Early Shows: Quarter To Nine and the Vintage Jazz Quartet

The Steel City Jazz Festival is just over a week away, and the final preparations are underway. With ten shows and nearly twenty groups packed into the span of four days, there are difficult decisions to be made about which shows to attend. As much as I wish it could, no amount of precise scheduling is going to let me see Sound One and Brian Browne at the same time (catch them both next Friday at the Baltimore House and the Pearl Company, respectively). But there’s good news! The Steel City Jazz Festival is very pleased to offer a line-up of early shows for your listening pleasure. So whether you’d rather catch a show after dinner as a warm-up for concerts later that night or because your bed beckons you home, we’ve got you covered. Check these shows out!

Quarter To Nine is a six-piece vocal jazz group lead by singer Shari Vandermolen. Shari is an active member of the Hamilton theatre community and has performed in a number of musical theatre productions, including ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’, which she co-wrote and staged for the Hamilton Fringe Festival. Quarter To Nine had the chance to perform at Theatre Aquarius last year and will be bringing their mix of big-band, standards, show-tunes and burlesque to the Baltimore House on August 22nd for the Steel City Jazz Festival. If you’re a fan of Ella or Billie, this show’s got something for you!

Quarter To Nine at The Baltimore House
August 22nd, 7pm, $6
https://www.facebook.com/events/536378546425037/

The Vintage Jazz Quartet was founded by saxophonist Simon Wheeldon and bassist James Gannett to bring high-quality, small-group jazz to the Hamilton area. Simon is also a co-founder of the Jazz Connection Big Band and plays in a number of other groups throughout the GTHA. James has worked as a teacher and freelance musician in the Hamilton area and has played with Canada’s leading jazz musicians, including Guido Basso, Adrean Farrugia, Barry Elmes, Pat Collins, Dave Young, Tommy Ambrose, and Lorne Lofsky. Catch the Vintage Jazz Quartet August 24th at the Baltimore House.

The Vintage Jazz Quartet
The Baltimore House, 7pm, $6
https://www.facebook.com/events/145184769023758/