Legacy Jazz Series is proud to present internationally-acclaimed Canadian jazz saxophonist Mike Allen and his quartet in concert:
The Mike Allen Quartet (with Miles Black-piano, Steve Holy-bass and Dave Robbins-drums) will be performing new and vintage compositions by Canadian jazz guitarist Sonny Greenwich as well as new compositions by Allen and his bandmates. This performance is part of a broader tour of shows on Vancouver Island from Sept 29 to Oct 8 which includes stops in Cumberland, Mill Bay, Nanaimo, Parksville and Gabriola Island. Mike's band will be heading into the studio to record later this fall; the new album entitled Mike Allen Quartet: Celebrating Sonny Greenwich is scheduled for release in early 2018.
About Sonny Greenwich: Known for his uplifting, over-driven guitar solos, Sonny Greenwich is a legend in Canadian Jazz, a member of the Order Of Canada and a multiple time recipient of Jazz Guitarist of the Year (Jazz Report Awards). From 1990 to 2000 Mike was a member of Sonny’s band, recording several CBC radio programs and two full-length albums, Fragments Of A Memory (Cornerstone) and Standard Idioms (Kleo) which was nominated for both JUNO and FELIX jazz awards. They also performed sold-out jazz festival concerts and club shows in Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa. Mike says of Sonny "since the beginning he has been my primary musical inspiration. I consider him my Miles Davis and I’m so blessed to have had the opportunity to learn from him in such a personal way. I was especially honoured to be the first saxophonist asked to join his band since the mid 1970s. Our friendship and artistic connection continues to get stronger by the day”.