It was Matt Warnock’s early musical experiences in high school that lead him to the world of jazz.
“It was through [the late] Val Suriano’s jazz band at Sir James Dunn,” says Warnock.
“I had been a rock and blues player before that. We were lucky to have Val around and for him to have the initiative to start the jazz band at the Dunn. Val made jazz fun and really got me hooked on this music. After that I never went back to other genres.”
After graduating high school, Warnock decided he wanted to continue to explore jazz guitar in his post-secondary studies.
“I graduated from the Dunn in 1998 and moved to Montreal to study jazz guitar performance at McGill,” he says.
Immersed in the world of jazz guitar, Warnock developed a deep appreciation for music of legendary American guitarist Wes Montgomery, who was known for his unique technique of brushing the strings with the side of his thumb and for his extensive use of octaves.
Warnock describes Wes Montgomery as the “father of modern jazz guitar.”
"Wes has been a huge influence on my playing. He inspired pretty much every jazz guitarist that came after him in one way or another,” says Warnock.
One such guitar player was Roddy Elias who Warnock met while studying at McGill.
The pair bond over their mutual appreciation of Montgomery’s music.
“I studied with Roddy at McGill and have been lucky to perform with him over the years since,” says Warnock.
Warnock describes Ellias as one of the most successful jazz guitarists and composers in Canada and a “Canadian music icon.”
“He’s played with some of the best jazz musicians in our era and spent time studying with Pat Martino in New York, who was a direct disciple of Wes Montgomery.”
Ellias will be joining Warnock at the Wes Montgomery tribute show next month.
“It’s going to be a fun time playing with him and having him share his playing with the audience."
After graduating at McGill, Warnock went on to take his Master’s degree at Western Michigan.
It was there in Kalamazoo, Michigan that Warnock met his future wife.
Together, they moved to Illinois where Warnock received his Doctorate at the University of Illinois.
It was also in Illinois that Warnock began teaching others jazz guitar.
Being an online music educator afforded the musician the flexibility to work from anywhere the couple landed.
“From there, I moved to Brazil to perform and teach, followed by Manchester, U.K., and then Tucson, Arizona,” he says.
By April 2022, Warnock and his wife moved to Sault Ste. Marie.
“I spent the first part of my career as a performer and University professor, playing over 2,500 gigs around the world. And in the last 10 years or so I’ve transitioned to running my online guitar school full time and performing fewer concerts per year. I enjoy this stage of my career, I get to work with guitarists every day, grow my business, and perform shows like at The Loft that I’m excited for and that are meaningful to me.”
When you see Warnock perform these days, you will see him playing a custom Jubilee Original Guitar, which was handmade in Sault Ste. Marie.
“I just had that guitar built, with about 80 per cent of the wood coming from Algoma, specifically Montreal River and St. Joseph Island,” he says.
“When I was thinking about getting a new guitar built this year I reached out [to Jubilee] and they put together a truly beautiful instrument that’s a joy to play. It’s the best guitar I’ve ever played, and I’ve played a lot of guitars. Jon Uebele and Keith Conway [a longtime friend of Warnock] at Jubilee do an amazing job building world-class instruments in our own backyard.”
As for the upcoming Wes Montgomery tribute, Warnock is excited the hit The Loft’s stage for the first time.
“I’m excited to play in that new space,” he says.
“I’ve heard nothing but great things from performers and audience members about how great The Loft sounds for live music. I’ve performed at the old Algoma U theatre and I’m looking forward to exploring the new space live on stage. I’m also excited to do this concert as it gives us a chance to celebrate Wes, his music, and life.”
All proceeds from the show will go towards supporting music education and experiences at the Algoma Conservatory.
“I’m happy to be giving all proceeds from this concert to the Conservatory to help share the gift of music with the next generation of players,” he says.
“When I was growing up in Sault Ste. Marie, music and music education at the Algoma Conservatory gave me everything. It set me on a path to travel the world, meet amazing people, have unforgettable experiences, and be able to make music my career. I plan on doing a concert like this each year if possible.”
Don't miss the chance to see Matt Warnock and Roddy Ellias: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery, an event hosted by the Algoma Conservatory of Music, on Saturday, March 4 at The Loft (75 Huron Street) on March 4th at 7:30 P.M.
Tickets are $25 and are available at the door or online.
For more information on Matthew Warnock, you can visit his Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest or TikTok pages, or visit his website.
For more information on Roddy Ellias, visit his Facebook page.