John MacLeod

MacLeod, John

John (Norman) MacLeod. Trumpeter, composer, record producer, b Toronto 17 Aug 1955. While studying 1974-7 at Humber College with Don Johnson (trumpet), Ron Collier (arranging), and Allen S. Michalek (improvisation), he performed and recorded with the Humber 'A' Band. He subsequently pursued a career in Toronto studio, theatre, and nightclub orchestras, and has played with impressive fluency in local jazz groups of a wide range of styles, from dixieland and swing to big bands, post-bop, and fusion (see Discography). He was a founding member of the Spitfire Band and in 1982 joined the Boss Brass; he has been heard as a soloist with both. His own group, established in 1986, has appeared in Toronto clubs and at many Canadian jazz festivals including, in 1990, those on the western circuit.

In 1988, through his own Jazz Partners recording studio, he initiated the co-operative jazz label Unity. By 1991, Unity had released more than 20 LPs or CDs by a national roster of Canadian musicians, including Alex Dean, Brian Dickinson, Barry Elmes, Forth Inversion, Hugh Fraser, Rob Frayne and Chris McCann, Jeff Johnston, Kirk MacDonald, George McFetridge, Mike Murley, John Nugent, Kieran Overs, Barry Romberg, Bernie Senensky, Robin Shier, Michael Stuart, Time Warp, Vikrama, and MacLeod himself.