Anthony D’Alessandro – Searchin’ Album Release in Toronto

Benny Benack III – trumpet, vocals
Anthony D’Alessandro – piano
Jonathan Chapman – bass
Ernesto Cervini – drums

Sets at 8pm and 9:30pm

Hailed by The WholeNote Magazine as a pianist with a “natural feeling for swing and groove” and “scintillating technique,” Toronto-based Anthony D’Alessandro has been steadily carving out a name for himself across the country. Having already toured Canada from coast to coast with two-time JUNO award winning vocalist Caity Gyorgy, and after spending a year performing and studying in New York City, D’Alessandro is now embarking on his debut album release as a leader with Searchin’, a hard-swinging, feel-good jazz record featuring his own compositions and arrangements played by a multi-generational all-star band.

On Searchin’, D’Alessandro enlists the help of New York City  trumpet and vocal superstar Benny Benack III, while filling out the rhythm section with two of Canada’s greatest musicians of their respective generations, the great Neil Swainson on bass, and JUNO-award winner Ernesto Cervini on drums. From D’Alessandro’s own generation, Canada’s vocal jazz star Caity Gyorgy is also featured in duet with Benack.

Searchin’ features five of D’Alessandro’s original compositions, each inspired by different facets of his musical tastes. From the laid-back Calypso groove of Tune for Monty, to the hard-hitting swing of Outbreak and the delicate jazz waltz feel on Wonder, these compositions demonstrate the breadth of D’Alessandro’s musical palette. The album features two vocal numbers, including D’Alessandro’s arrangement of the classic Gershwin ballad, Someone to Watch Over Me, featuring the warm vocals of Benack, plus a vocal duet filled with scatting, trading and playful improvisations between Gyorgy and Benack on East of the Sun.

Searchin’ shows D’Alessandro looking towards the future, asking what is needed along the way, and always searching for answers through music, art and life.