Guinness Cork Jazz Festival is nearly here (and these are the gigs you’ll want on your radar)
Brought to you by Guinness Cork Jazz Festival.
The October bank holiday is Cork’s time to shine.
The city is getting ready to party, with the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival returning from October 22nd to 26th and the countdown now well and truly on.
There’s a huge amount happening across the city over the Bank Holiday weekend, from late-night DJ sets and big international names to intimate jazz performances for those who like their music a little more on the experimental side.
And if you haven’t sorted your tickets yet, now might be the time. A number of shows have already sold out, while others are starting to move quickly.
The big ones
If you’re looking for a festival headliner, there’s no shortage of choice.
Yussef Dayes kicks things off at Cork Opera House on Thursday, October 22nd, bringing his hugely distinctive blend of jazz, broken beat and electronic sounds to the festival.
Friday night is looking particularly busy, with Masters At Work taking over Cork Opera House. The legendary house music duo of Louie Vega and Kenny Dope have been hugely influential in dance music for decades, and this is one for anyone who likes their jazz festival with a serious late-night groove.
Also on Friday, Annie Mac will take to Cork Opera House for a late-night set, with doors at 11.30pm and Tara Kumar on support.
For something a little more traditional, The Music of John Coltrane and Miles Davis, featuring trumpeter Keyon Harrold and saxophonist Marcus Strickland, comes to The Everyman on Friday night. The show looks back at the extraordinary musical partnership between Coltrane and Davis through the work of two contemporary jazz musicians.
And if you want to see some homegrown talent, Luke Thomas & The Swing Cats are bringing their Kings of Swing Tour to The Everyman on Saturday.
A few tickets to keep an eye on
Some of the festival’s biggest shows are already gone, including Berlioz and Boney M featuring Maizie Williams, while 49th and Main at Cyprus Avenue on October 24th is also sold out.
There are still tickets available for plenty of the major acts, though, including KOKOROKO and Courtney Pine, both at The Everyman on Sunday, October 25th.
KOKOROKO
If either of those is on your list, it would be worth getting organised sooner rather than later.
And then there’s Triskel…
For the serious jazz fans, Triskel Arts Centre is where some of the festival’s more adventurous sounds can be found.
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The programme includes Jason Moran, Momoko Gill, Jasmine Myra, Okonski, Bill Laurance, Riversphere featuring Iain Ballamy, Rob Luft, Nicki Pini and Corrie Dick, and Maciej Obara Quartet featuring Mathias Eick, to name but a few acts.
There’s plenty to dig into here, from Momoko Gill’s mix of jazz, electronic and experimental influences to Okonski’s stripped-back, atmospheric piano trio and the Norwegian jazz of Seim and Gustavsen – check out the full programme and buy tickets here.
And that’s really the beauty of Guinness Cork Jazz Festival: you can go all-in on the traditional stuff, spend the night dancing, discover an Irish act you’ve never heard before, or wander into Triskel and see where the music takes you.
“For artists coming through Cork’s scene, the opportunity isn’t only to perform. It is to encounter musicians, audiences, promoters and ideas from around the world, all within the city over one extraordinary weekend,” says Cork DJ Stevie G.
With the festival running across venues throughout Cork from October 22nd to 26th, there’s still plenty of time to put together your own Jazz Weekend itinerary. The full programme and ticket information are available on the new official Guinness Cork Jazz Festival website: guinnesscorkjazzfestival.com
Always drink alcohol responsibly; visit Drinkaware.ie.
