About John
Bio
John has dedicated himself to a fiery, world beat fusion of Rumba Flamenco and Latin Jazz. This Westcoast Music Award Nominee has toured throughout North America and Japan. Performance highlights include representing Canada at Japan's 2005 Expo, performing at Canada's 2010 Winter Olympics and performing for Canada's former Prime Minister Jean Chretien. John's recordings have been used for radio, documentaries, TV and film in North America, Japan, Ireland and the UK.
In 1995, John won "Best Acoustic Guitar Performance" in the Music West Star Frets Competition. He won Vancouver's Unplugged Competition in 1996, in 1997 he became a finalist in Vancouver's Global Star Quest and in 2009 competed at the Montreal Jazz Festival winning the Grand Prize at the BOSS Loop Station Championship National Finals.
As an electric and acoustic 'guitarist for hire', John has performed with the Vancouver Playhouse, Hinder, Jimmy D.Lane, Ben Woods, Tomas Michaud, Itamar Erez, Radio Europe, Alyssa Nielsen, Gypsalero and opened for such notable artists as Cirque du Soleil, Mae Moore and acoustic guitar masters Strunz and Farah.
Live Music Repertoire
Pop Tunes:
Hotel California – Eagles
Wish You were Here – Pink Floyd
Space Oddity – David Bowie
All the Young Dudes – David Bowie
Fields of Gold – Sting
Every Little Thing She Does is Magic – The Police
Here Comes The Sun – The Beatles
Isn't She Lovely – Stevie Wonder
Roxanne – The Police
Samba Pa Ti – Carlos Santana
Oye Como Va – Carlos Santana
Moon Flower – Carlos Santana
No Woman, No Cry – Bob Marley
Baby I Love Your Ways – Peter Frampton
Angie – The Rolling Stones
Happy – Pharrell Williams
Rumba Flamenco:
Alegria – Gipsy Kings
Djobi Djoba – Gipsy Kings
Faena – Gipsy Kings
Michael – Gipsy Kings
Mario Takes A Walk – Jesse Cook
Barcelona Nights – Ottmar Liebert
When I’m with You – Ottmar Liebert
Heart Still Beating – Ottmar Liebert
Santa Fe – Ottmar Liebert
Snake Charmer – Ottmar Liebert
Tempest – Jesse Cook
Tres Notas Para Decir – Vicente Amigo
Mediterrainean Sundance – Al DiMeola & Paco De Lucia
Latin and Jazz Classics:
Black Orpheus
Tequila
Besame Mucho
Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen
Ceresa Rosa
St. Thomas
Sabor A Mi
Guantanamera
Sway
Ma Premiere Guitar
Caravan
Song for my Father
Jazz and Swing:
Minor Swing – Django Reinhardt
Just A Gigolo
Made for Wesley – Jimmy Rosenberg
Sweet Georgia Brown
For Sephora – The Rosenberg Trio
Weddings:
Canon in D (Pachelbel’s Canon)
Bridal Chorus
The Wedding March
Can’t Help Falling in Love
A Thousand Years – Christina Perri
100 Years – 5 For Fighting
Christmas:
Walking in a Winter Wonderland
Angels We Have Heard on High
Deck the Halls
Feliz Navidad
Jingle Bells
Little Drummer Boy
The First Noel
White Christmas
Blue Christmas
Jingle Bell Rock
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
And many others...
Original compositions from John's albums:
Freedom, Peace, Beyond Boundaries, Christmas and Winter Strings
Some additional songs performed with Rossi Tzonkov (Guitars and Steel Drum):
Jamaica Farewell
Jump in the Line
Kingston Town
Red, Red Wine
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Steel Salsa
And more...