UJAM Young All-Stars Profile
Thomas Andersen
At 20 years old, Young All Stars (YAS) alumni Thomas Andersen sums up his experience in the program like this: “The fact that I’m pursuing music professionally feels like a big deal. Young All Stars and UJAM set me on the path, and I’m grateful for that.”
Thomas is in his third year at McGill studying for a Bachelors in jazz performance. That’s a long way from his musical roots at age five, when he started playing piano.“I wanted to start at three, but my teachers made me wait. I was really keen to start.” He played through school, did the RCM (Royal College of Music) program all the way through to ARCT (He's an Associate of the Royal Conservatory in Toronto). He excelled at the classics, but he was pulled to jazz. At age 12, he attended his first UJAM summer camp. “I always had an interest in improvised music, but I didn’t have the tools.”
Thomas studied with local jazz legend and UJAM instructor John Lee, learning the style and how to communicate. “Jazz is a language and he supplied me with the vocabulary to start interfacing with jazz in a meaningful way.” Thomas says he was inspired not only by John and the other UJAM musicians’ skill, but also by their joy when playing. “That’s been a big take-away.”
After summer camp, Thomas joined Young All Stars. Here’s how he describes his experience: “It was a great way to get the first sort of realistic experience of playing jazz with other people. Dave Flello did a lot to help us get there. He was insistent on listening and learning by ear, which are not taught in school. It was music I could do that was pushing me in a way that other music groups weren’t. I looked forward to it every week. I was so excited by the prospect of improving at this new thing I had discovered. It’s very special to be surrounded by other kids who also invested in music and jazz – and go to something outside of school and have the courage to play jazz solos in front of audiences – that was so special.” When it came time to perform for the first time at Hermann’s Jazz Club, in front ofan audience, Thomas remembers it as “electrifying.” “I’ve done recitals but playing improvised is a whole other level. I was hyper-excited.”
Thomas now plays at jazz clubs in Montreal and Victoria, while continuing his university studies. He gives full credit to UJAM and the YAS program. “If I had not gotten involved, I don’t think I’d be in jazz music.”