Remembering iconic Montreal jazz drummer, bebop master Norman Marshall Villeneuve
Villeneuve died Wednesday at 87
Norman Marshall Villeneuve, iconic drummer of the Canadian jazz scene known for his musicality, mentorship and spirited passion, has died. He was 87 years old.
His wife, Louise Artibello Villeneuve, was with him at Montreal's Lachine Hospital when he died Wednesday morning after suffering a brain aneurysm, she said.
Louise, who lives in a seniors' residence, says the last time she saw him before that was a week ago.
"He was very, very happy living in a building with his friend [and fellow drummer] Keith Oneill and having a great time going out for Chinese food like in the old days," she said. "He had a lot of stuff to look forward to."
Born in 1938 — just in time for the bebop jazz era, the style of music he would come to master — Villeneuve grew up in Montreal's Saint-Henri neighbourhood, near Little Burgundy. The area was also home to Oscar Peterson, Villeneuve's cousin Oliver Jones, Claude Ranger and the Sealey Brothers.
"Montreal was a marvellous, marvellous haven for so many musicians and young kids coming up at that time," said Louise.
Having only taken five drumming lessons in his life, Villeneuve was largely self-taught, watching Jones's practice sessions as a child and then using a drum kit he was gifted at 14. Throughout his childhood, Villeneuve tap danced at community gatherings — and also just tapped in general.
"'Teacher couldn't tell me enough times, 'Norman, stop banging with the pencils,'" recalled Villeneuve laughing during an interview with Radio-Canada in 2018. "I want to be a drummer," he would say back.
Performing with the greats, supporting young musicians
Jones, now 90 and a celebrated jazz pianist, remembers his cousin as "the most natural drummer that I've ever ran into." The two worked together for decades, earning a Felix Award and travelling the world together.
Today, Villeneuve is considered a pillar of Canadian jazz, according to Charles Ellison, a jazz musician, associate professor of music at Concordia University and a friend of Villeneuve's.
Throughout his career, Villeneuve has performed with many other jazz greats, including Duke Ellington, Charlie Biddle, Nelson Symonds, Junior Mance, and Curtis Fuller.
"He's in that long tradition of African musicians who embrace and exude community, exude the cultural and the intellectual characteristics and traits of the community which produced him, and then just give it out to the world," said Ellison.
"He was just a beautiful individual."
The "Sound of Toronto Jazz" concert series held at the Ontario Science Centre featured him four times between 1980 and 1993, where he played with the Terry Lukiwski Quartet, the Martin Franklin Quartet, his own Norman Marshall Villeneuve sextet and the Ken Fornetran Quartet.
In Montreal, he performed at historic jazz venues, such as Arcade, Rockhead's Paradise, Chez Parée, the Black Bottom and Café la Bohème.
Joel Giberovitch, owner and artistic director at the Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill, often saw Villeneuve play at the club but also attend shows as an audience member, supporting the younger musicians.
"[He] really wanted to share the music, keep the scene alive, bridge the gap between young and the older generation," said Giberovitch.
'His legacy is that jazz lives'
Villeneuve created the Norman Marshall Villeneuve Scholarship in 2013 to recognize percussion students with a passion for jazz who demonstrate outstanding musicianship and academic achievement. It was awarded to Humber College students in Toronto until 2019 and to Concordia University students from 2016-19.
"I never went to a music school or learned how to read music properly, which held me back from doing studio and big band work," Villeneuve said in an interview with Concordia University in 2018.
"I respect these youngsters and want to help if I can, so they don't have to go through that."
In 2018, Villeneuve received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the International Drum Fest in Quebec City.
Louise said she'll remember him for his laughter, positivity and his love for music, among so many things. A visitation for him has been organized at the JJ Cardinal Funeral Home in the Lachine borough on July 19.
"A lot of people say, and they're saying on Facebook these days: 'Jazz is dead,'" said Louise.
"Norman's legacy, from the accolades pouring in all over the world — I've had phone calls from California to New York to Dubai — and his legacy is that jazz lives."
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With files from Gloria Henriquez