JAZZ WITHOUT A NET
Young Montreal saxman prepares for live debut recording
The powerful and promising Montreal tenor saxophonist Alex Francoeur is getting some practice runs in before he records his debut album in late September — live at Upstairs Jazz Bar and Grill in his hometown. Before then, the recent McGill University graduate, 24, is road-testing his music in Toronto, Saguenay, Que., and Ottawa. On Monday night, Francoeur’s quintet plays the Options Jazz Lounge at the Brookstreet Hotel.
Below, Francoeur discusses his musical development to date and explains why he’ll forgo the safety of a studio in favour of a jazz club’s no-net setting.
Q Tell me about your first steps as a music student and your first exposures to jazz.
A I took a few piano and guitar lessons as a kid, but never really got into it. My music-reading skills were below average and it discouraged me a lot when practising, and therefore I was terrified of making mistakes when I had to play for my teacher. I also come from a family of athletes and I was more interested in playing hockey and golf than playing music.
However, I had a really inspiring music teacher in high school named Pierre Thibault and I happened to enjoy playing the saxophone much more than the piano or the guitar. When my teacher saw my interest for the saxophone, he suggested I check out some jazz. So as any young millennial would, I went on YouTube and just searched “jazz,” and one of the top results was Jazz Crimes by Joshua Redman. I instantly became hooked and tried to play along with it.
Eventually, I asked my teacher if I could play in the stage band. He accepted and I was so excited, but I didn’t know what improvisation was and that scared me quite a bit. However, he reassured me by saying that there were no mistakes to be made and that I should just try and have fun with it. This is what really appealed to me about jazz; I didn’t have to worry about the mistakes and it allowed me to build confidence.
Q What was your experience studying jazz at McGill University like? A Choosing McGill happened to be undoubtedly one of the best decisions in my life. The faculty is nothing short of outstanding. Every teacher I encountered there was more than willing to meet after class hours to talk about literally anything and very open to come and jam with students. My classmates were all very proficient musicians from every continent and it widely broadened my horizons. Ultimately, I got a thorough jazz education at a fraction of the cost than if I had chosen to go elsewhere, which consequently is allowing me to be able to record my first album right after receiving my bachelor’s degree.
Q Why are you recording live rather than in the studio?
A As a freelance musician, I’ve done a lot of studio work, and while I do enjoy it in some contexts, I find it difficult to recreate the magic and the energy of a live show. Parallel to this, I am a frequent attendee to the Monday night jam session at Upstairs Jazz Bar and Grill and it happens to be the stage I am the most comfortable playing on.
I presented the idea to Joel Giberovitch, the owner of Upstairs. Joel has been very supportive of my development over the last few years and was kind enough to offer me two nights to record the album. By doing two shows each night for a total of four, it gives me the confidence that we’ll get a good take of each piece. Q What will you be recording? A We will be playing pieces that I’ve written over the past two years or so. The two main aspects that I try to channel in my writing and playing are melody and groove. A lot of non-musicians have told me that they find jazz difficult to listen to because they feel lost, like they don’t have anything to latch onto. I believe that if there is strong melodic content, listeners are more open to improvisation, and to the whole song in general. And everyone should be able to appreciate jazz, not just jazz musicians! By writing memorable melodies still using more “modern” harmonic and rhythmic devices, I think this can be achieved.