"Artword Artbar is a cosy little licensed listening room on Colbourne at James St. N., that always features interesting live music." Graham Rockingham, Hamilton Spectator 03/29/12
CLICK HERE to view Events for the next two weeks – in date order.
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Saturday March 23, 2019, at 8 pm, $15/$10. Devin Patten is a Toronto-based jazz bassist and composer. On this occasion at Artword Artbar, he will be leading a six-piece ensemble highlighting his original music. The ensemble: Brad Eaton trumpet, Matt Lagan tenor saxophone; Nebyu Yohannes trombone; Claire Lee piano; Devin Patten upright bass; Eric West drums. Devin’s compositions draw influence from the music of Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, Bill Evan’s and Claude Debussy.
Devin was a regular performer at Artword during his student days at Mohawk College. He always had an ambitious musical project on the go. We are delighted to have him back!
Friday March 22, 2019, at 8 pm, $15. Artword Artbar is pleased to announce the return to Hamilton of noted jazz pianist and vocalist Paul Benton. He celebrates his homecoming with a Swing Into Spring concert, a pianistic cocktail mixing original compositions and classic tunes, with vocals in four languages.
Paul Benton has been a professional musician for over 45 years, playing jazz, Latin and classical styles, and bringing fresh interpretations to the American Songbook. Based in Hamilton, he has performed in Europe and throughout North America. From 1988-1995, he and Roxanne Horbett-Benton, artist and designer, ran the Bay Area Jazz Society, producing festivals and a jazz magazine, The Riff. He has played Ontario Place, Roy Thompson Hall, Hamilton Place, Redeemer College, Hess Street Jazz Festival and Festival of Friends. For the last few years, he has been living in Victoria BC.
Review: “Benton was in raging form at the piano, striding and strutting around with two-fisted blizzards of note-filled solos in contrast with lyric vocals.” Hugh Fraser (Music Critic for Hamilton Spectator)
Thursday March 21, 2019 at 8 pm, $15/$10. Acclaimed folk acts Tragedy Ann (Liv Cazzola and Braden Phelan) and Moonfruits (Alex Millaire and Kaitlin Milroy) bring us an intimate bilingual evening of laughs, reverie and vocal harmonies.
** The award-winning music of Guelph folk duo Tragedy Ann, Liv Cazzola and Braden Phelan, craft something simultaneously familiar and fresh. Cazzola’s multi-instrumental menagerie and Phelan’s dynamic guitar flavours provide a lush backdrop to their powerful narratives, reminding you that you do indeed love the accordion—you just never heard it played this sweetly. tragedyannmusic.com
** Fronted by partners Alex Millaire and Kaitlin Milroy, Ottawa-based Moonfruits are makers of art-folk bilingue. In a forest of banjo, guitar, kalimba and glockenspiel, their voices burrow and soar. Four-time 2019 Trille Or nominees, Moonfruits have toured Canada coast to coast. Their début full-length Ste-Quequepart (2017) \saint-kehk-pahr or Saint Somewhere\ is an elaborate small town fiction that explores the faces of gentrification, isolation and community. moonfruits.ca
Event, Music, Music-folk, Music-pop-etc., Music-rock, Music-singer/songwriter
March 9 to 17, 2019. Artword Theatre is bringing back its timely and sensitive piece of documentary theatre, Langston Hughes vs. Joe McCarthy, written and directed by Ronald Weihs and produced by Judith Sandiford.
Dancer-choreographer-actor Learie Mc Nicolls plays the role of Langston Hughes and character actor Howard Jerome as The Interrogator.
Is poetry subversive? U.S. Senator Joe McCarthy thought so. On March 24, 1953, Langston Hughes, renowned poet of the Harlem Renaissance, was summoned before the Senate Committee on Investigations. Did his poems contain communist ideas? In reply, Langston Hughes tells about his personal encounters with racism in America. The script is based on the actual transcript of his testimony, interwoven with the controversial poems, and incorporating dance, music and powerful images of the era.
Only 8 performances! Show dates and times:
Saturday March 9 at 7:30 pm, Sunday March 10 at 3:00 pm,
Tuesday March 12 at 7:30 pm, Wednesday March 13 at 7:30 pm, Thursday March 14 at 7:30 pm, Friday March 15 at 7:30 pm,
Saturday March 16 at 3:00 pm, Sunday March 17 at 3:00 pm.
Saturday March 16, 2019, at 8 pm, $10. Another of our regular Latin American Peñas, with music and poetry from South and Central America.
Performers include: musicians Marcelo Puente, Lil America, and Fito Molena, and poets Ama Luna and Constanza Durán.
