PHOTO : NIKKI OMEROD
Zach Sutton : I have a BFA in jazz performance from York University in Toronto and an MBA from Southern New Hampshire / Berklee College of Music . I was fortunate enough to study with Barry Romberg , Mike Murley , Kelly Jefferson , Kevin Turcotte , Roy Patterson , Rick Lazar , and many more . In high school I took private piano lessons and drums . My drum instructor , Geoff Hen , has been a huge influence on me and a big part of the reason I continued my education . I also had great junior high and high school teachers , Hughh Corbett and Bob Gray . Outside of school , I ’ ve tried to study privately , having taken lessons with Bob McLaren , Glen Velez , and Rami El-Asser . I also have a massive collection of books and videos on various musical subjects . I ’ m obsessed .
JANE ’ S PARTY ( L-R ): ZACH SUTTON , DEVON RICHARDSON , JEFF GILES & TOM IONESCU
JANE ’ S PARTY
Toronto-based band made up four immensely-talented and highly-educated musicians — Zach Sutton , Devon Richardson , Jeff Giles & Tom Ionescu .
CM : Can you briefly tell us what type of formal music schooling you ’ ve done throughout your lives ?
Tom Ionescu : I began in high school studying occasionally with my father , Dan Ionescu , who is a professional jazz guitarist in Toronto . After high school I got a BFA in jazz performance from York University where I studied with Lorne Lofsky , Mike Murley , Jim Vivian , Kelly Jefferson , Kevin Turcotte , and others . Concurrently with my undergraduate music degree , I also earned a bachelor of education . In 2011 , I attended the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music led by Dave Douglas , where I had the opportunity to study with Donny McCaslin , Jerry Granelli , Anthony Wilson , Kneebody , and others . Later that same year , I began my Master in Music degree at University of Toronto where I studied jazz performance and composition with Geoff Young , David Occhipinti , Andrew Downing , Mike Murley , and Jim Lewis . I am currently part of the music faculty at Humber College where I have taught and continue to teach production , composition , and performance classes for undergraduate music students .
Devon Richardson : I was put into one-on-one piano lessons around the age of six and continued with that until age 12 . I made it to grade five conservatory before I switched to electric bass . It seemed cooler at the time and I wanted to be in a band . I did oneon-one bass lessons until age 18 . I then studied electric bass for four years at York University in Toronto and graduated in 2010 with a BFA in jazz performance . And now when I ’ m not on the road touring or booked on a session , I ’ ll teach private music lessons during the week — full circle .
CM : What were your goals , either artistically or professionally , in taking that path ? In that regard , how did it meet , exceed , or fall below your expectations ?
Ionescu : My path in music has generally been guided by a curiosity for all things musical , and the arts at large . My goal has consistently been to improve at my craft , and learn about new ways to express myself artistically , whether that be through songwriting , live or studio performance , studio production and mixing , composing for film , or even less musical directions , such as music video direction / editing and album cover and concert poster graphic design . The career that has resulted from the pursuit of these curiosities has been pretty surprising , even to me . I don ’ t know if I could have planned for or predicted the opportunities that have come up over the years , but in a way , I think that unexpectedness is part of what makes being in music so exciting . I can ’ t exactly say that I have expectations as much as I have ambitions , and so far , it feels like as long as I find the energy to pursue these ambitions , beautiful things seem to keep happening .
Richardson : My goals from day one were to meet like-minded people , start a band , and perform music around the world . I wasn ’ t sure how a degree in jazz performance was going to help me achieve this but it was my only way in . It also helped appease my parents that I would come out with a university degree on the other end . The schooling itself was perfect for me . It provided a lot of discipline and forced me to become a more well-rounded musician . I don ’ t believe you need a music degree to have a successful career in music , but I found it readied me with a wider vocabulary and more tools to communicate and create with . I was lucky enough to find the guys I ’ ve been playing with for over 14 years in that program , so in that sense it definitely met my expectations … though I ’ m only now realizing how rare that is !
Sutton : Truthfully , I knew I loved music and was also interested in studying music formally and working towards becoming a professional . I never had a set intention or goal but I knew I wanted to be in a band ( like Jane ’ s Party ) as well as freelance in various genres and a vast array of artists . Some of these great musicians include Devin Cuddy , Jim Cuddy , David Buchbinder , iskwē , Shad , Midnight Shine , Carolina East , Andrea Ramolo , Whitney Rose , Nomadica , Roula
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