When one thinks of jazz and swing music, old time legends such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Dean Martin usually come to mind; but rarely does one think of a thirty-year-old kid swinging with the best.
Bringing about his own kind of old school swing, Toronto native Matt Dusk reinvents the era with his sparkling suits, smooth voice, and boyishly good looks.
Taking a few minutes to sit with Cadence on the eve of his world tour, Matt filled us in on his new album, Live in Las Vegas, his new tour, and what it’s like sharing the stage with 40 band members.
Tell us about your new live disc.
I have a new record out called Live in Las Vegas. It’s myself and my big band, and we recorded down in Las Vegas. It’s a little bit of new, a little bit of old, and a lot of the big band songs that are synonymous with Vegas. Also, I took a bunch of the number-one hits I’ve had around the world and put them in with the big band and basically recorded a 90- minute show.
Why was it so important for you to record a live album?
I grew up with live albums. When I started listening to this genre of music I always wanted bootlegs. Always, always wanted bootlegs. [On a bootleg] you can really hear how your favourite artists react to stuff because when you go into the studio it’s perfect – or close to perfect – but in the live setting you’re totally screwed if you make a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes, but it’s how you recover. So I’ve always wanted a live record, and because you don’t have to think about recording either, you just go, “I’m going to go out and do what I do, and if I suck then I don’t deserve to be here.”
I always find with live shows that those mistakes are the things you like the best anyways.
Absolutely. I mean, what makes music so amazing is the fact that it is organic and it’s ever changing. It’s like, in Jazz especially, if you’re going to do a solo it should be different; it’s supposed to be different. Every time I go out on stage I’m going to sing the song slightly different, and it’s really difficult to try to emulate. I’ll give you an example: How long have you been interviewing?
Um . . . about ten years.
Okay, ten years. Have you ever had a time where you’ve recorded an interview and then realized that you didn’t record it?
Yes.
And then you have to ask the same questions over again and the vibe just sucks?
Definitely.
It’s the same thing with live music: Getting the honest answers is like performing the honest phrase.
I love that expression!
Your career pretty much started in Vegas. What’s it like to go back and record this live album from there?
This is the funniest thing: When I first started [singing] I grew up in the clubs of Toronto for about four to five years. Then I got very lucky and got this show called Casino which aired on Fox and put me down in Las Vegas performing music. I spent four years there.
When I start to think of the big band kind of music, I think of the Rat Pack. I think of the fun finger swinging, going out for a night on the town, and a lot of my live shows are a part of that. I thought, Well why don’t we just [record a live show in Vegas]; everybody knows me because I have been a part of Vegas. And you know what? I am so proud of the guys because they did such an amazing job. Everything on that record turned out way better than I thought it would. A friend of mine does archiving for the CBC, and he said, “Every time I get live records, I don’t want to listen to them because they always suck. Yours is the first one I liked.”
It’s true; a lot of live albums are really missing something.
In my honest opinion, so few artists out there have the knowledge or the ability to perform live anymore, and it’s a shame because there are a lot of talented people out there but they’re never given the opportunity to tour. The only way to get better is by doing. I can sing songs in my bedroom all day long, but when I get on stage it’s completely different – I hope it’s better. You get the nerves, but at the same time you hope you don’t really screw up.
That’s true. But at the end of the day, when you get up on stage to play, it’s just you in front of the whole audience. Do you ever find that intimidating?
My nerves never stop me from walking out on the stage. I’m the guy who if, say, we’re at High Park, and you say, “Hey, Matt, take off your shirt and run around;” I’ll be like, “Yeah, okay. Cool.” One of the things I learned when I was younger was that no one cares about you more than yourself. When someone’s looking at you, you’re afraid of making a fool of yourself; they’re more worried about how they come across in that situation. When people meet each other, everyone’s always worried about the introduction and how they present themselves that they always forget the other person’s name. So do I feel nervous? Absolutely! I always feel nervous; but it’s nerves like, “I can’t wait to do this! This is awesome!”
