Juno-award winning Jazz Saxophonist, Composer and Arranger, Allison Au (pronounced "ow") refuses to be defined. Born to a Chinese father and Jewish mother, and raised in the multicultural metropolis of Toronto, Allison found music as a young child. Exposed to a wide array of musical styles, she was captivated by the unhinged freedom of Jazz. Jazz became Allison’s lab for self-expression, exploration, and musical experimentation. Her work weaves a mosaic of influences into a seamless and soulful sound, a concoction steeped in the tradition of Jazz but skillfully laced with elements of Classical, Pop, R&B/hip hop, Latin, and world music.Allison joins The Playful Musician to discuss the making of her Juno-award winning album, Forest Grove. We chat about leading a jazz quartet and her journey from playing on cruise ships to full time musician. She reveals how she practices her tone and how she shaped her sound to be dynamic and flexible. Allison shares about her writing process, how she times her practice sessions, and from where she finds inspiration.