Thursday Night Jazz: John Shannon - A Day at Tarifa - Alphabet City, Northside

John Shannon - guitar; James Johnson III - drums; Cliff Barnes - organ

Pittsburgh guitarist John Shannon and trio members Cliff Barnes and James Johnson III celebrate the vinyl release of John’s debut full-length jazz album, which features original music inspired by the landscapes of Tarifa, Spain, and Pittsburgh.

In Person - and online stream -

John Shannon

John Shannon began shaping his voice early. He started playing guitar at age six. By high school, he was performing around Pittsburgh, studying with bassist Dwayne Dolphin, saxophonist Eric Kloss, and organist Mike Ross. At Berklee, he trained with Mick Goodrick and Wayne Krantz, alongside classmates Hiromi Uehara, Bob Reynolds, Walter Smith III, and Kendrick Scott. In 1999, he formed Waking Vision with drummer Martin Valihora and bassist Mitch Cohn, touring Europe before he turned twenty. Soon after, he stepped in on guitar with Hiromi’s Sonicbloom, subbing for David Fiuczynski on live dates around the world.

His debut, American Mystic (2008), was praised for its intimacy, followed by Songs of the Desert River (2011) and Time Was a Lie (2012). In 2021, he produced State of Mind for Con Alma Records, capturing Pittsburgh’s scene during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, he signed with Jazzbook Records, making A Day in Tarifa his first statement for the label. Though his work spans jazz, rock, and film, John has remained rooted in Pittsburgh. “They call it the Pittsburgh quarter note,” he explains. “If you don’t swing, you’re not really accepted as part of the scene.” Since 2019, he has co-owned and curated Con Alma, one of the only musician-owned jazz clubs in the U.S. He programs local stalwarts alongside touring artists, fosters a listening-first space, and works to reawaken Pittsburgh’s jazz consciousness.