’s Baby” counteracted the band’s raw, firebrand politics with glam-sensible power-balladry. “Meet Me In The Street” was a call to arms, with Halladay’s prickly vocals consistently roaring through like sandpaper. All the while, her lyrics emphasized the importance of compassion and empathy in a bleak, unforgiving world.
Typically, you wouldn’t think to mesh 70s proto-metal aesthetics with a biting political agenda—but that’s what makes Sheer Mag such an exciting project. The band inverts rock and roll expectations by churning out muscled guitar music that resonates with elements from then and now.
With a swarm of primal energy leading its performance, Sheer Mag’s sound is more closely associated with a classic rock radio station than a DIY punk outfit. Still, they cast off any and all expectations, pairing lo-fi textures with studio-polished 70s rock. This band has rooted itself in the very fabric of rock and roll and revamped it to a vehicle of escapism for misunderstood rockers.
On Jan. 14, Downes performed at Upstairs Jazz Bar to celebrate his birthday. Photo by Alex Hutchins
Jazz pianist Downes talks about his many careers and his love of teaching
“It’s cold out there!” exclaims Wray Downes, as he settles into a chair in the music department’s large conference room, located in Concordia’s GM building. “At least it’s not raining,” he adds, with genuine relief, as he takes off his cloth bucket hat and unzips his jacket. On the table, he sets down the only item he is carrying: a copy of Ted Gioia’s book, History of Jazz. Downes pulls a small parking ticket out of his big winter jacket. “Oh, we’ve got plenty of time,” he says, before tucking it safely back into his jacket pocket.
Looking across the table at one of the most famous Canadian jazz musicians of all time, it is charming and unnerving to see that, at the end of the day, Downes is just another 86-year-old man who will just as happily discuss the weather and parking as he will his career.
Downes, born Rupert Arnold Downes, is a celebrated jazz pianist, composer and conductor. The musician was born in Toronto on Jan. 14, 1931. With racial discrimination present in Toronto in the 30s and 40s, Downes says life was hard growing up, but his character made it easier. “I had a big mouth, I could run fast and I also had a big fist. So, I could fight my way,” he says.
Downes recalls life was also hard because his parents didn’t have much money. He says they had to make a lot of sacrifices for him to take piano lessons for the first few years. His father was a porter. Downes says, back then, it was considered a good job at $125 to $150 a week. But with piano lessons costing $10 a week and the paycheck rolling in every two weeks, he says it wasn’t easy. So when Downes’ mother found out he could play in piano competitions for money and scholarships, the game started to change.
At 13, Downes started participating in music competitions. Quickly, he started winning… a lot. Downes recalls giving his father attitude when he would get scolded for not practicing. “When my father said… ‘Well you didn’t practice today!’ I’d say, ‘Yeah, but I just won 700 bucks for a scholarship, man!’” Downes said, leaning back in his chair theatrically and folding his hands behind his head. “I was mouthy and cheeky,” he says with a smile, and a glimmer of pride.
At just 18 years old, in 1949, Downes became the first Canadian to win the prestigious British Empire Scholarship to the Trinity College of Music in London. There, Downes recalls, there was “subtle prejudice,” which he first experienced while searching for a place to live.
He says he would see nice-looking rooms for board in the paper, give the owners a call and set up a time to visit. But then, when he arrived, the owners had magically found someone who better suited their needs. Downes started to understand what was going on. “I thought, ‘this crap is over here too.’” Luckily, he eventually found a room to call home, at Mrs. Stanley’s home. He recalls the small elderly British lady giving him quite a different welcome than the other landlords had.
“She said, ‘oh you’re the first one! Come in!’ and she gave me a big hug. And I just about swallowed my face.”
After his time in London, Downes would go on to study at other prestigious music schools, including the Paris Conservatory and, eventually, Oscar Peterson’s Advanced School of Contemporary Music in Toronto. Peterson, one of Downes’ many mentors, was the one who suggested Downes try out jazz. Downes recalls the switch to jazz first happening when a London recruiting agency refused him because he was black. “He said, ‘I don’t think we can do anything for a black person.’ And I looked at him and said, ‘I don’t quite understand.’ And he just said, ‘What I am going to do with you?’”
Downes’ and Dave Young’s Juno award-winning album, Au Privave. Press Photo
While Downes had to deal with similar situations throughout his life and career, he said he eventually learned not to give into anger. “Anger doesn’t do anything. Anger only affects you, because the other person doesn’t know that you’re angry, you know? Don’t let [yourself] do this to yourself. I learned that lesson a long time ago,” he says.
Downes’ jazz career kicked off in the mid-50s, when he toured all over France and Spain with Bill Coleman, a world renowned jazz trumpeter. He would go on to work with other big jazz musicians like Buck Clayton, Annie Ross, Milt Jackson, Coleman Jackson and Lester Young, to name a few. He would eventually lead his own trios and quartets and release albums. In 1982, Downes won the Juno award for Best Jazz Album for his and Dave Young’s album, Au Privave.
Although music was always an important part of Downes’ life and career, it was never the only part.
On top of being a jazz pianist, Downes took breaks from piano to be a short-order chef, a chauffeur and a drapery installer. He finally turned to teaching in 1990. “I always did want to teach. I always did want to give back somehow, somewhere. And then, Concordia came calling.” Downes says he enjoys teaching and mentoring students, and is joyful in helping them find their own style and success.
Downes says he likes to reinforce to his students that, as a musician, it is always important to keep the audience in mind. “I say this to my students: you got to get out there and understand the people that you’re playing to. Because, no people in the club, and you’re out of work.” Downes says he learnt this lesson a long time ago, when he was told he couldn’t just play his bebop, because some want to hear the standards.
Downes’s 1995 album, For You, E. Press Photo
“You’re playing for those folks, because they’re the ones who put the money in your pocket and the bread and butter on your table. And, if you adhere to that, then success, hopefully, will come your way. But don’t look down on those people,” says Downes, his tone serious, and his respect for his audience apparent.
Downes is an extremely respected figure in the Canadian jazz scene. However, he is equally respected within academia. “Wray represents a vital link to the past,” says Joshua Ranger, an assistant professor in Concordia’s department of jazz studies. “It’s said that jazz music advances while standing on the shoulders of giants—and Wray is one of our giants.” He says that Downes teaches jazz in the way of Oscar Peterson and Phineas Newborn Jr.—two jazz moguls. “Sadly, Wray is one of the last such teachers, and the fact that he is still at it after so many years really is a testament to his energy and tenacity.”
These days, Downes contents himself with teaching, cooking, spending time with his wife and kids and playing piano when he wants to. “Been there, done that,” says Downes with a laugh about his jet-setting and musically-busy past.
As he gets up to leave, Downes zips up his winter coat and secures his cloth bucket hat back on his head. He tucks his book back under his arm before walking out the door to go house to play with his dog, play some piano or maybe cook.
