The Pearl Company

Hammer Hoppers Presents: Alex Pangman & Her Alleycats: Wednesday, April 13. Doors: 7:00/Lesson: 7:30/Show: 8:00. $15 / $10 with a MacSwing membership card…  Hammer Hoppers is pleased to present Canada’s Sweetheart of Swing, Alex Pangman, to perform at the next social. Vocalist and band leader Alex Pangman knows exactly how to get the dance floor jumping. Her music has been showcased three times at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, on a national tour, and was recently recognized with a Juno Award nomination for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year with her album ‘New’. Join us on the dance floor and be serenaded by Alex’s stylish musical offerings. The Theme: Florals (April Showers Bring May Flowers). Hammer Hoppers offers dance instruction and socials for vintage swing dances, Lindy Hop, Charleston, Authentic Jazz, and Balboa.
7:30-8:00PM: Drop-In Beginner Lesson
8:00-11:00PM: Alex Pangman & Her Alleycats
Listen to Alex: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJcAQPyTkak

Laila Biali & The Radiance Project Album Release Concert: Sunday April 26, at 8pm Tickets: $20. Award-winning Canadian pianist, vocalist and songwriter, Laila Biali, has toured with Chris Botti, Paula Cole, Suzanne Vega, and Sting. Critically acclaimed as one of Canada’s finest jazz musicians, her new album – House of Many Rooms – sees the Brooklyn-based artist venturing into a more pop-oriented sound, full of catchy hooks, sweet melodies, and anthemic musical arrangements. For this special album release concert, Laila is backed by a stellar ensemble featuring Anna Atkinson (violin, vocals, musical saw), Graham Campbell (guitar, ukulele, vocals), Chris Tarry (electric bass) and Ben Wittman (drums). Special thanks to IMAGO and the generous supporters of The Radiance Project. www.theradianceproject.com  Listen: http://bit.ly/LailaBialiRadianceProjectVideoEPK

Michael Gabriel: ‘Strings Attached’:  Saturday, April 25. 8:00pm (Doors open at 7:30pm) Michael Gabriel is a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter with a riveting concert series emphasizing community building. In ’Strings Attached,’ his emotionally fluid storytelling compositions are surrounded with a driving string section, piano and enhanced by local choirs to create “…a breathtaking coming together of sound.”  Marielle Julian – Velvet Rope Magazine. As with every concert – Michael plays with his core ensemble that consists of a 3-part string section, piano and percussion – while sharing the stage with talent from the community.  For this production, What The Folk will be the opening act and sing with Michael.  Harmonies will also be sung by W.H. Ballard Glee Club.  Chamber Strings from the Bel Canto Strings Academy will join the ensemble to perform a song.  Partial proceeds from every ticket will be donated to the Bel Canto Strings Academy. ‘Strings Attached’ showcases his strongest material with orchestral pop flavours – to create an event that has been in the making for his entire career. www.michaelgabrielmusic.com Listen/Experience http://www.youtu.be/qhr2xeJBVzs

Corrina Keeling with Jeff Giles: Sunday, April 19. 8:00pm. Tickets $20 at the door.  Corrina Keeling creates conscious acoustic music rich with honesty, experience, and insight. Since independently releasing her album “Say Yes”, she’s had the opportunity to play for change-making audiences around the world. From David Suzuki’s Blue Dot Tour to the Uplift Festival in Byron Bay, Australia, she has shared the stage with artists like Feist, The Barenaked Ladies, David Suzuki, and Neil Young, sending a message of hope and action around the world. Her words and music carry the spirit of her passion for environmental justice and emerging social consciousness. Corrina is a sophisticated songwriter, a technically accomplished acoustic powerhouse, using her music as medicine to drive healing and change.  Her sophisticated rhythms are rock-solid, rooted and driving, with harmonies from her sister Jessica Dawn that are almost mystically intuitive. http://www.corrinakeeling.ca/ Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lttUd65fZ8I
Jeff Giles: Actor/Singer-Songwriter and Hamilton native Jeff Giles returns home for this unique night of music. Whether you’ve heard his own music before, seen him play Buddy Holly at Theatre Aquarius or somewhere across Canada, or attended his successful solo theatre show “Letters to Hope” at Theatre Aquarius join Jeff in celebrating the love and power of live music and intimate songwriting. Jeff’s work is influenced by many styles, though it is the threads of blues and roots music, both old and new, that hold his songs together.  www.jeffgiles.ca   Listen:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMxQ9xtS00M    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3-iF69Yjzk