Friday March 15, 2019, at 9:00 pm, $10. Tiny Bill Cody Sees the Devil. (This is a late show after the 7:30 performance of Langston Hughes vs Joe McCarthy.)
Tor Lukasik-Foss (aka Tiny Bill Cody) has been delivering off-kilter original songs in this city for two decades, and has recently cut his teeth as a storyteller with the Hamilton Seven. Join him as he presents Tiny Bill Cody Sees the Devil, an interconnected song and story cycle on hesitation, regret, social anxiety, and Satan!
Thursday March 14, 2019, at 9:00 pm, $10 or by donation. The Purple, White and Green: the story of the Scottish Suffragettes. Written to mark the 1918-2018 centenary of (some) women’s right to vote in the UK, this powerful piece of storytelling is both timely and compelling. Storytellers Nicola Wright and Lea Taylor (from Edinburgh, Scotland) present with verve and vigour this mix of historical facts and prose, where deeds and words come together.
Photo left: performers Lea Taylor and Nicola Wright marching down the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, 2018.
Nicola Wright and Lea Taylor performing The Purple, White and Green: the story of the Scottish Suffragettes.
Their performance has enthralled audiences and even played at the Scottish Parliament before MSP’s and children.
They will also be performing this show at the Toronto Storytelling Festival on or near International Women’s Day.
(This performance follows the performance of Langston Hughes vs Joe McCarthy from 7:30 to 8:30).
Saturday March 9, 2019, at 9:00 pm, $10. An Artbar favourite, Beg To Differ Quartet, are back with a special late concert. Tim Ninehouse on keyboards, vocals; Doug Sikma on guitar; Steve Foster on drums and new member Ryan Ethier on bass. Unique renditions of blues, jazz and funk songs, drawing from a large musical repertoire from early blues roots to jazzified contemporary songs. http://reverbnation.com/begtodiffertrio
This show follows the performance of Langston Hughes vs Joe McCarthy from 7:30 to 8:30 pm.
Friday March 8, 2019, at 8 pm, $15. A double bill of jazz and funk.
Beelays: Jazz Quartet, with Jordan Snider on drums, Tom Altobelli on bass, Chris Bruder on piano and Scott McIntosh on guitar, is a stripped down instrumental edition of Hamilton’s hard-hitting funk rock band The Beelays. The quartet formed ten years ago while studying music at Mohawk College. The quartet features compositions written by all members of the group that fuse elements of improvisation with the energy of live music to make a unique performance every time.
Nosey Neighbour, with Juno-nominated guitarist & bandleader Paul MacDougall, George Ouellette on bass and Costa Chatzis on drums, is a group based in Brantford, born from a shared love of jazz, fusion and funk. Nosey Neighbour‘s style fuses catchy heads and adept improvisation much like John Scofield, Medeski Martin & Wood, and Miles Davis.
Thursday March 7, 2019, at 7:30 pm, $20. Two of Canada’s finest guitarists, James Bryan (McCollum) and Emma Rush come together for a night of pure guitar magic. Jazz meets pop meets folk meets classical. Originals meet classics. Tickets: www.eventbrite.com/e/guitar-magic-tickets-55478289056
James Bryan is a member of the Philosopher Kings and duo Prozzak.
Hamiltonians know Emma Rush as the force behind Guitar Hamilton.
A must for all fans of the guitar.
Wednesday March 6, 2019, at 8 pm. The Sad Boys Literary Society returns with music, readings, and new chapbooks. Host Ben Robinson. Details coming.
Saturday March 2, 2019, at 8 pm, $10. Artword welcomes back “sweet and soulful” jazz singer Carolyn Credico with the Carolyn Credico Quartet: Chris Bruder piano, Jordan Snider drums, Victor Vrankulj bass. Join us for an evening of beautiful jazz standards. Special guest is Mike Malone on trumpet.
Carolyn Credico is a jazz, R&B, and pop singer from the Hamilton area. After graduating from the Applied Music Programme at Mohawk College, Carolyn recorded her first full-length jazz album titled Pieces of Dreams with Don Thompson, Reg Schwager and Pat Collins. She performs in Toronto for some of 91.1 Jazz FM events organized by Jaymz Bee, and sings at local venues and private events throughout the GTA, Hamilton, and Niagara Region. www.carolyncredico.com
Friday March 1, 2019, at 8 pm, $10. Call 905-543-8512 or
Book online
The Amy Project returns to Artword Artbar! The show is a musical and storied journey outlining the short but tragic life of Amy Winehouse, the late British soul, blues and jazz singer. The performers are: Marni Shuster as the voice of Amy, Anthony Caradonna guitar/vocals, Ian Taylor bass/vocals, Amy DiNino piano/synth/vocals and Dominic DiNino drums.
