Alex Bird Swings into the Season with Canada’s First Great Thanksgiving Song
JUNO Award-nominated jazz singer and songwriter Alex Bird is gifting Canadians a song dedicated to Thanksgiving – a holiday that, until now, hasn’t had a dedicated tune in Canada.
Titled “The Sweetest Moments” and written and performed by Bird, Ewen Farncombe, and the Jazz Mavericks, the track captures that fall, Thanksgiving feeling, where the air is crisp, and you can almost hear the laughter of your favourite people around the table and smell the turkey roasting.
“Thanksgiving is one of the sweetest holidays, which is why we couldn’t believe it didn’t have a song,” said Bird. “When we set out to write a Thanksgiving song, we thought about the sounds, the sights, the smells, the faces, the turkey and really tried to encapsulate that in a tune.”
Bird’s quest to write and produce “The Sweetest Moments” was supported by Think Turkey, the marketing arm for Turkey Farmers of Canada, and the Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors Council’s Turkey Primary Processing sector.
“Thanksgiving brings some of the best traditions of the year and Alex and The Jazz Mavericks have beautifully channeled the spirit of the holiday,” said Darren Ference, Chair, Turkey Farmers of Canada. “We’re thankful for the opportunity to support incredible Canadian talent and hope the song becomes a Thanksgiving classic.”
Think Turkey was so moved by the song it will be featured in a new 30-second Thanksgiving ad that airs nationally on broadcast TV, online video, and social.
“It means a lot that Think Turkey got behind us and wanted to put this song out there,” said Bird. “It was a natural collaboration! This song wouldn’t be possible without Thanksgiving. And Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same without turkey.”
Bird has been on the Canadian jazz scene for nearly four years, earning his first JUNO nomination in 2022 for his sophomore album, You Are the Light and the Way. His soft swinging voice and tremendous songwriting talent is pushing the boundaries of jazz and bringing it into the modern era. Bird and The Jazz Mavericks hope this new song reaches Canadians of all ages and inspires them to gather with loved ones and celebrate.
“After the last few years, a real Thanksgiving has felt like a long time coming, as Alex sings in his song,” said Jean-Michel Laurin, President & CEO, Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors Council. “We hope ‘The Sweetest Moments’ inspires Canadians to come together and celebrate again.”
Watch the video for “The Sweetest Moments” below, and learn more about Alex Bird via our mini-interview.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi! My name is Alex Bird; I’m a fairly new jazz singer/songwriter on the scene here in Toronto. My sophomore album, “You Are the Light and the Way,” which I wrote with my piano partner Ewen Farncombe, was nominated this year for “Best Vocal Jazz Album” at the JUNOs. Along with my band, “The Jazz Mavericks,” we’re taking this beautiful tradition of The Great American (Now Canadian) Songbook to new places and new audiences.
You might be wondering how I got into all of this. To make a very long story short, I got super lucky as a kid. I was adopted from Romania and came to Canada at six weeks old. I started being taken to jazz clubs in downtown Toronto at the age of two. I grew up getting to see so many of the greats like; Tony Bennett, Diana Krall, Oscar Peterson, Mel Tormè, and Ray Charles. Without even knowing it, my musical training developed sitting around at all those smokey jazz clubs into the wee small hours of the morning.
To now be in a position where I am sharing my own music on the scene after all these years is really quite special. While we do some of the old classics at our gigs, our main focus is original music. I joined forces with Ewen Farncombe, The Jazz Mavericks, and Think Turkey to make the holidays just a little sweeter with my new single – The Sweetest Moments, which is out now on Spotify and Apple Music. I certainly hope you enjoy it if you take the time to give us a listen.
What’s it like being a musician in Toronto?
Toronto is such a diverse place, and the same can be said of our music scene. We’ve long been known for producing and cultivating great musical talent, and in particular, our jazz scene in Toronto is of world-class calibre. There’s such a wealth of great young talent, and also really top-notch music venues that help promote the music, places like Drom Taberna, for example.
Being a musician in Toronto can certainly have its ups and downs…but the same can be said of any musician anywhere. If you put yourself out there, though, and surround yourself with musicians you can learn from, you will be infinitely better for it.
Toronto is one of those places where community is everything. I’ve been awfully lucky to have been able to make my start here.
What’s your favourite memory of Thanksgiving?
I don’t know if it’s so much a particular memory, but everyone in my family knows I get the drumsticks. No one else can. Don’t touch them; they’re mine!
Honestly, though, Thanksgiving is full of much laughter and very special times. Here in Canada, it’s a different experience than American Thanksgiving. We’re far enough away from Christmas that there isn’t that added pressure. You just have to show up and share good times with family and friends. Thanksgiving is one of my favourite holidays, which is why I couldn’t believe it didn’t have a song, and why “The Sweetest Moments” happened in the first place!
It’s been a while since we’ve been able to have a “normal” family gathering, complete with the big turkey on the table. Hopefully, this year brings that back for all of us.
Who was the first artist to knock you out?
Gosh. Growing up going to jazz clubs, I was knocked out on a regular basis by so many artists. But, when I started singing in high school, the music of Frank Sinatra was probably my first real “wow” experience. I got my first MP3 player in high school from a cereal box, some no-name thing that held like 50 songs. And I stacked that thing with all my Sinatra discoveries. He inspired my initial spark to sing, but then I fell into the music of Peggy Lee, Chet Baker, Ella Fitzgerald, Blossom Dearie, Sam Cooke, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones, etc.
Expanding a bit here…but my biggest “wow” in life came from discovering the music of Bobby Darin. He was terribly underrated and left us at the age of 37 in 1973. In his short time, he wrote about 200 songs and spanned musical genres from Rock ‘n Roll, Pop, Jazz, Folk, Country, and even Motown. Good music is good music, regardless of genre. I draw on that a lot.
What’s the one album by a Canadian artist that everyone should have in their collection?
(Insert the part of the answer where I tell you it’s our album)
There are so many incredible Canadian artists, so to choose one album is mighty tough. I’ll stick to jazz for now…Caity Gyorgy is my favourite new singer/songwriter on our scene. She is a tremendous talent. She’s got an upcoming album called “Featuring” out in November. Add that to your collection!
Our musical future in Canada continues to shine bright!
…I’ve also been on a kick of a beautiful older album by two of our Canadian jazz greats, Ed Bickert & Don Thompson. They released a live album in 1978 entitled “Sackville 4005”. It’s a true gem. If you’re in the mood for some stellar instrumental, that’s a must-have.