Kalabash: Caribbean Jazz October 27 at Mills Hardware

When I first met with our 2017 Smordin Law Artist-in-Residence, Colleen Allen, she had so many fantastic suggestions of possible groups she could put together that we could have done three festivals. I wish we could have done them all, trust me when I say you would not have gotten bored.  But the suggestion that I was most excited for was Kalabash.

Kalabash is a jazz sextet from Toronto, formed in 1993, focused on using the steel pan as a lead voice in the ensemble and dedicated to experimenting with the layering of rich jazz harmonies over the folk and popular rhythms of the Caribbean. The band is made up of Gareth Burgess on steel pans, Joaquin Nunez Hidalgo on drums, Anthony Pierre on percussion, Michael Shand on keyboards, Andrew Stewart on electric bass and Colleen on saxophone, flute and clarinet.  This is a fantastic group of musicians, and they play a style of jazz that we haven’t ever featured at the festival before. Just listen and you’ll be as convinced as I am that this is sure to be a highlight of the 2017 festival!

Another piece of exciting news for this show: it’s our first ever time hosting a show at Mills Hardware on King Street! Tickets are available now on Ticketfly for $15, or you can get tickets at the door for $20/$15 for students.