Bobby Harden with Off Da Hook
Arthur's Tavern57 Grove Street, New York 10014
Bobby Harden leads Off Da Hook at Arthur’s Tavern, fronting a five-piece lineup of vocalist Harden, bassist Booker King, drummer Yuichi Hirakawa, keyboardist Ron Thompson and guitarist Stew Cutler. The bill brings together musicians whose individual credits run across soul, blues, jazz and R&B, with Harden’s voice at the forefront. It is a late-night set at the West Village club, scheduled to run into the early hours.
Harden is originally from Youngstown, Ohio and is known as a soul and R&B singer, as well as lead singer of the Original Blues Brothers Band alongside Steve Cropper and “Blue Lou” Marini. He has performed at President Obama’s inauguration party and with artists including Solomon Burke, Eddie Floyd, Ben E. King, Robert Cray, Delbert McClinton and Howard Tate. The venue calls him New York City’s “acclaimed soul singing sensation” and a “true ‘Soul Man.’” King, Hirakawa, Thompson and Cutler add long New York careers and credits with artists from Santana and Paul Simon to Hugh Masekela, Percy Sledge and Wilson Pickett.
Arthur's Tavern is a basement club in the West Village where jazz, Latin, and blues are played with deep roots and modern energy. The stage is small, the room intimate, and the audience sits close to the musicians, often with a few people standing near the back. Shows start around 5 PM and go late, with some sets extending into the early hours. The club has a history of hosting top-tier performers since 2001, including regular appearances by Yuichi Hirakawa Jazz Group. It's a place where music is the center, and conversation flows naturally between the audience and the performers.