Alex Dean
Alex Dean, one of Canada's foremost jazz saxophonists, has been a mainstay of the Canadian music scene for many years. He has played and recorded with Bill Evans, Kenny Wheeler, Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, Harry Connick Jr., Phil Nimmons, the Dave McMurdo Jazz Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.Alex held the tenor saxophone chair with Rob McConnell's Grammy award winning Boss Brass and the Juno award winning Rob McConnell Tentet. The Alex Dean Quartet/Quintet recordings include the newly released "At this point" (released Nov. 2010), Dreamsville, Both Feet, and Kaitlyn's Waltz. Kaitlyn's Waltz was voted Best Jazz CD of 1994 by The Jazz Report and one of the Top Ten Jazz CD releases by New York's Village Voice. Alex was also voted Jazz Musician of the Year by the Toronto Star. Alex is a widely respected private teacher and adjudicator in Canada and the U.S., and he is a faculty member at both Humber College and the University of Toronto.
Colleen Allen
Alberta born sax player and multi-instrumentalist, Colleen Allen first launched her musical career in Toronto.
Colleen began her training with Pat LaBarbera at Humber College. While performing in a variety of musical bands she has continued to pursue her musical education, mentored by such venerable horn players as Vern Dorge, Ralph Bowen, Mike Murley Kirk MacDonald and Kelly Jefferson. She has continued her studies in Jazz Piano with Frank Falco and Jazz Improvisation with Chase Sanborn, Chris Chaley and Barry Harris. Currently Colleen is studying at the Royal Conservatory rounding out her musical palette to include Clarinet and Flute with teachers, Harold Gomez and Diane Aitken.
Colleen Allen is known as much for her charismatic stage presence as she is for her remarkable ease in fostering a collaborative spirit while playing with others. She has mesmerized audiences throughout Canada the United States and Europe accompanying such notable performers as Holly Cole, Nikki Yanofsky, Alex Liefson, Rik Emmett, Gino Vanelli and Lorraine Segato. Recent performances include Manteca, David Clayton-Thomas and Aaron Davis. She is currently involved as a soloist and singer in Molly Johnson's band. Her musical path has led her to a wide range of cultural events. She has shared the stage with David Suzuki, Michael Ondaatje and Pope John Paul II.
Colleen currently lives in Toronto where, along with a busy touring, recording and teaching schedule, she raises a child.
Mike Downes
Sponsored by Yamaha
Bassist Mike Downes has performed worldwide, including tours through western and eastern Europe, Iceland, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, the United States and throughout Canada. In addition to leading his own groups, Mike has performed with virtually all of Canada's top jazz musicians, including Oliver Jones, Diana Krall, PJ Perry, Renee Rosnes, Don Thompson, Kirk MacDonald, Terry Clarke, Guido Basso and Pat LaBarbera. He is regularly in demand to perform and record with visiting jazz artists such as Chris Potter, Michael Brecker, John Abercrombie, Peter Erskine, Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, Paquito D'Rivera, Dave Liebman, Billy Hart, Phil Woods and many others.Mike performed and arranged music on Molly Johnson’s 2009 Juno award-winning Lucky . His numerous other recordings include five Juno nominations as well as three CD’s as a leader - Forces, Then and The Winds of Change.
Mike is active as a clinician for Yamaha and has been featured as a clinician at the Paechke Institute in Seoul, South Korea and the infamous Paris Conservatory. Mike is the author of The Jazz Bass Line Book (Advance Music). The book is receiving world-wide acclaim as one of the most informative books available on creating jazz bass lines. He is also co-author of Jazz and Contemporary Music Theory.
More information can be found on his website: www.mikedownes.com
Kirk MacDonald
With an established reputation as one of Canada's leading saxophonists, Kirk MacDonald cut his first record at the age of thirteen. Throughout his career, he has received numerous awards, and has worked with many leading musicians in a variety of musical genres. He has performed on over 40 CDs as both leader and sideman, and has participated in numerous national broadcast recordings for CBC Radio. In addition to performing extensively throughout Canada, he has also performed in the USA, Spain, France, Italy, Holland, Monaco, Australia, Korea, Bermuda, and the Bahamas.For over 25 years Kirk has worked and recorded with many leading Canadian, U.S. and International jazz musicians including Claude Ranger, Dave Young, Sam Noto, Sonny Greenwich, Kenny Wheeler, Eddie Henderson, Harold Mabern, Walter Bishop Jr., Lorne Lofsky, Bob Mover, Pat LaBarbera, John Taylor, Ron McClure, Mike Stern, Jim McNeely, Vince Mendoza, John Clayton, Chris Potter, Glenn Ferris, Nancy Walker, Barry Romberg, Andre White, Rob Smith, Brian Dickinson, Denny Christianson, Bernie Senensky, Phil Nimmons, James Moody, Rosemary Clooney, Humber College Faculty Ensemble.
Over 65 performances of his compositions appear on 18 Cds, both as leader on his own recordings as well
as on recordings by other artists. Kirk's most recent activities include the release of Family Suite (2008),
an 11 part suite for jazz quartet on Romhog Records, and Songbook Vol. I (2009) – a collection of his
compositions for jazz quartet, on ADDO Jazz Records, with Songbook Vol. II scheduled for release in 2010.
Kirk also leads the Kirk MacDonald Jazz Orchestra , a 19-piece all-star ensemble dedicated to performing
his original compositions & featuring arrangements by leading Canadian and U.S. writers.
Kirk has been active as an educator for 25 years at leading jazz studies programs such as
at the University of Toronto and McGill University. Kirk is presently a full time faculty member
at Humber College in Toronto where he teaches improvisation, ensembles and saxophone in
both the Music Degree Program and at the Community Music School.
More information can be found on his website: www.kirkmacdonald.com
