This week we caught up with Canadian saxophonist, composer and band leader, Allison Au. Allison is busy taking her quartet all over Canada and the US getting her music into the world and doing a lot to advance this music we call jazz.

Allison is a native of Toronto and still makes her home there where she is playing gigs, teaching, and composing on a regular basis. Watch out for Allison’s tour dates as she will most likely be in a city near you sometime soon.

Allison has great insight into many aspects of the music business including touring, applying for grants and scholarships, maintaining a band based around her original music and playing the saxophone at the highest level.

This is an insightful interview with a great musician and all around great person. Hope you enjoy!

The link to her full biography, along with more Resources for this episode, is on our website.

In this episode, we talked about:

• What it’s like being on the road for a large portion of the year.
• The supportive and creative Canadian music scene and what that means to Allison.
• Composing original music and the process that comes with it.
• Keeping a band together over multiple years and albums.
• The importance of scales and shapes.
• Applying for grants and the skills needed to succeed in getting your music funded.

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