Born September 7, 1962 in Owen Sound, Ontario, Tobey as a youngster sang in the choir and played piano in the church where his father was minister. From ages eight to 18, Tobey pursued classical music studies. On a community college field trip to a jazz club, Tobey was awed and inspired by Oscar Peterson's ability to improvise and made a complete turnaround to study jazz at Mohawk College in Hamilton (diploma, 1981) and at Montreal's Concordia University (B.F.A., 1984).
"That was the hardest thing, being a classically trained musician, to get over that boundary and take all of that stuff I had learned and toss it out the window and be a jazz musician," says Tobey. Brief studies with Kenny Barron in NYC had a lasting effect on Tobey as he shaped his path during 13 years in Montreal. Tobey moved in 1995 to Toronto, released two self-produced albums, Orpheus (1994), and A Little Rain Must Fall (1997). His 1998 Wayward album received limited distribution in Canada and is scheduled for future Arkadia release. Tobey's made TV, radio, club and festival appearances and received ongoing support from Canadian institutions for his various projects and tours.
Yet, Tobey's humble about his accomplishments. "If there's one message I'd want to get across, it's that I make music so people can hear it, says Tobey. "If I had one goal in life it's that as many people as possible could hear my music and appreciate it. It's not about making more money, it's not about saying that the music is better than someone else's; it's not about awards like the Juno or Grammy. It's just about trying to make the best music I can, to the best of my ability and hopefully to communicate an idea through the music that culture and life is something to be experienced and not to fret about. It's more of a celebration of life itself."
Tobey and his wife/manager, Nancy Houle, trust that if you put your intent in motion, wish and hope and work hard enough, eventually things will turn around to the way you want them to be. "We create our own realities," says Tobey. "There are chance happenings and everything, but it's just destiny." Judging by this spectacular debut, Tobey truly is the master of his own destiny.
The first Canadian to be signed to Arkadia, Tobey currently has no plans to relocate to New York City. He's received ongoing support from Canadian institutions such as the Department of Foreign Affairs and FACTOR (Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent on Record), which sponsored the Paul Tobey Orchestra appearance at the 1998 JazzTimes convention. He's also obtained funding from the Ontario Arts Council for crafting new compositions and for a solo piano recording. Ongoing sponsorship from the Canada Council supports Tobey's Canadian tours. Such assistance rarely comes unless you're at the top of your game in Canada.
-Nancy Ann Lee
ARKADIA JAZZ