Matthew-Aaron Dusk (born November 19, 1978) is a Canadian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

vocalist. He has four certified gold albums: ''

Two Shots : ''For the cinematographic term relating to film technique, see Two shot.'' ''Two Shots'' is the second studio album by Canadian jazz singer Matt Dusk. It was released globally by Decca Records on June 15, 2004. The album was primarily produced b ...

'', '' Good News'', ''Old School Yule!'' and ''JetSetJazz'', and two certified platinum albums; ''My Funny Valentine: The Chet Baker Songbook'' and ''

Just the Two of Us Just or JUST may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Just (surname) * Just (given name) Arts and entertainment * ''Just'', a 1998 album by Dave Lindholm * "Just" (song), a song by Radiohead * "Just", a song from the album ''Lost and Found'' by Mudvayne ...

'' (with Margaret).

Life and career

Dusk was born on November 19, 1978 in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada. From an early age, he wanted to become a performer. At the age of seven, he was accepted into

St. Michael's Choir School St. Michael's Choir School (also known as SMCS, The Choir School, or St. Mike's Choir) is a semi-Independent school, private Catholic Church, Catholic Cathedral school, choir school for boys from Educational stage, grades 3-12 in Toronto, Ontario, ...

, where he remained for eleven years. He performed

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

and

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

but after hearing

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birth ...

, Bob Fenton, and

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "Jazz royalty, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine ...

when has seventeen he began to change his musical direction. In 1998, he won the Canadian National Exhibition Rising Star Competition. He intended to take over the family business, and in 1998 he went to

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

in Toronto to study economics. After one year, he decided to switch to music. He studied jazz theory with John Gittins, jazz vocal with Bob Fenton, and attended master classes taught by

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...

. He was awarded the Oscar Peterson Scholarship and graduated in 2002. Before Dusk secured a record deal, he recorded four albums independently. In March 2003, he signed a deal with

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

. In 2004 he was invited to the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas to perform as in-house entertainer for the filming of the television show '' The Casino''. His debut album, ''

'', was released on June 5, 2004 and was certified gold in Canada. The album produced the hit single "Two Shots of Happy, One Shot of Sad", which was written by

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Born and raised in Dublin, he attended M ...

and

The Edge David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing voca ...

of the rock band U2. This song was the theme for ''The Casino''. Dusk followed up his debut album with a holiday EP entitled ''Peace on Earth'' which was released on November 30, 2005. In January 2006, Dusk traveled to Los Angeles to record his second album, '' Back in Town'' at Capitol Studio A. He recorded with a 58 piece orchestra conducted by Patrick Williams and

Sammy Nestico Samuel Louis Nistico (February 6, 1924 – January 17, 2021), better known as Sammy Nestico, was an American composer and arranger. Nestico is best known for his arrangements for the Count Basie orchestra. Early life and education Samuel Luigi ...

and recorded by

Al Schmitt Albert Harry Schmitt (April 17, 1930 – April 26, 2021) was an American recording engineer and record producer. He won twenty Grammy Awards for his work with Henry Mancini, Steely Dan, George Benson, Toto, Natalie Cole, Quincy Jones, and other ...

. ''Back in Town'' includes a mix of jazz standards and originals and was released in June 2006. '' Good News'' was released on October 27, 2009 in Poland and Canada. The album paid tribute to the crooner style but was produced in a contemporary style. In late 2009, ''Good News'' was certified gold in Poland. In March 2010, Dusk recorded the soundtrack to the TV series ''

Call Me Fitz ''Call Me Fitz'' is a Canadian television series produced by E1 Entertainment, Amaze Film & Television, and Big Motion Pictures. The half-hour comedy stars Jason Priestley as Richard "Fitz" Fitzpatrick, a morally bankrupt used-car salesman whos ...

''. On August 25, 2010, Dusk recorded a live DVD concert special for

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

which aired in America in December 2010 and across the world in 2011. The concert was recorded live at the

Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino The Rio is a hotel and casino near the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is owned by Dreamscape Companies LLC and operated by Caesars Entertainment. It includes a casino and 2,520 suites. It features a Brazilian theme based ...

in Las Vegas with a 17 piece big band. In 2013 Dusk returned to his jazz roots and released his ''My Funny Valentine: The Chet Baker Songbook''. It included an eighty piece orchestra and guests such as

Arturo Sandoval Arturo Sandoval is a Cuban-American jazz trumpeter, pianist, and composer. While living in his native Cuba, Sandoval was influenced by jazz musicians Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1977 he met Gillespie, who became his ...

Guido Basso Guido Basso, (born 27 September 1937) is a Canadian jazz musician who was a member of Rob McConnell's Boss Brass big band. He is a trumpeter, flugelhornist, arranger, composer and conductor. Life and career Basso was born in Montreal, Quebec ...

Emilie-Claire Barlow Emilie-Claire Barlow (born 6 June 1976) is a Canadian singer, arranger, record producer, and voice actress. She has released several albums on her label, Empress Music Group, and has voiced characters for animated television series. She performs ...

, and Ryan Ahlwardt of the American a cappella band Straight No Chaser . The album paid homage to

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

. On October 10, 2013, the album was certified gold in Poland. On December 17, 2013, the album achieved platinum status (also in Poland). In 2013 Dusk recorded a duet with

Edyta Górniak Edyta Anna Górniak (; born 14 November 1972) is a Polish pop singer with a career spanning 3 decades. Górniak started as a musical theatre actress in 1990. She performed in the most popular musical in Polish history, the Tony Award-nominated ...

. Additionally in 2013, Dusk performed songs for the ''

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood ''Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood'' (known as ''Daniel Tiger's Neighbourhood'' in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and often abbreviated to ''Daniel Tiger'') is a Flash-animated (photographs-influenced) musical television ser ...

'' special "Snowflake Day," including a version of the show's opening tune, based on the theme for ''

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' (sometimes shortened to ''Mister Rogers'') is an American half-hour educational children's television series that ran from 1968 to 2001, and was created and hosted by Fred Rogers. The series ''Misterogers'' debut ...

'' and the songs "The Snowflake Day Song," "Let Your Light Twinkle" and "It's Such a Good Feeling." In 2014 Dusk began work on his 8th studio album which was a duet album. Produced by Dusk, it featured a jazz sextet and string orchestra. Musically the album pays homage to the bossa nova genre, with songs by Antonio Carlos Jobim. The album was recorded and released in 2015 and 2016 three times with different duet partners. In Canada, the album is called ''Quiet Nights'' with French-Canadian singer Florence K and was number one on the Canadian Jazz charts for 16 weeks. It was nominated for an ADSIQ. In Poland, the album is called ''

'' with Polish singer Margaret, was certified platinum and won a Roze Gali award. In Japan, the album is called "Lost in Rio" with Japanese singer Karen Aoki. In 2016 Dusk self-produced his first full length Christmas album, ''Old School Yule!''. The album included over 100 musicians and the

, his childhood school. The album received GOLD status (ZPAV POL). In 2018 Dusk released his twelfth studio album entitled JetSetJazz which received MC: GOLD status in April 2019. The album co written, recorded and produced by Dusk pays homage to the golden age of travel throughout the 1960s taking the listener on a journey back in time when big band crooning music was popular. In 2020 Dusk released Sinatra Vol 1. The album received PLATINUM status (ZPAV POL) In 2021 Dusk released Sinatra Vol 2. The album received GOLD status (ZPAV POL)

Discography

Albums

References

Sources

* All Music Biography- last accessed on July 16, 2011

External links