The Pearl Company

Week One (Oct 21 to 25) of the 2015 Steel City Jazz Festival is at Artword Artbar. http://www.artword.net/artbar/  Week Two (Oct 29 to Nov 1) is at The Pearl Company. The artist-in-residence for this year’s festival is jazz pianist Adrean Farrugia.   http://steelcityjazzfest.com/

Schedule: 2015 Steel City Jazz Festival @The Pearl

The Koopa Troop: October 24, 2pm FREE. Your favourite videogame hits from Mario Kart to Metroid, played with serious jazz chops! Featuring Tom Altobelli on bass, Chelsea McBride on saxophone, Chris Bruder on keys, Wilson McLeish on guitar and Tyler Goertzen on drums.
The Chris Bruder Quintet play Speak No Evil: October 29   8pm $15/$10 for students/seniors. One of Hamilton’s most exciting and talented young pianists leads an all-star quintet playing the entirety of Wayne Shorter’s classic 1964 album Speak No Evil. Featuring Mike Malone on trumpet, Clark Johnston and bass, Adam Fielding on drums, Scott Neilson on saxophone and Chris Bruder on piano.
The Jazz Connection Big Band: October 30, 8pm. $15/$10 for students. The baddest big band in town, the Jazz Connection are a powder-keg of funk and swing, playing everything from Ellington classics to Janelle Monae, all in their distinctive, powerful style (with a healthy dose of humour on the side). With years of experience under the belts and lauded performances at the Beaches Jazz Festival, Uptown Waterloo Jazz Festival and the Rex Hotel, a Jazz Connection performance is always a high-energy, must-see affair.
Terry Clarke with Adrean Farrugia and Neil Swainson: October 31, 8pm $15/$10 for students. The 2015 Steel City Jazz Festival Artist-in-Residence series concludes with a very special performance from Canadian jazz luminary Terry Clarke. Over a career spanning the past five decades Terry has played all over the world with many of the best players in jazz, including time spent with jazz legends Jim Hall and Oscar Peterson. Terry is a Juno and National Jazz Award-winning drummer and a member of the Order of Canada, and will be joined by Steel City Jazz Festival Artist-in-Residence Adrean Farrugia and bassist Neil Swainson.
Intercurrents: Roy Patterson and Brian Dickinson. November 1, 2:30pm. $15/$10 for students. Guitarist Roy Patterson and pianist Brian Dickinson join forces to explore the music of one of jazz’s most famous guitar and piano duos: Jim Hall and Bill Evans, as recorded on their albums Undercurrent and Intermodulation. Roy has played guitar around the world and is an adjunct faculty member at York University, as well a new Hamiltonian! Brian Dickinson is a two-time Juno Award winning pianist who has recorded on over sixty albums, including ten of his own.

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/