I'm beginning to think that I need to make a trip up North - for the second week in a row, a Vancouver bassist has made the top spot in my friend list. Today's Find of the Week is Latin music expert and bassist extraordinaire Allan Johnston.

Allan began playing bass in the seventh grade and never turned back. When he was 11, he got his first exposure to Latin music through Santana's Abraxis album. Latin music took a backseat after Allan dived headfirst into Progressive Rock for several years. He began playing in Vancouver's Jazz scene in the early eighties, and soon leapt back into Latin music. Inspired by the music of Eddie Palmieri, Jerry Gonzalez, and Cachao, he traveled to study in several Latin music home bases, including Cuba, Puerto Rico, and New York.

In 1997, he formed Grupo Jazz Tumbao with trombonist Brian Harding. The septet has become a vital part of the Vancouver's Latin music scene, performing as part of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival and opening for many important artists such as Orquesta Aragón and Maraca. In 1999, the group released the CD Qué Bolá? to accolades in the Latin Jazz world.

In addition to his work with Grupo Jazz Tumbao, Allan has become a favorite bassist among Vancouver's Latin bands. He is a member of Orquesta La Clave, a Salsa big band, and as a member of this band, Allan performed with New York vocalists Lalo Rodriguez and Johnny Rivera. As a member of Rumba Calzada, Allan recorded the album Volume 3, which was nominated for a JUNO award in 2003. He is a member of the dynamic Latin Jazz group Zapato Negro, performing throughout the Vancouver area. This is one busy man!

Allan resides in the top spot of my friend list for the next week, so follow the link to his site and check out his music. Don't forget to add him, and if you haven't already, go back and add last week's find, Fito Garcia. For more on Latin Jazz, stop by my off-MySpace Blog, The Latin Jazz Corner – its got a new name and a bit of a new focus. Last week I had a several new posts including a write-up on Bobby Sanabria's new album, Big Band Urban Folktales. I've got a variety of great posts for this week, so please check back!