Arts
Jeff Wiseman sings from the heart
BOB BALE
Fall 2008 |
Wiseman sings as easily as most folks breathe. A constant on the Sudbury music scene, he is also known for his extraordinary voice.
British Columbia’s folk icon Valdy has toured many times with Wiseman, and he says, “Jeff Wiseman’s voice sends shivers up my spine.” Cape Breton legend JP Cormier had this to say after hearing Wiseman’s version of Danny Boy: “This guy’s voice gives me the chills. The hairs on my neck are standing up.”
Wiseman says, “I remember coming home from the movie Oliver at age three and tapping out the oomph-pa-pa song on my grandfather’s piano.”
That piano now rests in Wiseman’s living room where his four-year-old son, James, and his seven-year-old daughter, Rebecca, tap out tunes of their own.
Wiseman’s parents gave him a 12-string guitar for Christmas when he was in Grade 8. His first concert performance was at his graduation that year.
He performed a song he had written called Thank You. The song survived to be recorded on his first album when he was 33.
A major turning point in his musical career came when he was in Grade 10 at Garson-Falconbridge High School. “Other than being a comedian, I didn’t have a lot going for me in high school as I was neither a jock nor a brainer. I was behind a stage curtain at a pep rally in a packed auditorium. The curtain opened, and there I was with my piano and harmonica. I played Billy Joel’s Piano Man and brought the house down. I was pretty popular from that point on, especially with the senior kids. I was always in demand to play at parties.”
Wiseman’s earlier successes were balanced with his first “paying” gig at age 16.
“My Aunt Gail was the manager of The Plaza Bowl. She suggested I go from table to table with my guitar to earn some tips. I made the rounds with a net return of zero. Welcome to show biz! My aunt felt sorry for me and gave me $20.”
At age 17, he obtained a special permit to perform in licensed establishments. He became one of the regular house entertainers at Melany’s and The Peter Piper Inn.
Following a year of general arts at Cambrian College, Wiseman hit the road to tour with his cousin Terry. Working with a Toronto booking agency, he cut his musical chops performing six nights a week for eight months. When his cousin left to get married, Wiseman registered at Cambrian College as a voice major under the instruction of Marian Harvey.
“Poor Marian. I used to drive her crazy by showing up hoarse on Mondays after singing in a bar all weekend. She used to tell me my brain didn’t match my voice.”
He is quick to credit both Harvey and his voice professor Brad Richmond at Laurentian University for encouraging him to enter the School of Operatic Performance at the University of Toronto following completion of his college and university training.
Wiseman completed opera school with top honours. Sessions of opera training were tempered by physically demanding summers employed as a construction worker in Sudbury.
Another major turning point came after he finished opera school and auditioned for a part in Les Misérables.
“I made the second call back but I was in poor voice that day and I didn’t get the part.”
Typical of a true entertainer, Wiseman needs the adrenalin hit that comes with live performance.
The next phase of his career saw him touring Scotland, Ireland and Canada with Bobby Watt. Next followed Canadian tours with Valdy, and an opening gig with Tanya Tucker.
For the recording of his first CD titled First Time Out, Wiseman hired a choir from Toronto to accompany him. A CD release party at Sudbury’s Sheridan Auditorium was filled to capacity. That album received considerable CBC Radio airplay and continues to enjoy strong sales to this day.
Wiseman’s next shift in career came when he married his college sweetheart, Mimi Regimbal. He settled into working and raising a family in Sudbury.
He began giving voice lessons while maintaining a career performing with his band, The Smokin’ Jackets, and performing solo at weddings and corporate functions. He also began serving as a choir director for The Sudbury Chamber Singers and for The Sudbury Firefighters’ Choir. He is especially proud of the firefighters’ choir’s annual trip to perform at Parliament Hill each September. This concert is a fundraiser for Canada’s fallen firefighters. The 2008 appearance in Ottawa will be the seventh performance for this renowned choir.
Recently, Wiseman has toured as a solo artist throughout Ontario to sold-out theatre performances. He has been warmly received at each performance with standing ovations.
Wiseman has just completed his newest CD called A Handful Of Songs. Guest artists include Sudbury’s Dick VanRaadshooven (cello), Joe Reda (bass), Sean Perras (percussion), Jean Guy Begin (sax), Christine Masotti (violin), and Toronto’s Ken Whiteley on mandolin and dobro.
The CD release will take place Sunday, Oct. 19 at 7 pm at St. Andrew’s Place. In an interesting twist, Wiseman is giving a copy of Handful Of Songs or First Time Out with each concert ticket purchased. Tickets are available at Black Cat One and Prom Music.
What lies in store for his musical career?
“I would love to tour for a living. I’m OK with my life as it is, but it’s also been nice to be back on the road for occasional shows.”
While he accepts that “fame” may not find him, one of his favourite tunes reflects his approach to his career: “You’ve got to sing, like you don’t need the money. Love, like you’ll never get hurt. You’ve got to dance, like nobody’s watching. It’s got to come from the heart, if you want it to work.”
bob bale is a sudbury concert promoter.