Carlos del Junco and The Blues Mongrels: Saturday April 18, at 8pm Tickets: $20 advance/$25 at the door. Carlos is one of those players whose music is so advanced that when it comes to awards, it’s either retire the category or rephrase the question to “Best Harmonica Player Not Named Carlos”. (Eight time Harmonica Player of The Year at the Maple Leaf Blues Awards!). Simultaneously sophisticated and raw, the band’s playing blurs the boundaries between blues and jazz. The emphasis is on blues, but they are not afraid to merrily traipse off in other directions delivering a seamless fusion of New Orleans second line grooves, jazz swing, Latin, hip-hop or ska melodies, to swampy roots rock. The Blues Mongrels are: bassist Henry Heillig (founded the nine piece Latin band Manteca), and guitarist Eric St. Laurent. Get ready to trash all you thought you knew about the harmonica. The Blues Mongrels deliver a no-holds-barred display of fun and melodic virtuosity.  “a model of focus and urgency..a true virtuoso”.. Brad Wheeler – The Globe and Mail  http://www.carlosdeljunco.com Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpuBtxuE_xo

Presented by Love Letters Cabaret: CABIN FEVER: Friday, April 17. 8:00pm (Doors 7:30pm) Admission: $25 Advance/ $30 @ Door/ $45 Ringside seat.  It’s cold out and we’re going batty! Enjoy a hysterical evening of nonsense, singing & burlesque! Get over your winter blehs with comedy, dance and music from “Toronto’s edgiest, most sexually charged dance theater company”. This innovative and interactive company is the creation of Artistic Director and Choreographer Pastel Supernova (dubbed by Flare magazine as One of Canada’s most influential women). She is a former international dancer for Nelly Furtado with appearances on the David Letterman Show and more. Pastel packs the stage with beauty and talent, using elements of vaudeville, contemporary dance, and burlesque to tell stories, explore primal instincts. Witness a cast whose collective credits include: the National Ballet, the Canadian Opera Company, Mirvish Productions and Second City Productions just to name a few. You’ve never seen them? Here’s a peek: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV3nObw-7wk     www.loveletterscabaret.com   Adult content.

Touch of Klez: Thursday, April 16, 8:00pm. Door 7:30. $15 at the door. Note the change: Jordan Abraham will be bringing the klezmer band, Touch of Klez instead of SpectreBox. “TOK” is a professional ensemble bringing its unique take on traditional klezmer music to appreciative audiences for over 13 years. Based in Eastern European Jewish tradition, the music is fused with elements of cantorial, gypsy, turkish, mediterranean, and traditional jazz music to create something that is at once unique and universal. The music is joyous and sad – capturing the bittersweet essence of life itself in its sonorous melodies.  It is frantic and filled with longing – for a by-gone era, for a place we once knew, or for people whom we loved.  Touch of Klez breaks down barriers with music that aims straight for your soul. The players: Charlotte Price – Violin; Rick Black – Soprano Sax; David Ludwin – Bass Clarinet; Jordan Abraham – Accordion; Ron Richter– Piano; Alan Livingston – Guitar; David Guild – Drums

Shari Vandermolen & David Brideau: Saturday May 5.  Doors: 7:30pm. Show: 8:00. Tickets: $20. Shari Vandermolen is a renowned vocalist and award-winning performer in Hamilton and the Greater Toronto Area who has been entertaining audiences for 15 years with her Quartet, Trio or 5-piece band Quarter to Nine.  She is also the lead vocalist for the 10-piece jazz combo SwingLine.  On May 5th Shari brings her powerful and impressive vocal stylings back to the Pearl Company for a more intimate evening of song with jazz guitarist David Brideau, James Gannett on bass and Vince Waters on drums.  “…hear Vandermolen make jelly of your emotions with her voice and her art… one example is Stormy Weather… I barely weathered that storm intact.”  – View Magazine
David Brideau is a Canadian jazz guitarist, composer, and teacher who has been an active musician for over 15 years. A Hamilton native, and honours graduate from the Mohawk Jazz program, David has played all around the GTA with his own group, the David Brideau Trio and Quartet, as well as being prominently featured in groups with Michael Morobito, Amber-Leigh Palka, and Lauren Perreira among others. He studied under jazz greats Bob Shields, Pat Collins, Kim Ratcliffe, and Mark Ucci and is currently continuing his studies at McMaster University. David often composes his own standards, and released the sold-out EP “Addicted To You” in 2016. He is a recipient of the Dave McMurdo Music Bursary, the Antony Roberts Music Bursary, and the Richard Newell Memorial Scholarship.
Ticets: https://www.ticketscene.ca/events/21098/

