Volume 25 Issue 3 - November 2019

Mike Malone and the Writer’s Jazz Orchestra
years. Some musicians who were full-time faculty, such as the late
trombonist Dave McMurdo and trumpeter Mike Malone, moved to
Hamilton from Toronto, reversing an age-old tradition. McMurdo
had a huge impact on Hamilton jazz as a teacher and by starting his
Mountain Access (sometimes affectionately known as “Mounting
Excess”) Jazz Orchestra, which provided an outlet for writers and
players both from Toronto and the Hamilton area. Malone has
continued this with his Writer’s Jazz Orchestra, which performs regularly
in and around Hamilton and at Toronto venues such as The Rex.
More recently, the Hamilton-born, gifted pianist Adrean Farrugia and
his equally gifted wife, singer Sophia Perlman, who both teach at
Mohawk, have moved from Hogtown to Steeltown, perhaps attracted
by a city that’s less hectic, more affordable, and still offers opportunities
for cultural expression. With the Toronto jazz scene shrinking in
recent times, the worm is beginning to turn toward smaller cities.
Hamilton has also boasted attractive musical venues and organizations
through the years, often created and sustained by dedicated
music lovers and arts activists. Liuna Station is an excellent example.
It was originally a CN Railway station which had fallen into disrepair
until a guild of local artisans was commissioned to give it a lavish
facelift. The result is a unique and splendid venue for concerts as well
as other functions. I’ve played there numerous times with the likes
of Oliver Jones and David Braid and was bowled over by its extravagance.
One of my favourite places to play in Hamilton was not really
a jazz venue but a small Polish restaurant on Main St. called Izzy’s,
named for its cheerful and generous proprietor Isidora, who loved
jazz, cooking, jazz musicians and Irish whiskey, not necessarily in that
order. I’ll never forget playing there one night with the Mike Murley
Trio when Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone, Dave McMurdo and
Mike Malone were in the audience. Wheeler and
Winstone were in Hamilton as artists-in-residence
for a week of clinics and concerts at Mohawk
College, another example of how that institution
has boosted jazz in Hamilton.
Steel City Jazz Festival
Hamilton boasts many other long-term jazz outlets
– the Corktown Pub, Artword Artbar (on which
more later), Fieldcote Park in nearby Ancaster,
The Pearl Company, as well as concert venues
at Mohawk College and McMaster University.
Hamilton has also staged its own festival for the
last seven years, The Steel City Jazz Festival. This
year’s festival runs from November 6 to 10 and will
feature shows at Artword Artbar, the Corktown
Pub and The Pearl Company. It will return to
its roots by showcasing pianist Paul Benton, a
longtime seminal figure in Hamilton jazz, in its
opening concert, and by focusing on the past 30
years of jazz in the area.
Other artists will include the Nick McLean
Quartet, the Sextet of Smordin Law artist-in-residence
Jason Logue, the Waleed Kush African Jazz
Ensemble and Mike Malone, playing as part of the ECJ quintet led by
bassist Evelyn Charlotte Joe. This year the festival is also launching
performances at the legendary Corktown Pub – George Grossman’s
Bohemian Swing featuring Brandon Walker on November 7 and Blunt
Object on November 8. It’s a diverse and interesting lineup.
Farewell Artword, hail Zula
Unfortunately, this year’s festival will mark the end of one of
Hamilton’s best music venues, Artword Artbar, a café-bar on
Colbourne Street which has been hosting jazz and other interesting
music and theatre for the past ten years. Proprietors Ronald Weihs and
Judith Sandiford have sold the building and its future use is unclear,
but it won’t likely have to do with music or the arts. This is a decided
blow to the local scene and one hopes someone will step in with an
alternative space at some point. I only played there once, some years
ago with the Mike Murley Trio, and very much enjoyed the experience.
Artword Artbar has (had) good natural sound and a relaxing, casual,
grassroots feeling which combined the best of both worlds – a small
concert space and a rustic pub – one which encouraged audiences to
listen and inspired artists to play their best. It will be missed.
But not all is lost… finally, a word on another force in Hamilton jazz,
one largely unknown to many Torontonians, including yours truly
until recently: Zula, a bold and independent arts organization dedicated
to presenting adventurous and under-the-radar music against
long odds in Hamilton. It is the brainchild of music lover and arts
activist Cem Zafir, who originally founded Zula in Vancouver way back
in 2000, transplanting the concept to Hamilton when he moved there
in 2012. It is supported by the Ontario Arts Council and has gathered
a board of local artists including Donna Akrey, Chris Alic, Neil
Please join our continuing
40 th Anniversary celebration of swing era music by
JIM GALLOWAY’S
WEE BIG BAND
UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF MARTIN LOOMER
Thursday 21 st November 2019
from 7:30 to 10:30pm
in the elegant Great Hall of our new venue
the historic Arts & Letters Club of Toronto, 14 Elm Street
Duke
Ellington versus
Count
Basie
WHOSE ORCHESTRA WAS THE BEST?
Whether it’s the 1930’s, 40’s, 50’s or 60’s
The musical debate has continued.
Come, listen, and decide for yourself!
Doors 6:45 pm for Open Seating
Licensed facility
Ken Page Memorial Trust
Tickets $30, cash only please
Close to Dundas subway
Questions: Anne Page: 416 515 0200 or email: moraig@huntingstewart.com
Our concerts are dedicated to the memory of saxophone master, Jim Galloway, the band’s founder and leader for 35 years – and to those members passed
Media Sponsor
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