Singer Dusk coming to city on tour
Matt Dusk lands in Saskatoon on heels of new album
Matt Dusk’s career — and his musical style — has always been inspired by the great Frank Sinatra.
So when people contrast the songs on his newest album, Jetsetjazz, to the classic standards made famous by one of music’s iconic figures, it’s one of the highest honours he could possibly receive.
“When I’m being compared to one of my idols it’s great, but I’d much rather listen to Sinatra than me,” Dusk joked.
He might like listening to Sinatra more, but Dusk’s music carries a quality that sets it apart even while he emulates Sinatra’s style. Dusk, one of the greatest Canadian crooners in the jazz world, is coming through Saskatoon on Friday as part of a tour through the Prairies. Dusk’s concert at the Broadway Theatre — he loves the more intimate, personal venues — promises to display his natural charisma, rich vocal tones and smooth delivery as he shares old favourites as well as music from the new album.
But Dusk didn’t always have the confidence in his ability that’s carried him through a nearly 20-year music career. The Toronto-born singer remembers when he first went to school for music as a fan of Sinatra and jazz, and his teacher — renowned jazz pianist Bob Fenton — pulled him aside and told him something he’d never forget.
“‘ You know what Matt, you’ve got a great voice, but you can’t sing jazz worth (expletive),’ ” Dusk recalled with a laugh. “He said to me, ‘We’re gonna pair you with a bunch of great teachers, and you’re gonna learn to sing jazz.’ ”
So Dusk worked with those teachers to improve his talents as a jazz singer. Equally as important, he followed his own path as a singer, not simply a Sinatra impersonator.
As Dusk puts it, there’s no point trying to imitate someone who the entire world would rather hear instead of your imitations.
That’s not to say Dusk’s music is not an homage to Sinatra’s style. The new album is full of old-fashioned big band swing that was the most popular of the styles during the mid-20th century jazz scene. Dusk referred to the album as a “time capsule” for the old style of jazz that he’s loved throughout his career.
“When I was working with the arrangers, we were very specific in trying to make it sound like songs Sinatra would’ve sang, or Tony Bennett,” Dusk said.
There’s a quality to that music, Dusk said, that makes it so memorable. It’s catchy, it’s in an easy vocal range, and it’s been made famous by some of the all-time greats.
One of the best compliments he received was after some friends listened to his new music. They asked him which Sinatra standard it was.
“We’re a copy of the original, all of us crooners ... we try to take a sample of everybody and then use our artistry — and when I say us, I mean the musicians and the arrangers — to make it, literally, our own,” Dusk said.
He’s not Sinatra, and he doesn’t want to be. But it’s safe to say that Matt Dusk is no lesser for it.
“Music is kind of like bubblgum,” he said. “You constantly have to be consuming it for it to be fresh and new.”
When I was working with the arrangers, we were very specific in trying to make it sound like songs Sinatra would’ve sang, or Tony Bennett.