What’s it like playing in front of a 20-, 30-, 40-piece band?
It’s heaven. Not only are there five or six other people on stage with me – which is my touring band – we also hired in the horns, and they’re all exceptional, exceptional musicians. Not only are they there, but you’ve got another eight or nine guys there that are also just drenched in talent and history. So you know you got wind behind your back; you know you got full sails going forward. And even if I do screw up, they sound better than me [laughs].
When you recorded this album it was also filmed as a video for US channel PBS. Did it feel different to you to not only be performing for the audience but to be performing for television cameras as well?
No, I was actually really proud of it because that’s what I do. Ninety percent of the time I’m on television, I’m either being interviewed, or I’m a character or a personality, or I’m hosting a show. What I’m really known for is singing, and when I was finished I did the best job I could. I knew it. Not to say it was good or bad, it’s just to say that all you could ever ask of yourself is to do the best job you could.
What is it about the Rat Pack generation that draws you?
I think there’s a connection that describes my life. I entertain quite a lot when I’m home, and I kind of have a laissez-faire attitude towards life, where it’s like, “Sh*t happens and you gotta deal with it.” Not to say that I don’t get upset, and I don’t get worried or stuff – I kind of always give people the benefit of the doubt. I always think those guys kind of had that, too, where they were like, “Hey, I’m living baby, and that’s the way it is.” I’m not economically stupid; I’m not going to go out and buy a Rolls Royce. But I think the attitude of the era was like, “Hey, let’s go out and have some fun. Let’s treat each other with respect. Let’s treat women with respect. And let’s go out and have a good time.” It doesn’t take a lot for people to have manners. [Laughs] That’s what I’ve learned; so many people miss that part.
It’s true. You see so many people today who completely forget manners.
Absolutely. If you look at the success of someone like Drake, I think one of the reasons he’s so successful is because he’s all like, “Hey, it’s not about hating on the ladies. You can be a gentleman and still be cool.”
There are a lot of people out there that are looking for manners even though it’s not sold as much as it should be.
You know what? Sales are sales; you can’t worry about them. We all want to sell ten million records; but at the end of the day, as long as you can do what you’re doing, as long as you are successful . . .
Tell us about your upcoming tour.
I start tour tomorrow, and we go all across Canada for the first month. Then we do the U.S. the second month; then we go to Europe and Russia after. So it’s going to be a wee-bit busy, but fun. The guys in the band are not only talented, but they are cool too. They’re a good hang.
You have a lot of accolades behind you. You’ve been nominated for Junos, had number-one hits, had gold-selling albums. What’s next for you?
Uhhhhh music? Learning more? [Laughs] What’s that quote? “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” What is next? I don’t know. I’m making another album now. It’s difficult at times, but what job isn’t.
Is there anybody that you’d love to work with.
I mean, Harry Connick Jr. is my hero. Every time I meet him I sh*t my pants. There are very few people who I meet and get nervous in front of, and he’s one of them. When I first started getting into this music, he was the only person who was out there doing it. I mean, Sinatra was dead, Paul Anka wasn’t doing anything, and Tony Bennett did his unplugged record. But these guys weren’t my age, so you can’t really identify with it. I’d also love to work with Michael Bublé. We’ve sung together many times at parties, but nothing ever professional.
I’ve heard you have an affinity for sparkling attire. When are you going to don a sparkling Canadian flag suit?
Oh, I’m sorry; Don Cherry got me on that one already! [Laughs] I see that guy dressed and I think, There’s only one Don Cherry.
For more info. on Matt and his upcoming tour and live CD click here.
I think Matt Dusk is an honest man from what I’ve I’ve read & seen of him. His music is Iconic he has given me many hours of enjoyment with his music. I absolutely love his personality on stage. I hope I have the opportunity to see him perform again. I saw him in Calgary.