Ayoub, Nick (avec Rosita & Dino)

Websites:  No
Origin: Trois-Rivières, Québec
Biography:

Nick Ayoub was a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator whose impact on Canadian jazz—especially in Montreal—spanned five decades. A virtuoso of the tenor saxophone, oboe, English horn, flute, and clarinet, he seamlessly bridged jazz, classical, and studio work with a versatility matched by few of his generation.

Born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec to Lebanese parents, Ayoub moved to Montreal as a child and quickly developed an affinity for music. He began on clarinet before expanding to saxophone, flute, and the double reeds. His formal training included studies at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec, where he earned a Premier prix for saxophone under Arthur Romano. He later studied oboe with Harold Gomberg of the New York Philharmonic.

By the early 1940s, Ayoub was already performing professionally in Montreal’s burgeoning jazz scene. He played with Maynard Ferguson’s early band, the Johnny Holmes Orchestra, and trombonist Butch Watanabe. As a first-call studio musician, Ayoub contributed to countless radio, television, and theatrical productions in both English and French—a true mainstay of Montreal’s cultural life. He was also a featured oboist with the CBC Radio Orchestra.

In 1964, he assembled the Nick Ayoub Quintet for a CBC International Service broadcast, which led to a high-profile performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival and the group’s landmark album The Montreal Scene (RCA Victor, 1964). Featuring Art Roberts, Al Penfold, Michel Donato, and Cisco Normand, the record captured the sophistication and vitality of Quebec’s resurgent jazz community. Ayoub’s compositions from the album—including “Report from Cairo,” “Ya Habibi,” and “Pillsville”—reflect his global influences and modal sensibility.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Ayoub remained active on CBC television and radio, even working with Latin-American dance acts like Rosita & Deno during the Bossa Nova craze. His own compositions further matured on The Music of Nick Ayoub (RCI 455, 1977), recorded with his jazz quintet and featuring a blend of woodwinds and electric instrumentation. Highlights such as “Spanish Walk” and “Jazz Concertino” revealed his growing interest in Third Stream and modern chamber-jazz forms.

A passionate mentor, Ayoub began teaching saxophone and jazz ensemble at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal in 1970. He helped nurture a new generation of Quebecois jazz musicians, including François Théberge, Yannick Rieu, and Yves Charuest, many of whom would go on to achieve international acclaim.

Nick Ayoub passed away on May 2, 1991, in Montreal. His legacy is one of elegance, discipline, and deep musicality—a tireless contributor to the shaping of Montreal’s jazz language, and a bridge between the city’s golden age of swing and its modern jazz renaissance.
-Robert Williston