Bio

Normand Glaude started to play music at the age of 5, when his father gifted him with a diatonic harmonica. Within weeks, he was playing a handful of reels and was performing with his father in retirement homes. In high school, he joined a rock band in need of a bass player, then fell in love with the lower frequencies.

Jazz appeared much later in his career, in his mid-twenties, as Normand transitioned rock to jazz-fusion, then to traditional jazz – going back in time, but now on the double bass. He became obsessed with melodic bass lines, solid time and great grooves, and became the bass player of choice for many artists in the Ottawa region. In the early 2010's, his artistic voice led him back to the chromatic harmonica, an instrument he had neglected for far too long. He now regularly performs both on bass and on the mouth organ.

Normand studied as an electrical engineer, and immensely enjoyed understanding and recording the music. His basement quickly filled up with recording equipment, and eventually built a recording studio with the performing musician in mind. (www.morninganthem.ca). So far, he has produced and/or recorded dozens of albums for other artists (some award winning), and has performed on bass and harmonica on many of them. One of the more notable recordings is a collaboration with Tim Bedner, a Berklee alum, called “Of Light and Shadow” - an acclaimed performance.

Recently he rekindled his love for his very first instrument, the harmonica, and has had the pleasure to add this unique sound to his voice, live and on recordings.


About "Of light and Shadow" with Tim Bedner (2012)

"Normand Glaude [...] covers bass, percussion, synth strings and harmonica, but it's the last instrument on that list that really makes an impact; his Toots Thielemans-esque harmonica is the perfect foil for Bedner."

— Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz (allaboutjazz.com)

Bedner’s pillowy notes are spot on with every little bend and pluck, and Glaude follows with a yearning Toots Thielemans style harmonica.

— S. Victor Aaron, Something Else Reviews (somethingelsereviews.com)

Photo: Sébastien Lavallée