John Winn and Friends, Guest Artists

John Winn's entry into the music biz was when he sat in at his father's gigs at age 8 and started booking his own engagements by age 16. John's lush vocal timbre has been compared to those of Chet Baker and Harry Connick, Jr., and his scat singing follows the traditions of Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Mel Torme.

His repertoire spans from Frank Sinatra to Sting. As a saxophonist and clarinetist, John has appeared on stage with luminaries such as Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Arturo Sandoval, Lou Rawls, Steve Lawrence and Edy Gourmet, Ben Vereen, Chita Rivera, Dianne Schuur, John Pizzarelli, Jon Faddis, Milt Hinton, Jimmy Heath, Doc Severinson, Christian McBride, and Branford Marsalis. John has been a guest artist at festivals in Sacramento and Mammoth Lakes, CA; Banff, Canada; Laramie, WY; and Loon Lake, NY.

His band Neighborliness has performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington and completed a tour of South Korea, Cambodia, Russia, and Mexico. After their grand reception in Russia, Neighborliness was invited back as the opening band at the first ever Vladivostok International Jazz Festival. John currently serves on the Jazz and Popular Music faculty at both the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University. He can be heard on the recordings of the Great American Music Ensemble, Modern Groove Syndicate, Fighting Gravity, Your Father's Mustache Band, Junk Food Buddha, and One Ring Zero. His most recent recording project included two tracks on "A Time for Miracles", a Christmas CD that benefits Children's Miracle Network released in December 2004.