The Toronto Star calls 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."

JazzFM.91 has dubbed him "one of the most exciting vocal interpreters to appear on the scene in many years, Alcorn is the consummate vocal artist combining intuition, musicality and good taste."

Long acknowledged as one of Canada’s premiere jazz vocalists, John Alcorn has delivered his distinctive renditions of jazz standards on the most prestigious bandstands and concert stages across Canada. His 2009 National Jazz Awards nomination as Male Vocalist of the Year was the latest addition to a long list of citations and acknowledgements. Named Male Vocalist of the Year at the 1999 Jazz Report Awards ceremony, Alcorn released Quiet Night, his first CD of jazz standards, in 2003.

Quiet Night, a self-produced, highly personal project, garnered virtually unanimous praise from critics and fans -- and introduced John to an international audience for the first time, receiving radio airplay in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, England, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, India, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Republic of Belarus, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Wales -- as well as Canada and the USA.

As a composer, lyricist, musical director and arranger, Alcorn has made significant contributions to numerous theatrical productions, including Theresa Tova’s Still the Night, for which he earned a Dora Mavor Moore Award. Penny Plain, currently touring internationally, for which he composed and recorded the full score (“John Alcorn’s sometimes spare, sometimes lush sound design, which uses women’s voices extensively, is gorgeous.” - straight.com), is his second collaboration with renowned theatre artist Ronnie Burkett.

While the public knows him best as a singer and composer, in recent years Alcorn has discovered a fresh passion in music production. His extensive credentials in the realms of music, film, television and theatre have made this an effortless and seemingly inevitable transition.

Singers, musicians and studio technicians consistently praise Alcorn’s production aesthetic and approach. With his multifaceted background (as composer, lyricist, arranger, music director, vocal coach, bandleader, accompanist, studio musician, session singer, etc) he is easily able to articulate concepts, both methodological and creative. Singers particularly appreciate his attention to detail -- and his ability to elicit their finest work.

The East Coast Music Awards (2001) acknowledged his very first production project (The Second Time Around, Diane Alcorn - his mother!) with a Jazz Album of the Year nomination. He followed up this first success with Telling Stories (Theresa Tova), focusing on traditional Yiddish music. This CD has garnered fervent critical acclaim for its fresh, innovative production, and has sold thousands of units to date – in a notoriously tough niche market. Alcorn produced his own CD, Quiet Night, in 2003, for which he received a 2004 National Jazz Awards nomination. More recent production credits include Judy Marshak’s A Matter of Time (included in Jazz.FM91’s “Best of 2009” year-end list), and the 2010 release, Show Off, for Cabaret artist Gabi Epstein.

Young Croatian cellists Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, known as 2CELLOS, achieved sensational success by taking the cello to a new level and breaking the boundaries between different genres of music. Their unique cello version of Michael Jackson's 'Smooth Criminal' took the world by storm. Within only a week, this YouTube video became a huge viral sensation leading to a record deal with Sony Masterworks and an invitation to join Elton John on his worldwide tour. 

Since then, the duo has appeared on major TV shows such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Ellen DeGeneres Show (multiple times), Lopez Tonight, TV Total with Stefan Raab and many others. 2CELLOS recently performed with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and are releasing their second album IN2ITION in January 2013. The album was produced by the legendary Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Deep Purple) and features an eclectic group of vocal and instrumental guests including Elton John, Steve Vai, Lang Lang, Naya Rivera and Zucherro. 

Unleashing sonic creativity. Shaping the future of software instruments with creative excellence.

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8Dio products are featured in the majority of current blockbusters (ex. Avatar, James Bond, Interstellar, Dark Knight Rises, Transformers, District 9), TV-shows (ex. Game of Thrones, Dexter, CSI, NCIS) and video games (ex. Overwatch, Diablo 3, Madden, Starcraft 2, Mass Effect 3, Need For Speed series) and used by many of the highest profile artists, composers and top 40 producers in the industry.

8Dio is the largest deep-sampled instrument catalogue in the world from the new generation Orchestral Products, Hybrid Scoring Tools to the best sounding Epic- and Angelic Choirs, from industry standard Epic Percussion series to beautiful Solo Voices from around the world, from gorgeous Tuned Percussion to custom made instruments.

Official SoundCloud account for Blue Note Records
www.bluenote.com

OKeh short history: 

OKeh was founded by Otto K. E. Heinemann when he set up his own recording studio and gramophone record pressing plant in New York City in September 1918. Heinemann formed the name of the record label "OKeh", from his initials.  OKeh began by issuing popular songs, dance numbers, and vaudeville skits similar to the fare of other labels, but Heineman also wished to experiment with music for audiences neglected by the larger record companies. OKeh produced lines of recordings in German, Czech, Polish, Swedish, and Yiddish for the USA's immigrant communities. In 1920, Ralph Peer's recordings by African-American blues singer Mamie Smith were a surprise smash hit for Okeh. The company perceived the significant, little-tapped market for blues and jazz by African American artists. Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Bix Beiderbecke are only a few names of jazz greats that have recorded for the label. By 1926 Columbia Records bought the label and kept it running into the 60's with jazz and R&B recordings. 

In 1994, Sony Music reactivated the OKeh label as a new-age Blues label. Okeh's first new signings included Keb' Mo, Popa Chubby, and Little Axe. By 2000, the Okeh label was again retired, but in 2013 it will see its re-launch as a jazz label once again.

<b>Gary Clark Jr </b>
Warner Records
Austin TX

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