Amy Winehouse was nominated for 63 World Music Awards and won 25 times for her songs and recordings before her death in 2011 at the age of only 27. The Amy Project performance will cover most of the songs from her two main albums Frank and Back to Black, plus many more of her other recordings, and some unreleased covers and collaborations.
Event, Music, Music-Blues, Music-pop-etc., Music-rock, Music-Soul/R&B
Thursday February 28, 2019, at 8 pm, $15 regular / $10 students/seniors. Call 905-543-8512 or
Book online
Kongero, the a capella Swedish vocal group returns to Artword Artbar. Singers Lotta Andersson, Emma Björling, Anna Larsson and Anna Wikénius draw traditional Swedish music out of the past and into the present. They take the listener on a fabulous journey, an all-embracing Scandinavian folk music experience.
www.kongero.se
“This group is a revelation. The beauty of the four voices is equaled only by the pristine, flawless arrangements. They provide a stunning example of a marriage between the traditional and the innovative. This magical Swedish music very much deserves to be heard far and wide.” – Jeff Meshel, Music journalist
Wednesday February 27, 2019, at 8 pm, $10. Jazz with The Jill McKenna Project: Jill McKenna bass, Adrean Farrugia piano, MacKenzie Read drums. They will be exploring some new music and pushing the boundaries of what’s done in a normal jazz trio setting.
Saturday February 23, 2019 at 8 pm, $15. Call 905-543-8512 or
Book online
The Waleed Kush African Jazz Ensemble returns again for Black History Month! This ensemble combines the ancient rhythms of Africa with the jazz harmonies of modern times. Waleed Abdulhamid (Composer/Band Leader) explains: “We play melody on top of traditional jazzy chord progressions with a twist of African ancient rhythms. There is a place for African instruments such as gombri, lakoumbe, marimba in the music.”
Band members are: Waleed Abdulhamid bass,vocals, percussion; Joseph Callender soprano and tenor saxophone; John Ebata keyboard, piano, accordion; Aaron Ferrera drums, percussion; Cory Sitek alto and soprano saxophone, flute.
Friday February 22, 2019, at 8 pm, $10. Alternative funk and soul with the Olivia Brown Quartet: “Billie Holiday, James Brown, and the Pixies collide in an evening of refreshingly original music.”
Olivia Brown bass and vocals, Jake Franiczek guitar, Justin McHugh drums, Ian Aisling piano.
Thursday February 21,2019, at 8 pm, $10 / $5 students. Fusion psychedelic jazz with guitarist Doug Murphy and his band “It Is What It Is”: Alana Gunn bass, Oscar Galbraith drums, Mike Ricci saxophone and flute. Guest set by Stef of KILLTHEOPPRESSOR.
Sunday February 17, 2019 at 7 pm, $15 / $10 students. Special early Sunday concert. Jazz w. the Alex Tomowich Quartet: Ted Warren on drums, Pat Collins on bass, Michael Morabito on saxophones, and Alex Tomowich on piano. The quartet plays a range of music including innovative originals inspired by Joe Satriani, Bud Powell, and Joey Calderazzo, along with covers of music by Adrean Farrugia and more.
Saturday February 16, 2019, at 8 pm.
$15 advance, $20 at the door. Call 905-543-8512 or
Book online
Mr. Jay hosts another fabulous Acoustic Moments show, featuring world-class reggae music by The Riddim Riders Unplugged.
Core members Franklin Joseph and Mike Rajczak are joined by vocalist Lauren Mikayla. and Lorne Hinds on lead guitar, plus guest Russ Wilson on bass. The band breaks away from their usual reggae-rockers vibe with this configuration, presenting an acoustic-soul vibe featuring acoustic and classical guitars, djembe, conga and hand percussion, and a big focus on rich vocal harmonies.
Friday February 15, 2019, at 8 pm.
$15 advance, $20 door.
Call 905-543-8512 or
Book online
The wonderful blues/gospel duo Diana Braithwaite and Chris Whiteley are bringing us a very special show: “Morning Sun” – a celebration in song for Black History Month.
Chris and Diana’s most recent appearance at Artword Artbar was in October 2018 in the Steel City Jazz Festival with a show of vintage jazz and blues.
Chris and Diana’s website
Artword Artbar, 15 Colbourne St, off James St North, one block south of Barton. Click to enlarge.
ArtwordBlog
Wed May 17, 2017. We just received notification of this honour! Artword Artbar selected as one of the 35 best jazz venues in Canada.
