The Pearl Company

Tamar Ilana & Ventanas: Saturday, April 15. 7.30 doors, 8:00 start. Tickets $20 each. Ventanas formed in 2011 after the stunning vocalist and dancer, Tamar Ilana returned to Toronto following one of several sojourns to Spain to study flamenco song, cante and dance, baile and teamed up with violinist Mark Marczyk of the Lemon Bucket Orkestra. They began exchanging flamenco, Sephardic and Balkan tunes and in no time had put together a repertoire and formed a stellar trans-Mediterranean ensemble that included flamenco guitarist, Dennis Duffin, Middle Eastern percussionist, Jaash Singh, and Greek oud player Demetrios Petsalakis – an eclectic group of well known musicians on the Toronto music scene.  While Ilana’s remarkable voice and intricate flamenco footwork is the heart of Ventanas, together they weave Sephardic love songs from North Africa and the old Ottoman lands, quirky Bulgarian dance tunes, captivating pieces in Greek and Turkish, original songs and deep flamenco. Ilana dances and alternates with her compelling vocals.  Ventanas’ virtuoso musicians offer oud, violin, lyra, baglama, double bass, derbukka, cajo?n, and hand percussion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRTYdFy1Fl0   http://www.nerudaarts.ca/artists/ventanas-tamar-ilana

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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/