Con Brio

Con Brio founder Daniel MacNeil was born far from Spain. Raised in rural Cape Breton in a musical family, he was surrounded by rock, R&B, blues, folk and heavy metal. But when a flamenco guitarist played a show in Sydney, Daniel's focus shifted immediately. He had planned to attend university to study jazz guitar, but within a few months he was in Madrid, studying at the feet of the masters.

Upon returning to Canada, Daniel settled in Halifax, NS. He also began writing music. While definitely inspired by the traditions and rhythms he had studied in Spain, Daniel also wanted to create music that would expand and challenge the flamenco idiom. The forms would be less rigid and the harmony would be more complex. Presenting the music would require an eclectic instrumentation and improvisation would play a major role.

Con Brio played its first show at the Atlantic Jazz Festival in 2008. They have played regularly around Halifax ever since, becoming familiar faces at the Halifax Jazz Festival, Fall for Flamenco Festival and Stayner’s Wharf. While the eclectic influences of the group have not been lost, they are much more subtle and nuanced now, weaving in and out of Daniel’s compositions.

Recently Con Brio convened at the Music Room in Halifax’s North End to record tracks for their upcoming debut album. Like an old jazz LP, the recordings are all live off the floor. No overdubs, no studio trickery, just the band as you would experience them on a gig.