Born: October 20 Primary Instrument: Trumpet
LINA ALLEMANO is a Toronto based jazz trumpeter, improviser and composer with an established and active career performing, recording and touring internationally. Her trumpet playing, compositions, and artistic vision have gained her recognition as being “adventurous, expressive, compelling, forward thinking, inventive, and sophisticated”.
As well as fronting her band LINA ALLEMANO FOUR and the improvising group “N”, Lina is also a member of many other active creative groups. She appears on over 30 recordings including her own critically acclaimed CDs that feature her original compositions: Lina Allemano Four Jargon (2010), Gridjam (2008), Pinkeye (2006), and Concentric (2003).
Lina's recent career highlights include:
- Performance at the prestigious Festival of New Trumpet Music (FONT) in New York City
- Featured as one of the top innovative trumpeters for the future in DOWNBEAT Magazine
- Extensive touring with Lina Allemano Four
- Featured soloist at the spectacular Teatro Degollado in Guadalajara, Mexico
- Winner of the CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award
- Advanced trumpet technique studies in New York City with Laurie Frink
- Nominated for the 2009 National Jazz Awards Trumpeter of the Year and SOCAN Composer of the Year
Lina has received support from Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council. Lina is a Yamaha Artist.
LINA ALLEMANO FOUR
Lina Allemano trumpet
Brodie West alto saxophone
Andrew Downing double bass
Nick Fraser drums
Toronto's LINA ALLEMANO FOUR has been hailed as one of Canada's most vibrant cutting edge avant-jazz groups. Known for their inventiveness and synergy, they deftly blur the line between composition and improvisation. Their music showcases Lina's progressive and open compositional style combined with her band's exquisite expressiveness and knack for the unexpected. A stimulating dynamic of interaction and spontaneity assures that the group's performances are always lighthearted and full of surprises. The band has toured extensively over the past 5 years, having released two widely acclaimed CDs, Gridjam (2008) and Pinkeye (2006), and will be releasing their third album, Jargon, in Oct 2010.
Lina Allemano Four's recent highlights include: feature performances at Jazz Festivals and major tours across Canada; recordings for CBC Radio and TVO; nominations for Canadian Independent Music Awards' Favorite Jazz Group and National Jazz Awards Acoustic Group of the Year.
Lina Allemano Four has received support from Canada Council for the Arts and Ontario Arts Council.
Please visit www.linaallemano.com to read latest reviews and order CDs.
”Lina Allemano is a subtle trumpeter who can forge compelling ideas, seriously appealing tones and extended lyrical journeys while moving between mainstream and outside modes” (The Toronto Star)
”Allemano's compositions are inviting and intimate” (DOWNBEAT Magazine)
”Imbued with style, Allemano shows no need to prove anything” (Cadence Magazine, USA)
”With oil and fire, trumpeter Lina Allemano can sting and soothe in one breathe” (Jazz Report)
”Allemano is an admirable, daring player. Armed with a richness of tone, she isn't afraid to squeal, squeak or growl according to the given moment” (The Wholenote)
”Allemano is a superbly lyrical trumpeter in a lineage that reaches back through Dave Douglas and Kenny Wheeler to Booker Little” (CODA Magazine)
”Lina Allemano's voice on the trumpet is a breath of fresh air. Her music is forward-thinking” (Georgia Straight, Vancouver)
Press Quotes about Lina Allemano Four GRIDJAM:
”Sweet, but also short, Gridjam displays an enticing emotional dichotomy
between smeary melancholic interludes and upbeat lyricism”
(DOWNBEAT Magazine)
”Four of Canada's best jazz players are heard leaping nimbly between
concise bop and free-flowing sonic adventure, playing with agility,
momentum and empathy, balancing intelligence and virtuosity with humour
and moments of tenderness” (Montréal Mirror)
”A stellar album... there's always plenty of room in the music, a dynamic
that not only draws the listener in but allows trumpeter Allemano and her
crew to take the music further out” (The Globe and Mail)
”Another triumph for Lina Allemano... simply enthralling... supremely
listenable” (Eye Weekly, Toronto)
”An awesome and dynamic recording” (FFWD, Calgary)
”Wholly captivating... awe-inspiring interplay... fascinating and full of the
unexpected” (The Wholenote)
”With Gridjam, Lina Allemano Four have reached a new level of loose,
intelligent interplay” (Edmonton Journal)
”There is a true synergy at work in this album... Lina's work is some of the
most challenging and textured soundscapes in North American jazz
circles” (Jazz Elements)
Press Quotes about Lina Allemano Four PINKEYE:
”Lina Allemano Four make music that is every bit as interesting and
unpredictable in its risk-taking as what comes out of the States” (Hour,
Montréal)
”Lina Allemano Four revels in interactive challenges and sophisticated
tension... adventurous” (The Toronto Star)
”Lina Allemano Four balance the infinite possibilities of free improvisation
with the structure and discipline of playing changes; a daring twist that
works brilliantly” (The Globe and Mail)
”High calibre of playing and unique musical approach... thoroughly
refreshing” (JazzEast Rising, Halifax)
Lina Allemano Four PINKEYE named one of the “Best Jazz CDs of 2006”
(The Toronto Star)
Lina Allemano Four - JARGON
Lumo Records
2010
Tracks: Cannonball Adderley Tattoo; Wayne's Shorts; Sling Slang; Water; Jargon; Puddle; Guadalajara.
Personnel: Lina Allemano: trumpet. Brodie West: alto saxophone. Andrew Downing: double bass. Nick Fraser: drums.
Lina Allemano Four - GRIDJAM
Lumo Records
2008
Tracks: Gridjam; Fidget; Cameo; Baw Baw Be; Also; The Hayride; Recall.
Personnel: Lina Allemano: trumpet. Brodie West: alto saxophone. Andrew Downing: double bass. Nick Fraser: drums.
Lina Allemano Four - PINKEYE
Lumo Records
2006
Tracks: Pinkeye; BLAN; Tumbleweed; OK Joni; Evidence; My Man's Gone Now; Don't Sneeze.
Personnel: Lina Allemano: trumpet. Brodie West: alto saxophone. Andrew Downing: double bass. Nick Fraser: drums.
Lina Allemano Four - CONCENTRIC
Lumo Records
2003
Tracks: Concentric; Rundle; Vesper; Ok Joni; And; Dreams; Prairie; West Side BBQ.
Personnel: Lina Allemano: trumpet. David Occhipinti: guitar. Andrew Downing: double bass. Anthony Michelli: drums.
As A Side Musician
please see website for more albums: www.linaallemano.com
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