Advertisement

Features Music

Andrew Forde searches for Canadian identity by reimagining Glenn Gould

ANDREW FORDE AND THE GHOST TAPES with SHAD, WILLIAM LEATHERS and ISKWE at Koerner Hall (273 Bloor West), Friday (February 9), 8 pm. $20-$60. rcmusic.com.


Andrew Forde has played violin for Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, performed with Justin Bieber, Sting and Pitbull, founded a platform to improve health care in Ontario, and penned the theme to Roots Canada’s latest fashion show. But on a recent evening spent discussing his career, the polymath found himself unable to shake a vivid, early memory. 

Over ciders in a downtown diner, Forde describes the moment. It was his first day at Unionville High School. As he entered class, the teen was greeted by his music teacher. He was, he recalls, the only person of colour in the class. 

“She looked at me and said, ‘Are you supposed to be here?’”

When he says the words, his eyes widen.

“Are you supposed to be here?” he repeats. 

It’s a question the 31-year-old, first-generation Canadian has been pondering for as long as he can remember. At his upcoming Ideas Of North Private Thoughts Black History Month concert, he’ll attempt to answer it in his chosen lingua franca: by reinterpreting iconic Canadian pianist Glenn Gould.

“My life has been a very interesting navigation,” he states. “Even in my own communities, [playing violin] was always seen as this interesting thing.”

Though his rumination on identity has been brewing for decades, Forde’s relation to Gould’s legacy is a rather recent one. 

Following a performance at the Hermann & Audrey gallery two years ago, he was approached by a representative of the Gould estate who offered full access to the classical legend’s archives and asked if he would be open to a collaboration in honour of what would have been Gould’s 85th birthday.  

He agreed. “Then the weight of what I’d agreed to do kicked in.

“Growing up as a classical musician you’re infused with Glenn’s perfection really early as the gold standard,” Forde explains. 

At first he considered a modern update: a Gould version of the electronic-meets-jazz Verve Remixed series, but that was quickly dismissed as “cheesy.” Instead, Forde looked to create an homage that would be unorthodox, worthy and provocative.

Holing up in the the CBC’s archives, Forde poured over the notorious curmudgeon’s output, eventually discovering the Solitude Trilogy – a trio of radio documentaries exploring Canadian regions and the people in them.

In particular, Forde took a shine to 1967’s The Idea Of North, in which Gould studied city dwellers heading to the subarctic.

“He interviewed people and tried to form [musical] counterpoint with their conversation.” Forde explains with nerdish glee. “Doing that with voices was crazy. You could listen to it over and over and hear different things: rhythm, symbols, timbre, pitch. Then I actually heard what was being said. This was 1965, 66 – you’re only going to talk to a certain idea of what a Canadian was.”

A conversation began forming in Forde’s mind exploring his own place in a rapidly evolving cultural landscape. Rebranding the collaboration as Ideas Of North, Forde decided to reground Gould’s meditation – to, in his words, “reinterpret what it means to be Canadian: what identity and community mean, and have various artists collaborate with me to tell their own story from their perspective.”

He drafted Academy Award-nominated director Hubert Davis to document his process and started recording new material, then recruited artists such as rapper Shad, child piano prodigy William Leathers and Indigenous singer/songwriter Iskwé to bring voice to the pieces.

“What is it about being an artist in Canada that makes you feel as though you have to hide yourself?” Forde ponders aloud when asked about his choice of collaborators. “I tried to find people who maintained their Canadian identity. Or are starting to come back to it.”

The recording has been an evolving process, but Forde says the first of these collaborations, the Shad-featuring Branches, is a proof of concept, with the former Q host digging deeper into his own emotion than ever before.

Many of Ideas Of North’s songs will get their debut at the show Friday, with Forde and a slew of special guests working with animation director Matthew Hemming of Very Good Studios to add visual depth to the music. 

Forde believes Canadians are finally ready to shed their little brother psychosis.

It’s a viewpoint born of a life pondering that lingering question. Are you supposed to be here?

“[Growing up] I was told if I want to get anywhere I have to be twice as good.” he says. “The work ethic, the drive have come from that. That I literally have to be the best at it.”

His experience, he offers, is proof of how far Canadian culture has come since Gould’s day. 

“My inclusion in all of this is a reflection of what’s possible and what’s been happening and what’s going to continue to happen,” he says. “There were times where I wanted to hide the fact that I play. But as a grown man, as society becomes more inclusive, it’s become a cool thing.” 

music@nowtoronto.com | @jondekel

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted