MIKE ALLEMANA
Genres: Soul Jazz, Progressive Big Band • United States

Born and raised in Elmhurst, IL, Mike started playing guitar at the age of 8. When he was 12, His guitar teacher at Perry’s Music in Villa Park, IL introduced the music of George Benson to him and the passion for jazz guitar was born. In high school he performed all four years in the York High School Jazz Band, directed by Kurt Merrill, which inspired him to music as a career. He enrolled at Northern Illinois University, where he studied with Bobby Roberts and Fareed Haque. After earning a B.M. in Jazz Performance in 1991, Mike spent two years in Cincinnati, spending many nights hanging with and learning from local guitar greats Cal Collins and Kenny Poole. In 1994 he returned to Chicago and quickly became part of the city’s growing jazz scene. Mike’s first steady gig came in 1995 with local tenor sax legend, Lin Halliday, performing Thursdays at read more...