Bumping into... Nick Fraser

Bumping Into... is a series of mini-chats with a variety of peeps that you might run into in some of our local music communities. (There's a bit of an intro and my thoughts behind the series here.)

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How are you? Where are you?

I'm ok, which is about as good as it gets these days...? I'm in Toronto. In the summer, I got to spend a bit of time out of town (Gatineau, Montreal, Neustadt), but not too much.

What have you been up to since March or so?

Mostly staying at home and practicing. Listening. Cooking. I've done a few musical things, like play with Rob Clutton and Karen Ng in a park in Hamilton for Cem Zafir's series. Recording at Doug Tielli's place in Neustadt with Doug and Heather Saumer. Working on some upcoming recordings that were recorded pre-pandemic, like a new quartet album (with Rob, Andrew Downing and Tony Malaby) plus a duo thing with John Farah.

Have you found any new ways to do old things? How are you feeling about the shifts in how music is being made/shared/listened to?

Streaming concerts/online events are not great. I've done a little bit of teaching and collaborating online, and it's ok, but nothing that compares to real-time playing in the same space. I've been doing a bit of duo playing in my house which reminds me of that.

Any works of art that have been a light for you in these times? Anything that's just been a good diversion?

I've been listening to a lot of Fela Kuti the last few days. Also inspired by Tony Malaby's things that he's recorded under the New Jersey turnpike. I'm not sure if it's "art", but Alan Dawson's Rudimental Ritual has been a fun daily project. Brodie West and Evan Cartwright's Ways record is unreal. I enjoyed the British cop show Line of Duty. I read a good book called Jazz Cultures by David Ake.

How are you feeling about 2021?

Well, there's a lot of uncertainty, but I hope to start playing outdoor concerts as soon as it's feasible this year. I didn't get it happening until later on in the summer this past year and it was really what I needed. I do hope that lockdown measures are eased a bit and that the Tranzac, the Rex and the Emmet Ray can all re-open and keep presenting bands. And that small festivals can happen?

Anything else we'd chat about if we bumped into each other?

How are YOU, Joe? I might even ask you all of these same questions! (Probably not in sequence. Probably, we'd actually have a conversation. Even though I've mostly forgotten how to do that.)