Artist
Mike Allen
Mike Allen is a tremendously gifted and prolific jazz artist who resides on Gabriola Island in British Columbia, Canada. The tenor saxophonist and composer is nothing shy of legendary on the Canadian jazz scene. His mastery of the complexities of sound is instantly palpable in his work. His music is profoundly intimate, intuitively gentle yet truly powerful. Mike eloquently speaks the difficult language of jazz and makes it look easy. The musical juggernaut was born to make music and followed this trajectory from a young age. Originally from a small town, Mike departed for the jazz-infused bright lights of Montreal at age 20. He ended up playing music there with some of the biggest names in the game for a decade. He then went to New York to obtain a Masters Degree in Jazz Performance from NYU. Mike eventually landed on the west coast in ‘95, connecting with Joe Henderson and Chuck Israels and a cast of phenomenal collaborators. His musical journey has been both wildly productive and scenic, garnering impressive accolades along the way, including a Western Canadian Music Award for his dynamic trio album Dialectic (Almus/Warner Music). Mike also lent his talent to the Canadian icon Michael Bublé for his Grammy award-winning album ‘Crazy Love. He has steadily continued to record, tour and perform locally, nationally and internationally, meanwhile, his albums have topped Earshot Jazz charts in Canada and appeared in the Top 30 on the US Roots Jazz Charts. He is not only a pivotal member to the Canadian jazz scene but a serious heavyweight to music at large. His endless commitment to music continues in his late fifties with three recent CD releases, and a newly published songbook of his original tunes that belongs in any music lovers collection. Mike Allen is a visionary artist and a living legend who deserves to be heard across the globe.