Jazz at the Columbus Centre: A Very Jazzy Christmas

Beloved vocalist John Alcorn, joined by the ever‑elegant Daniel Barnes Trio, brings swing, warmth, and swagger to musical favourites of the holiday season.
The weather outside may be frightful, but inside it’s beginning to look — and sound — a lot like a holly jolly Christmas. From festive classics to jazzy seasonal gems, this joyful concert ushers in the holidays with style, sophistication, and plenty of cheer.
John Alcorn - Vocals

Daniel Barnes - Drums

Paul Novotny - Bass

Anthony D’Alessandro - Piano

Sponsored by Aion Law Partners.

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John Alcorn - Vocals

John Alcorn is one of Canada’s premiere jazz vocalists. As singer, composer, lyricist, arranger, and producer, his list of citations and acknowledgments in music and theatre includes both Jazz Report (Male Vocalist of the Year) and Dora (Outstanding Music) awards. The Toronto Star has called him “…one of our finest interpreters of the ‘great American songbook,’ an artist who always knows how to walk the fine line between respecting the material and offering an original interpretation.”
Known for his vast repertoire and acute attention to lyrics, Alcorn – collaborating with the most illustrious jazz musicians – has performed numerous “Songbook” concerts, in which he explores and reinterprets the work of iconic composers, lyricists, and singers. His most recent recording, Flying Without Wings, featured an all-star Canadian trio – Reg Schwager (guitar), Mark Eisenman (piano), and Steve Wallace (bass) – along with New York great, Warren Vaché (cornet).
Daniel Barnes - Drums

Drummer, composer and producer Daniel Barnes is the son of internationally renowned classical music composer Milton Barnes. His two album releases to date, “Culmination” and “Classic Beauties”, feature his original compositions, arrangements of standards and some of Canada’s great instrumentalists. They both have become staples on jazz radio in Canada. His group was a finalist in the 2008 Grand Prize of Jazz at the Montreal International Jazz Festival and his original music can be heard in the adventure film “Amazon Extreme”. Daniel backs a top echelon of jazz talent in Canada, having spent three decades with Order of Canada recipient pianist Joe Sealy (playing on the JUNO-winning release “Africville Suite), and has performed at home and abroad with Jackie Richardson, Holly Cole and Adi Braun plus many others, and visiting Americans Don Braden, Dizzy Reese and Ron Westray. Daniel plays on over 50 albums by various artists and has earned distinction in “Global Music” circles through his touring and recording with icons of Ethiopian music Mr. Mahmoud Ahmed, Ms. Aster Aweke and Mr. Hailu Mergia. The Globe and Mail newspaper has described Daniel as “… among the best of his generation”.
Paul Novotny - Bass

Paul Novotny is a bassist, composer, music producer, author and educator who, over his 45-year career, has performed with international jazz artists such as Geoff Keezer, Cedar Walton, Holly Cole plus many more. He has produced five albums over 20 years co-leading ensembles with Order of Canada recipient pianist/composer Joe Sealy, two of which were nominated for JUNO Awards. The album he produced for Joe Sealy, “Africville Suite”, won a JUNO for Best Contemporary Jazz Album in 1996. He has produced two records on his duo with pianist Robi Botos, both of which have received great critical acclaim. Paul has written and produced countless works for film, commercials and television, and is now a leading authority on the new Dolby Atmos Audio Format.
Anthony D’Alessandro - Piano

Anthony D’Alessandro is a pianist, composer, arranger based in Toronto, Canada. Hailed by WholeNote Magazine as a pianist with a “natural feeling for swing and groove” and “scintillating technique”, and “one of the most impressive young jazz pianists today” by the Jersey Jazz Magazine, he has performed in many notable clubs, concert halls and jazz festivals around the world including the Montreal International Jazz Festival, the Teatro Nescafé de las Artes in Santiago Chile, Birdland Jazz Club and Smalls Jazz Club in New York City, and Koerner Hall in Toronto.

He tours internationally as a bandleader including performances across Canada, the United States, South America, and Europe. He regularly performs alongside a “who’s who” of the industry’s top jazz musicians including international artists such as Benny Benack III, Joe Farnsworth, and Summer Camargo as well as fellow Canadians Caity Gyorgy, Pat LaBarbara, and Ernesto Cervini. D'Alessandro’s most recent album ‘City Lights” is nominated for a JUNO Award, hailed as an album that “swings, breathes, and even smiles” by The Paris Move.

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