Saturday Night Celebrates Hometown Favourites

There’s going to be lots of great performances at this year’s festival, but none will bring us more pride than those featuring made-in-Hamilton jazz.. Saturday, October 27 features Brad Cheeseman at Artword Artbar and the Jazz Connection Big Band at the Music Hall.

Brad Cheeseman is a remarkable, award-winning bassist whose most recent album, The Tide Turns, was nominated for a Juno. He’s playing at Artword Artbar, home of the jazz festival and loved by the musicians it puts on the stage. Come to hear him play if you like jazz that gets into your head and tells a story. You’ll feel the winding and unwinding of the music and let go of your own stress and stories. It’s an intimate, engaging experience and a chance to appreciate great musicians playing t the top of their game.

Down the street at The Music Hall, the Jazz Connection Big Band will offer a different jazz experience. Just like Hamilton, the band is comfortable moving between today’s energy and the strengths of the past. They move effortlessly from big band standards like Count Basie or Buddy Rich to big band versions of pop songs like Janell Monae’s ‘Tightrope.’  

Festival Director Chris Ferguson says, “they change up their repertoire and have a great mix of old and new. That’s why we can have them back each year.” The space and acoustics in The Music Hall is going to make this a big evening filled with big sound and energy.