Allan Johnston's Web Page...
Hey folks...Al here. Thanks for visiting my personal web page! I'm a bassist and composer living here in Vancouver, BC. I've been playing jazz around town since the early eighties. Now, I'm also known as a specialist in latin music, especially Afro-Cuban Jazz and Salsa, which I've been studying with a passion for about twenty years. My main creative project right now is
which I founded with trombonist/composer Brian Harding in 1997. Grupo Jazz Tumbao is a septet dedicated to the performance of our original Latin Jazz, 'bebop con clave', and classic compositions from the masters of Cuban and Nuyorican Jazz. For the past few years, we've been playing to enthusiastic audiences at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, where we opened last year (2000) for Cuba's Orquesta Aragón. In October, we had the pleasure to open for Eliades Ochoa, of "Buena Vista Social Club" fame. In 1999, we released our first CD, "Qué Bolá?",
which has been receiving great reviews, most recently in the French "Jazz Magazine" (Paris, January 2001) and in the November - December 2000 issue of Coda Magazine. It's received radio air play in NY (WBGO), Miami (WDNA), San Juan, Puerto Rico (WIPR), Barcelona, Venezuela, and on Radio Havana Cuba, to name just a few.
In 2001, noted European critic Luc Delannoy published his comprehensive history "¡Caliente! una historia de Latin Jazz"...and Grupo Jazz Tumbao merits a mention! The book was published through Mexico's Fondo de Cultura Económica, and is available here.
*NEWS FLASH* - GJT has been invited to perform at the 2003 Jacksonville (Florida) Jazz Festival on April 12. Not just that - we got our visas, so we're actually GOING! Naturally, we're very honored to have been called 'out of the blue', to bring our style of Latin Jazz from Canada to the Caribbean...
Besides jazz and latin freelance stuff, and Grupo Jazz Tumbao, here are some of the bands I can be seen with regularly (not that I hide when I play with the others ;-):
Orquesta Goma Dura. Big BIG band Salsa. Whenever John Korsrud finds someone with enough money to hire a 20 piece Latin version of his Hard Rubber Orchestra, I'm there. I even get to play some of my own tunes with these guys - and there's nothing like a hearing your music played by 20 great musicians! At the 2000 Vancouver Jazz Festival, we opened up for Cuba's flute wizard 'Maraca' and his band. In August 2002 we had the pleasure of inviting the great pianist Ernán López-Nussa, a winner of the 2002 Cubadisco Award (Cuba's Grammy), to play with us at the Commodore. Ernán sat in on the big band arrangement of my tune "Frankness" (a fast Latin Blues inspired by FZ, from "¿Qué Bolá?"), and also played a smokin' version of "Caravan" with a small group that included yours truly on bass. What an inspiration - setting up a groove with Ernán, and then getting to solo over it! Sometime during the tune, some of Ernán's regular musicians got into the act. Don Pancho Terry came out front and added his chekere to the groove. And just when we were about to end it ("NO!"), his drummer Oliver Valdés jumped up and took a solo on timbales (they almost didn't even let him into the club for being underage!). OH yeah. I'm still smiling...
Orquesta La Clave. Big Band Salsa. This is a real Latin experience, courtesy of leader Martin Romero. In 1998 & '99, we were privileged to perform behind Grammy winning vocalist Lalo Rodriguez in Vancouver and Seattle! And in 2002 we played with NY Salsero Johnny Rivera, who had a huge hit with "No Vale La Pena". It was fun playing Johnny's arrangements, which are written for a four trombone brass section with baritone sax. Sweet.
Rumba Calzada. Latin Jazz/Salsa/Timba. I always love playing with Raphael Geronimo and his great band - just like I loved playing with his father Boying in 'Jubileo', one of Vancouver's first latin bands, over twenty years ago. The latest CD is entitled "Volume Three", and features my tune "Meneate",which I collaborated on with Raphael. Great news: The CD has been nominated for the 2003 "JUNO" Award (Canada's Grammy) in the World Music Album category. We're up against perennial fave Jane Bunnett, so the competition is tough, but it's an honor to be nominated...(yada, yada)... ;-)
Old News - August 2001 (including The Harlow Gig)
- Things have been really busy this summer! Hmm, where to start? Well, the BIG news for me was getting a chance to play with one of the all-time Legends of Salsa - pianist Larry Harlow -"El Judio Maravilloso". Larry was the leader of the ground-breaking Orquesta Harlow, and is a founding member of the Fania All-Stars (he produced the legendary "Live at the Cheetah" sessions in 1974). He wrote the Latin 'Opera' "Hommy", (performed at Carnegie Hall and in Puerto Rico) which brought Celia Cruz out of retirement and re-launched her career. He recorded the only latin album recorded in Quadraphonic sound ("Live in Quad" - at Sing Sing Prison!). He's produced over 300 albums. Needless to say, he has a million stories - and loves to tell them. I was lucky enough to be invited by Larry and Seattle conguero Steve Guasch to back him up, along with Steve's band "Nueva Era" at the Fremont Fair on June 16th. Larry brought along a great young vocalist from PA, Luis Rosario. We performed many of Larry's signature tunes, including "La Cartera", "Senor Sereno", "Abran Paso", "Arsenio"... it was quite a trip to be playing those tunes, hearing a killer montuno (that guy POUNDS those keys!), and to look up and see it's Larry! Another highlight was getting to solo on "Descarga Fania". I don't know how many legendary bassists have received that honor, but the list includes Bobby Valentin and Eddie "Guagua" Rivera. I had lots of time to hang out with Larry and his son Myles, who lives in Seattle, including at a radio show ("Raices", on KSBS FM) that we did together.
- The 2001 Vancouver Jazz Festival was a big success. Grupo Jazz Tumbao played a great gig outside at David Lam Park. I managed to finish a new tune in time for the performance; the type of tune this band eats up - a simple 'descarga', with lots of room to take it 'outside'. The week ended on a high note, with a sizzling Canada Day performance by Goma Dura, in front of thousands of people at Canada Place.
- I'm just putting the finishing touches on a composition I've been commissioned to write for Orquesta Goma Dura. It's a Son Montuno/Cha Cha Chá, dedicated to the great sonero Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez.
- I also did an arrangement for Julio Cabrera's upcoming album. Julio is a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. The song is a beautifubolero, which made the job of arranging an absolute joy...
- I've been doing a lot of stuff for The Latin Jazz Discussion List, an international online group of musicians, DJ's, industry people , and Latin Jazz NUTS. I'm now one of the co-moderators of the list, but my biggest thrill has been putting together an ongoing series of interviews with the musician members of the group - many of whom are bona fide LEGENDS in Latin Music - called "Questions, Questions..." (or "Preguntas, Preguntas..."). Take a look...
OK, now you're up-to-date...
Bye for now!
Allan
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