Jazz, The Pearl, and Adam Vaughan: Monday, April 13 at 7:00pm – 9:30pm. Enjoy an evening of jazz, flamenco and classical guitar with Gary Santucci and conversation with Adam Vaughan, LPC’s housing and urban affairs critic, and Anne Tennier for Hamilton Centre at The Pearl Company, Hamilton’s performing arts gem. Tickets are $100 per person, including light refreshments, and are available by calling 905-523-6575 or online at http://events.liberal.ca/Event/jazz-the-pearl-and-adam-vaughan.aspx?Lang=en&mi=A

The HamilTEN Festival: April 10, 11, & 12.  $15 / $10 income-challenged.  HamilTEN is a festival of ten-minute plays by playwrights from Hamilton and surrounding areas. With more script submissions than Darren has ever had previously, HamilTEN 2015 promises to be our biggest festival yet! We will be presenting ten 10-minute plays at this year’s festival. A ten-minute play is a streak of theatrical lightning. It doesn’t last long but it should hit its mark! The festival is now in its fourth year (!) and they are back at The Pearl Company with something for everyone: a little drama, some comedy, with a little bit of madness to spice things up. All plays are featured at each performance. Darren Stewart-Jones, Artistic Director, is a theatre producer, director and a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada. He has produced and directed plays in Hamilton, Toronto, and London. He is the proud founder of The HamilTEN. Festival Tickets available at the door (cash only) online at www.ticketscene.ca or www.thepearlcompany.ca and by email at hamiltenfestival@gmail.com  Questions? Email: hamiltenfestival@gmail.com   Check out: http://hamiltenfestival.blogspot.ca https://www.facebook.com/pages/HamilTEN-Festival/
Show times:
Friday, April 10 @ 8pm
Saturday, April 11 @ 8pm
Sunday, April 12 @ 2pm

Our line-up for 2015, in no particular order, is as follows:
The Bridge by Jessica Anderson
Conversations with a Capital “A” by Robin Sadavoy
Tyson by Kevin Somers
Appearances by Katherine Albers
Evinrude Fabio by Colette Kendall
Barbershop Trio by Blending Reality Productions
Pee & Qs by Josh Downing
The Hourglass by Francesa Brugnano
Saint Catherine of Ontario by Bryan Boodhoo
Matter of Negativity by Sean Hurley (more…)

Paul Reddick with his Band! Saturday, April 4:  8:00pm. $20 /$15 students/seniors/arts workers. He’s back by popular demand (and ours)! Paul Reddick calls Toronto home, but his reputation is spreading internationally. The award-winning (phenomenal!) harmonica player, bandleader and songwriter described his most recent CD, Wishbone, as “a soundtrack for dancing and sex.” (!) The January ‘12 issue of Mojo, listed the CD in the #3 spot on its annual list of the Top 10 blues records of 2012. And if those accolades weren’t enough, here’s internationally renowned Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin, a long-time Reddick fan, “Wishbone is terrific!”  When Reddick, nominated for no less than five Maple Blues Awards, was asked “What is the blues?” the answer: “The Blues will always provide a soundtrack, a language, an endless landscape. It offers an unlimited means to express, explore and experience everything and every question that matters most.  It can be the heart singing its deepest song.” http://www.paulreddick.ca   Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dcae11Tx0w

Tim Crofts/Norman Adams/Lukas Pearse with Gerry Hemingway: Friday, April 3. $15/12 students, seniors, artists, un(der)employed. Intrepid, nimble improvising Halifax trio of Tim Crofts (piano), Norman Adams (cello) and Lukas Pearse (bass) will be joined by American master-percussionist, composer, Anthony Braxton Quartet alumni Gerry Hemingway.  This most virtuous unit will grace the Pearl Company stage as part of their coast to coast Canadian tour of select cities (Halifax, Montreal, Vancouver, Victoria, Hamilton, Guelph, Toronto).   The trio, considered “one of Atlantic Canada’s most creative free music ensembles”, has been presented numerous times on the suddenlyLISTEN Series, at the Festival des Musiques de Création Jonquière, The Halifax Jazz Festival and Re:Flux Festival.  With the addition of Hemingway, fresh, spontaneous interaction is the heart and soul of this unit.  The trio has released their first album, Sonomatopia, in 2008 and a second release, Literal Lateral, followed with Hemingway recently.  Don’t miss this Hamilton first! www.zulapresents.org www.suddenlylisten.com/projects/crofts-adams-pearse www.gerryhemingway.com